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Leyton Orient
15 May 2017
Leyton Orient’s history
On Monday 15th of May, we had a special visitor from Leyton Orient trust who came in to speak to Year 5 and 6. We learnt about the history of Leyton Orient and what they did for us in the First World War. They made many sacrifices for us and hopefully the information we will share below will give you an insight into their history.
Did you know?
Leyton Orient were once called Clapton Orient because it was founded in Hackney where Clapton is. Clapton Orient began to play around 1880s, it is one of the oldest football clubs in London. Also, many of the players from the 1910 team would go on to fight in the First World War. Tragically, their three best players lost their lives during the war. Their names were Richard McFadden, George Scott and William Jonas.
Clapton’s equipment
In the early years, Clapton wore t-shirts which were made out of wool and that made it really hard for them to play because when it rained their shirts got really heavy making it difficult to play. Furthermore, their football boots were made out of leather which also made it hard to run, their leather shin pads protected their shins. Finally, the football was leather, it was really annoying for them because it absorbed water so if they kicked it, it would only move about 20 metres. It was also very hefty.
War events
Due to the war, footballers were called to the Fulham Town Hall and were asked to join the war since they had a lot of stamina, strength and speed. This had made an immense impact because fans started to join to fight by their favourite footballers. Although many of them died, they were appreciated. After Clapton’s last home game against Leicester foxes, they changed into their soldier outfits and marched away towards the war. The two sides made trenches and attacked from there.
Triumph
They were later renamed the club to Leyton Orient as they moved to Leyton. Moreover, in 2010, in Longueval, France they arranged a memorial to remember the Footballer’s Battalion. Now in the 2016/17 season Leyton Orient played in league 2 but unfortunately are now relegated to the lower league. This is Leyton Orients history.
We have enjoyed learning about Leyton Orient’s history and we hope you have learnt something. We now know what happened to Leyton Orient all those years ago and thank them for their hard work.
Please have a look at the photographs below, hope you enjoy them!
Thank you,
Hunzelah, Miruna-CM, Dionisjo
Class Spain