Captain NEVILL, WILFRED PERCY Died 01/07/1916 1st Bn. East Yorkshire Regiment attd. 8th Bn. East Surrey Regiment Captain Nevill bought four footballs, one for each of his platoons. The idea being that on the day of the First Battle of the Somme, the footballs would be "kicked into No Mans Land" as far towards the German line as was possible, and the winner would receive a prize from the Captain, who "kicked off" the first ball - the prize was never collected as Nevill died on the day. One of the footballs was inscribed : "The Great European Cup, The Final, East Surreys v Bavarians, Kick Off at Zero". Two examples are now held by National Army Museum and the Queen's Regiment Museum, Howe Barracks, Canterbury, Kent. Buried at CARNOY MILITARY CEMETERY Location: Somme, France Number of casualties: 827 Cemetery/memorial reference: E. 28. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56474989/wilfred-percy-nevill Wilfred Percy Nevill Captain, East Surrey Regiment, attached East Yorkshire Regiment
I think Captain Nevill lived just up the road from Rifleman Frank Edwards who was the men who kicked the football from his trench at Loos on 25th September '15. Frank lived in Whitton.
Presumably now destroyed in the tragic fire at Clandon: Captain Nevill's Football Museum Artefacts Clandon Park Apparently a second one at the Queen's & PWRR Regiment Museum, Dover Castle (Believe this is relocated from Howe Barracks) BBC - A History of the World - Object : Football from the Somme WWI