Arthur Herbert Thompson
.jpg) Portrait of Thompson taken by the Essenhigh Corke brothers.[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | June 1890 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sevenoaks, Kent, United Kingdom | |||||||||||||
| Date of death | 25 September 1916 (aged 26) | |||||||||||||
| Place of death | Gueudecourt, Somme, France | |||||||||||||
| Positions | ||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 1911–1913 | Estudiantes | 15 | (8) | |||||||||||
| 1913–1914 | River Plate | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||
Captain Arthur Herbert Thompson[a] (June 1890 – 25 September 1916) was an English soldier and amateur association football player, known for playing in the first official Superclásico of Argentine association football.
Born and raised in Sevenoaks, Thompson moved to Buenos Aires in 1911 to work as a staff member in the British Bank of South America. He started his association football career with Estudiantes, where he played from October 1911 to July 1913, making 15 appearances and scoring 8 goals. After which, he moved to River Plate, where he played the first official Superclásico in his debut for the club. He played 3 more games in 1914 before going back to England in October of that year. Thompson participated in the First World War, and died in the Battle of the Somme during the capture of Gueudecourt. He is one of the three Englishmen to have ever played in the club, and the only English River Plate player to have ever played in a Superclásico.
Early life
[edit]
In June 1890,[2] Arthur Herbert Thompson was born in the town Sevenoaks, located in the United Kingdom.[3] He lived and grew up in his parents' residency of 6 Argyle Road, along with his two brothers: Sidney Ernest Thompson[3] and Cecil George Thompson.[4] His father, Arthur, worked as a superintendent in the town's post office. Thompson and Sidney both went to the Lady Boswell's School for their elementary education; nonetheless, Thompson would move to the Sevenoaks School for his high school years.[3] In 1908, Thompson played in the starting eleven of his school's association football team.[5] Moreover, after graduating from high school, he served in the Queen's Own West Kent Yeomanry for four years as a trooper and was the secretary of the Old Sennockians' Club, founded by ex-alumni of the Sevenoaks School.[6][3]
Career
[edit]Estudiantes
[edit]Thompson travelled to Argentina in 1911 to work for the British Bank of South America as a staff member.[7][3][8] His first job at a bank was at the Union of London Bank and Smith's Bank as a clerk.[2][9] His Argentine association football career started in October 1911 with Estudiantes as a centre-forward, where he played 15 matches and scored 8 goals. One of his most important goals for the club was in the Round of 16 of the Copa de Honor against River Plate in July 1913,[10][7] the club whom he joined later in the same month.[7]
River Plate
[edit]
His first match in River Plate was on 24 August 1913 against Boca Juniors, where River won 2–1, making it the first official Superclásico[b] in the history of Argentine association football. In 1914, Thompson played three more matches for River Plate as a defender: a 3–0 win against Banfield, a 2–1 win against Belgrano Athletic Club and a 2–0 loss against Racing Club.[7][8][14] Thompson returned to England from Argentina on 3 October 1914 in the port of Liverpool, boarding the RMS Amazon.[15] He is one of the three Englishmen to have ever played in the club, and the only English River Plate player to have ever played in a Superclásico.[16]
Later life and death
[edit]After his return to England, Thompson volunteered on 30 October 1914 to fight for the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in the First World War, three months after the outbreak of the conflict.[6][17][3] During his services, he was a lieutenant in the 12th Battalion that arrived in December 1915, but was later attached to the 10th Battalion.[18][19] On 20 January 1916, he married Milicent Emily (née Taylor) at the St. Mary Church in Kippington, Sevenoaks; a honeymoon between the two was celebrated at Folkstone.[20] Back with his services, Thompson would become temporarily the Captain of the 10th battalion[21] until his death in the Battle of the Somme during the Capture of Gueudecourt on 25 September 1916,[22][6] After his death, his wife received this letter from Second Lieutenant F. R. Parker Dexter:
It grieves me to tell you of your husband's death in action on the 25th. Whilst gallantly leading his company to the assault, he was shot through the head; his death was instantaneous, so it was impossible for him to leave a message. Although he had only commanded his Company for a few weeks, in that short time, he had won the hearts of officers and men and the few that are left join me in sympathising with you in your very sad bereavement. Tommy, as we called him, was a great pal of one out here. Perhaps you will remember me meeting you in Newcastle? Please excuse me writing any more just now, as it upsets me to think about the last few days; but if you care to write to me, I shall only be too glad to write a little later.[23][6]
His obituary would be published by the Sevenoaks Chronicle on 6 October 1916, which is cited by the Sevenoaks War Memorial,[1] where he is remembered.[24] Furthermore, Thompson is also remembered in the Thiepval Memorial at the Pier and Face 11 C and 12 A section and in the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Buenos Aires.[18][25]
Career statistics
[edit]| Club | Season | League and Copa de Honor | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | ||
| Club Atlético Estudiantes | 1911-1913 | Primera División | 15 | 8 |
| Total | 15 | 8 | ||
| River Plate | 1913 | Primera División | 1 | 0 |
| 1914 | Primera División | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 19 | 8 | ||
Military awards
[edit]Thompson's decorations, awards, and badges include, among others:[21]
  |
| 1st row | Victory Medal | British War Medal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- Ball, Matthew (15 October 2014). Sevenoaks War Memorial: The Men Remembered. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-4294-9.
