Bob Whiting

Bob Whiting
Personal information
Full name Robert Whiting
Date of birth (1883-01-06)6 January 1883
Place of birth Canning Town, England
Date of death 28 April 1917(1917-04-28) (aged 34)
Place of death Oppy Wood, Arras, France
Position Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1904–1905 South West Ham
1905 West Ham United 0 (0)
1905–1906 Tunbridge Wells Rangers
1906–1908 Chelsea 52 (0)
1908–1915 Brighton & Hove Albion 253 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Whiting (6 January 1883 – 28 April 1917), sometimes known as Pom Pom Whiting, was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Chelsea. He made 253 appearances in the Southern League for Brighton & Hove Albion and was a part of the club's 1909–10 Southern League First Division and 1910 FA Charity Shield-winning teams.

Career

Whiting was given the nickname "Pom Pom" due to the strength of his kicks.

In December 1914, four months after the outbreak of the First World War, Whiting enlisted in the Football Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment. After arriving in France in November 1915, Whiting became infected with scabies at the front and was sent to a hospital in Brighton for treatment. As a result of the discovery of his wife's pregnancy and the death of his brother on the Somme in August 1916, Whiting went AWOL. After 133 days he was caught in October 1916 and court-martialled in France in February 1917. A shortage of men due to the Battle of the Somme and Hubert Gough's need for men in the Battle of Arras meant that his sentence of 9 months' hard labour lasted just one week before he rejoined the Football Battalion. He was killed in action whilst assaulting a fortified German position at Oppy Wood during the battleon 28 April 1917 and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial.

After Whiting's death it was rumored that he was shot for desertion. His commanding officer wrote a letter published by The Argus which debunked these claims.

Personal life

Whiting married Sarah "Nellie" Whiting, with whom he had three sons. His second-youngest son, William, later followed in his footsteps to play as a goalkeeper for Tunbridge Wells Rangers.

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chelsea 1905–06 Second Division100010
1906–0736020380
1907–08 First Division1500010
Total 52020540
Brighton & Hove Albion 1908–09 Southern League First Division37010380
1909–1042010430
1910–1137030400
1911–1238010390
1912–1334030370
1913–1434040380
1914–1531000310
Total 25301302660
Career total 3050150320

Honours

Brighton & Hove Albion

References

  1. 1 2 Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 309. ISBN 978-1905891610.
  2. 1 2 3 "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Footballer featured in War Stories exhibition". brighton-hove.gov.uk. May 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Robert (Bob) 'Pom Pom' Whiting". robertpompomwhiting.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Bob Whiting: big kicker and casualty of war". Great War London. 12 June 2012. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. p. 258. ISBN 0-9521337-1-7.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Furber & Lo 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "Robert Whiting". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.

Works cited