Joe Bailey

Christened Walter, known as Joe and nicknamed ‘Bubbles’, Walter George Bailey was an inside-forward who was selected for the Great Britain squad at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. However, following an injury sustained whilst playing for Reading shortly before the Games he had to withdraw and his place was taken by Leonard Dawe. Born at Thame, his first club was Thame United before joining Oxford City. He went on loan to Nottingham Forest in the 1910-11 season, playing four League games and scoring on his début against Tottenham Hotspur on Boxing Day 1910. He joined Reading as an amateur in 1911 and the following Spring he won two England amateur caps, scoring four goals in the wins over Belgium and Netherlands. He also appeared in both Reading’s matches in the last-16 of the FA Cup which saw Manchester United win a replay 3-0 after a 1-1 draw at Reading., After the injury that ruled him out of the Olympics he turned professional with the Royals and in 1913 he toured Italy with them and scored in all five of their tour games, in just eight days, including a goal in the win over the Italian National side. He went on to become a Reading legend, scoring 77 goals - 60 of them in the Southern League. However, he had the honor of scoring Reading’s first ever goal in the Football League, away to Newport County in the 1-0 win on 28 August 1920. He only had one Football League season with Reading, but scored 18 goals in 44 League and Cup games before winding down his career with Boscombe and then Sittingbourne. Before he left Elm Park, the club organised a Benefit game for him and Joe was reported to have sold a ticket to the future King of England, Edward VII, to attend the match. Having been an Oxford hockey player and cricketer, he was appointed the cricket coach at Warwick School in 1921. During the War Bailey joined the 17th Middlesex Regiment, better known as the Football Battalion, as a private but he ended the war as a captain and was honored with the DSO (Distinguished Service Order) and Military Cross, with two bars, following his bravery in the field.