- "Promotions , Appointments, &c.". The Army List. London, United Kindom: War Office, Government of the United Kingdom. December 1914.
- Bond, Reginald Copleston (1926). History of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry: 1914-1918. Vol. III. P. Lund, Humphries & Company.
- "10th Battalion K.O. Yorkshire L.I. War Diary". King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (September 1916).
Notes
[edit]Notes
[edit]- 1 2 "Portrait of a World War I soldier, Lieutenant Arthur Herbert Thompson of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry". Kent Archives.
- 1 2 1916 Sevenoaks School Quarterly
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ball 2014, p. 53.
- ↑ "Death of Mr. C. G. Thompson". The Sevenoaks Chronicle. 30 October 1925. p. 14. Retrieved 24 June 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 1908 Sevenoaks School Magazine
- 1 2 3 4 "Lieut. Thompson killed". The Sevenoaks Chronicle. 6 October 1916. p. 6. Retrieved 25 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Burgo, Andrés (4 March 2022). "El jugador de River que fue a combatir a la Primera Guerra Mundial y murió en combate". Tiempo Argentino (in Spanish). ISSN 1853-0478. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- 1 2 Burgo, Andrés (9 May 2023). "Los superclásicos argentinos entre River Plate y Boca Juniors son cada vez más colombianos". América, Argentina. El País. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
- ↑ "Census of England and Wales, 1911" (Census). Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives. 2 April 1911.
- ↑ Osvaldo José, Gorgazzi. "Argentina - Copa de Honor "Municipalidad de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires" - 1913". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
- ↑ "24 de agosto de 1913: el primer superclásico oficial | Andres Burgo" (in Spanish). 26 November 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ↑ Estévez, Diego Ariel (5 October 2007). 320 Superclásicos (in Spanish). Ediciones Continente. p. 11. ISBN 978-950-754-237-4.
- ↑ Cox, Michael (16 March 2022). "Individual scoring records: Which goals count, who on earth is Bican, and what about Pele?". The Athletic. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
It is universally accepted that goals in international friendlies do count, but goals in club friendlies do not.
- ↑ Ciullini, Pablo; Gorgazzi, Osvaldo José. "Argentina 1914". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
- ↑ "UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960" (Index). Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives. 1878–1960.
- ↑ Burgo, Andrés (5 February 2023). "El caso inverso al de Enzo Fernández y Julián Álvarez: los ingleses de River". Tiempo Argentino (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ↑ The British Army 1914, p. 2798.
- 1 2 "Captain Arthur Herbert Thompson". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
- ↑ Bond 1926, p. 786.
- ↑ "Marriage of Miss M. E. Taylor, of Sevenoaks". The Sevenoaks Chronicle. 21 January 1916. p. 5. Retrieved 10 July 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Medal card of Thompson, Arthur Herbert. Kew, Richmond, Surrey: The National Archives. 1914–1920.
- ↑ King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 1916, p. 59.
- ↑ Ball 2014, p. 54.
- ↑ Ball 2014, introduction.
- ↑ "Volunteers from Argentina who gave their lives in The Great War" (PDF). Cementerio Británico. p. 153.
Footnotes
[edit]- ↑ Pronounced /ˈɑːθə ˈhɜːbət ˈtɒmpsᵊn/ in British English, and /ˈɑrθər ˈhɜrbərt ˈtɑmpsən/ or /ˈɑrθər ˈhɜrbərt ˈtɑmsən/ in American English
- ↑ River Plate and Boca Juniors disputed two friendlies before, In 2 August 1908 where Boca won 2–1 and in 15 December 1912 where Boca abandoned the match.[11][12] The match played in 1913 is considered the first because it was the first official match played between both teams. (friendlies in football don't count towards official standings).[13]