WALTER TULL

Early day motion 1851, tabled 20 June 2008 by Brian Binley (Conservative). Signed by 54 members.

That this House remembers Walter Tull for his contribution to British sport as a professional footballer for Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town football clubs; expresses its sincere gratitude for his lesser-known role as a soldier who fought in the 17th Middlesex Regiment during the First World War; notes that he was accepted for Officer Training and appointed to a Commission in the Special Reserve of Officers in 1917; remembers that he sadly lost his life as an officer of the 23rd Middlesex regiment in 1918; notes that his Commanding Officer mentioned him in despatches for his `gallantry and coolness' on the Italian Front and recommended him for a Military Cross; regrets that he was not awarded the Cross because, as a British citizen of non-European descent, he should not have been commissioned at all; and calls upon the Government to right this sizeable injustice by posthumously awarding him the Military Cross for his gallantry.

Signatures by party: Conservative 22, Labour 21, Liberal Democrat 6, DUP 3, Independent 1, Scottish National Party 1.