Gazebo Theatre Company

Sport and theatre don’t often mix, although they do in a new play about Walter Tull, the Spurs and Northampton football star who became the first Black British combat officer to serve in World War I. Gazebo Theatre’s latest production ‘The Hallowed Turf’, tells the true story of Walter Tull through the eyes of a young unknown soldier who meets his hero on the front line.

The grandson of a slave, Walter Tull became the ultimate role model being only the second black footballer to compete at the top division in the early 20th century. He made history in the army as well as on the pitch. He enlisted in 1914, survived Passchendale and the Battle of the Somme to become the first black officer in the British army in 1917 – a virtually unimaginable achievement at that time - and was singled out for ‘gallantry and coolness’ when leading a risky expedition over a frozen river on the Italian front. He died on the Somme in 1918.

Gazebo’s powerful new play, complemented by a backdrop of original film footage courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, draws on Walter’s experiences to create an inspiring story of bravery and friendship in the midst of the horrors of trench warfare. A national tour of The Hallowed Turf starts this Autumn to tie in with black history month and the anniversary of World War I.