{{Short description|English footballer (1887–1955)}} {{Use British English|date=August 2011}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Harold Walden | fullname = Harold Adrian Walden | birth_date = 10 October 1887 | birth_place = India | death_date = {{death date and age |1955|12|2|1887|10|10|df=y}} | death_place = England | position = Forward | years1 = 1911 | clubs1 = Halifax Town | caps1 = 11 | goals1 = 5 | years2 = 1911–1920 | clubs2 = Bradford City | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = 1920–1921 | clubs3 = Arsenal | caps3 = 2 | goals3 = 1 | years4 = 1921–?? | clubs4 = Bradford City | caps4 = | goals4 = | nationalyears1 = 1912 | nationalteam1 = England Amateurs | nationalcaps1 = 3 | nationalgoals1 = 9 | image = Harold Walden 1912.jpg }} {{MedalTop}} {{MedalSport | Men's football }} {{MedalCountry | {{GBR2}} }} {{MedalGold | 1912 Stockholm | Team competition }} {{MedalBottom}}
'''Harold Adrian Walden''' (10 October 1887 – 2 December 1955) was an English amateur footballer who played for several clubs, Halifax Town, Bradford City and Arsenal. Walden also played for Great Britain's football team, with which he won gold in the 1912 Summer Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|title=BantamsPast|url=http://www.bantamspast.co.uk/index.php?id=3028104838316163814|accessdate=30 January 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702123653/http://www.bantamspast.co.uk/index.php?id=3028104838316163814|archivedate=2 July 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/25297 |title=Harold Walden |work=Olympedia |access-date=23 May 2021}}</ref>
==Playing career== A centre forward, he began his career with Cliftonville and Linfield in Ireland, before joining Halifax Town in October 1911 and Bradford City two months later.<ref name="FATFWW">{{Cite news |url=https://www.footballandthefirstworldwar.org/harry-walden-music-hall-footballer/ |title=Harry Walden – Footballer and Music Hall Star |work=Football and the First World War |accessdate=24 November 2017 |language=en-US }}</ref> He spent four seasons with the Bantams and was the League's top scorer in 1911–12.<ref name="FATFWW" /> That summer, he was part of the English amateur team that represented Great Britain at the Olympic football tournament, playing a pivotal role in helping the team win the gold medal since he netted 9 goals in just three games, thus averaging three goals per game.<ref name="FATFWW" /> Walden scored six goals in a 7–0 win over Schlosser's Hungary in the quarter-finals, followed by two goals in a 4–0 win over Finland in the semi-finals, and then netted a goal in the final against Denmark as Great Britain won 4–2, thus contributing decisively to his side's triumph in Stockholm.<ref name=Amateurs>{{cite web |url=http://englandfootballonline.com/MatchRsl/MatchRslAm.html |title=England Matches - The Amateurs 1906-1939 |website=englandfootballonline.com |accessdate=30 July 2022 |archive-date=28 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220328123742/http://englandfootballonline.com/MatchRsl/MatchRslAm.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He holds the record of being the 'Highest British goal scorer within the Olympics' and is still the shared eighth highest goal scorer overall within the Olympics.<ref name=Feature>{{cite web|title=Goal:Medals, Messi & the Magical Magyars: London 2012 the next chapter in Olympic football's rich history|url=http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/4433/2012-olympics/2012/07/24/3261592/medals-messi-the-magical-magyars-london-2012-the-next-chapter-in-|accessdate=4 September 2015}}</ref>
Walden entered the army by joining the Cheshire Regiment in April 1902 at the age of 14 and a half as a drummer boy and served in India and Ireland.<ref name="FATFWW" /> He played for the Army against the Navy in 1910 and 1911, and also served in World War I, for the West Yorkshire Regiment, rising to the rank of captain.<ref name="FATFWW" /> After the war ended he joined Arsenal and played six times for the Gunners, twice against Oldham Athletic scoring a single goal and in four friendlies, with his debut coming on 12 February 1921. With just those games to his name, he returned to Bradford at the end of the 1920–21 season.<ref name="Arsenal" />
