The Armistice Day Killing: The Death of Tommy Ball and the Life of the Man Who Shot Him

This is the dramatic story of the death of the only English professional footballer deemed by law to have been murdered. A key member of Aston Villa’s 1923 all-star team, Tommy Ball rose from the obscurity of Durham pit village football to play a starring role in the world’s most famous team and was considered a likely future England international. His killer, Somerset man George Stagg, was a former soldier and policeman who became his landlord and neighbour. A difficult relationship culminated in their fateful meeting on the evening of Armistice Day in 1923. Sentenced to death in controversial circumstances, Stagg escaped the noose by the intervention of the country’s first Labour Home Secretary. The exact circumstances of the shooting were never legally established and, for almost a century, have been the subject of considerable speculation. After diligent research, Colin Brown believes he may have the answers.