John Thornley (footballer, born 1885)

John Thornley

Personal information
Full name	John William Thornley[1]
Date of birth	19 September 1885[1]
Place of birth	Hayfield, England[2]
Date of death	31 March 1918(1918-03-31) (aged 32)[3]
Place of death	Pas-de-Calais, France
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1902–1906	Glossop	5	(0)
1905	Manchester United	0	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John William Thornley (19 September 1885 – 31 March 1918) was an English amateur footballer who played in the Football League for Glossop as a forward.^[2][4]

Personal life

Thornley was born in September 1885 in Hayfield, Derbyshire to Thomas and Henrietta Thornley and was baptised the following March in Whitfield, Derbyshire.^[1][2][3] His elder brother Irvine was also a footballer.^[5] In 1915, during the second year of the First World War, Thornley enlisted as a private in the Cheshire Regiment.^[2] He was wounded at the Battle of St Quentin and died of his wounds on 31 March 1918.^[2][5] Thornley was buried in Wimereux Communal Cemetery.^[3]

References

1. Derbyshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, 1813–1916
2. Froggatt, Mark. "The players we lost in war". www.manutd.com. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
3. "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
4. Joyce, Michael (2012). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 288. ISBN 978-1905891610.
5. "John Thornley | Service Record". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 20 December 2018.