==Personal life== After retiring from football and the army, he went into the music hall as a variety performer, touring England, Australia, China and India.<ref name="FATFWW" /> He made his stage debut while still playing football, in 1919. He had also had a minor film career, which included starring in ''The Winning Goal'', one of the earliest football-related films, in 1920. Walden also played himself in the 1948 film ''Cup-tie Honeymoon''.<ref name="Arsenal">{{Cite web |url=https://www.arsenal.com/historic/players/harold-walden |title=Arsenal |accessdate=4 September 2015 }}</ref> He made 78 rpm records such as "Ronnie the Robin" together with "And only me knows why", on the Imperial label as well as from Ernest Binns' Arcadian Follies, 'Mother I'm a soldier' and 'Only me knows why' upon Parlophone.<ref name="FATFWW" /> The latter was reviewed in The Gramophone magazine's November 1939 edition. He died in 1955 of a heart attack at Leeds railway station.<ref name="FATFWW" /> He is buried at Killingbeck RC Cemetery, York Road, Leeds, Yorkshire.<ref name="FATFWW" />
===International goals=== :''England Amateurs score listed first, score column indicates score after each Walden goal.'' {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |+ List of international goals scored by Harold Walden<ref name=Amateurs/> |- ! scope=col | No. ! scope=col | Cap ! scope=col | Date ! scope=col | Venue ! scope=col | Opponent ! scope=col | Score ! scope=col | Result ! scope=col | Competition ! scope=col class=unsortable| {{abbr|Ref|Reference(s)}} |- ! scope=row| 1 | rowspan=6|1 || rowspan=6| 30 June 1912 || rowspan=9| Stockholms Olympiastadion, Stockholm, Sweden || rowspan=6| {{fb|HUN}} || {{center|1–0}} || rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;" | 7–0 || rowspan=6| 1912 Summer Olympics Quarter-finals || rowspan=6| {{center|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/mensolympic/stockholm1912/match-center/32260 |title=Olympic Football Tournament Stockholm 1912: Great Britain - Hungary |website=www.fifa.com |accessdate=29 June 2022 |archive-date=2 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220602222011/https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/mensolympic/stockholm1912/match-center/32260 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} |- ! scope=row| 2 || {{center|2–0}} |- ! scope=row| 3 || {{center|4–0}} |- ! scope=row| 4 || {{center|5–0}} |- ! scope=row| 5 || {{center|6–0}} |- ! scope=row| 6 || {{center|7–0}} |- ! scope=row| 7 | rowspan=2|2 || rowspan=2| 2 July 1912 || rowspan=2| {{fb|FIN}} || {{center|2–0}} || rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 4–0 || rowspan=2| 1912 Summer Olympics Semi-finals || rowspan=2| {{center|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/mensolympic/stockholm1912/match-center/32267 |title=Olympic Football Tournament Stockholm 1912: Great Britain - Finland |website=www.fifa.com |accessdate=29 June 2022 |archive-date=7 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210807201237/https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/mensolympic/stockholm1912/match-center/32267 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} |- ! scope=row| 8 || {{center|3–0}} |- ! scope=row| 9 | 3 || 4 July 1912 || {{fb|DEN}} || {{center|1–0}} || style="text-align:center;" | 4–2 || 1912 Summer Olympics Final ||{{center|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/mensolympic/stockholm1912/match-center/32271 |title=Great Britain v Denmark, 4 July 1912 |website=www.fifa.com |accessdate=30 July 2022 }}</ref>}} |}
==Honours== ;Great Britain *Summer Olympics 1912: Gold Medal<ref name=Feature />
===Individual=== *Silver Boot: 1912 Summer Olympics<ref name=Feature />
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Olympics.com profile|harold-adrian-walden|Harold Adrian Walden}} * {{Sports-Reference|wa/harold-walden-1}} * {{IMDb name|0907077}}
{{Great Britain Squad 1912 Summer Olympics}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walden, Harold}} Category:1887 births Category:1955 deaths Category:English men's footballers Category:English Olympic competitors Category:England men's amateur international footballers Category:Footballers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Category:Olympic footballers for Great Britain Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Category:Halifax Town A.F.C. players Category:Bradford City A.F.C. players Category:Arsenal F.C. players Category:People from Ardwick Category:West Yorkshire Regiment officers Category:Cheshire Regiment officers Category:British Army personnel of World War I Category:Olympic medalists in football Category:Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Category:Cliftonville F.C. players Category:Linfield F.C. players Category:NIFL Premiership players Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Military personnel of British India