Walter’s War

The substantially true story of Walter Tull, a black man whose grandfather was a slave but who was born in Folkestone, Kent, in England, and who, in the years prior to the First World War, was a professional football player for Tottenham Hotspur. However, despite the odd flashback the film focuses solely on his prowess in the war. In 1916 he is a non-commissioned officer, heroically attempting to save comrades and is recommended for training as an officer at a military school in Scotland where he encounters prejudice because of his colour, as well as impressing and dating a local girl. His single-mindedness and desire to be the best impresses the fair-minded Captain Coombes and he ultimately attains his commission. However, he is killed in 1918 and a postscript informs us that, whilst he was recommended for the Military Cross, it was never bestowed upon him.