From Everton, 1906 FA Cup winner Harry Makepeace was serving as a flight sergeant in the RFC. Makepeace also played cricket for Lancashire and, after the war, played four Test matches for England.
Two other Everton players were joining him in Claret and Blue – defender Jock Maconnachie was a mechanic in the RFC, while striker Sam Chedgzoy was a private in the Scots Guards. The future England international spent the season with West Ham, scoring ten goals in 22 appearances, and returned to score four more in six games in spring 1919.
The article also listed Bolton Wanderers defender Bert Baverstock, a private in the RFC, Oldham Athletic left winger Joe Walters, an air mechanic in the RFC, and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jack Crabtree.
The final ‘guest’ member of King’s squad listed was Bolton’s Wales international goalkeeper Billy Jennings, a corporal in the RFC, who actually never appeared in a game for West Ham. Incredibly, seven years later he was in goal for Bolton when they beat the Hammers 2-0 in the famous ‘White Horse’ 1923 FA Cup final at the newly completed Empire Stadium in Wembley.
It was hoped centre-half William Askew would be available as he had successfully applied to be a conscientious objector to the war and remain in England to ‘do national work’.
The article concluded with a full squad list replete with each player’s military commitment, with winger Herbert Ashton serving in the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).
Dozens of other players would be called upon throughout the 1916/17 campaign, with 49 appearing for King in total. Despite the high turnover in team selection, West Ham excelled, winning 30 out of 40 matches and scoring 110 goals on the way to winning the London Combination title by seven points ahead of local rivals Millwall.