William Voisey

{{Infobox football biography

| name = William Voisey

| image =

| caption =

| fullname = William Voisey{{Cite book |last=Joyce |first=Michael |title=Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939 |year=2012 |isbn=9781905891610 |edition=Third edition, with revisions |location=Toton, Nottingham |page=296 |oclc=841581272}}

| birth_date = {{birth date|1891|11|19|df=y}}

| birth_place = Poplar, England{{Cite web |title=Bill Voisey |url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/5000871 |access-date=20 October 2021 |website=Olympedia}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|1964|10|19|1891|11|19|df=y}}{{Cite web |title=England Uncapped Players – Bill Voisey |url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersUV/BioVoiseyW.html |access-date=29 October 2019 |website=www.englandfootballonline.com}}

| death_place = Leytonstone, England

| height =

| position = Wing half, full back

| years1 = 1906–1907

| clubs1 = Glengall Rovers

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1907–1908

| clubs2 = St John's

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1908–1923

| clubs3 = Millwall

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| years4 = 1923–1924

| clubs4 = Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic

| caps4 = 26

| goals4 = 2

| years5 =

| clubs5 = Leytonstone

| caps5 =

| goals5 =

| nationalyears1 = 1919

| nationalteam1 = England (wartime)

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1936

| managerclubs1 = Great Britain

| manageryears2 = 1940–1944

| managerclubs2 = Millwall

}}

William Voisey {{Post-nominals|DCM|MM|country=UK}} (19 November 1891 – 19 October 1964) was an English professional footballer who played as a wing half for Millwall in the Football League and later managed the club during the Second World War. He managed the Great Britain team at the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was nicknamed 'Banger'.{{Cite web |title=Remembering The Fallen |url=https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/2018/november/remembering-the-fallen/ |access-date=29 October 2019 |website=www.millwallfc.co.uk |language=en-gb}}

Playing career

Voisey began his career with local Isle of Dogs clubs Glengall Rovers and St John's, before joining Southern League First Division club Millwall in 1908.{{Cite web |title=Voisey Bill Millwall 1919 |url=https://www.vintagefootballers.com/product/voisey-bill-image-3-millwall-1919/ |access-date=29 October 2019 |website=Vintage Footballers |language=en-GB}} He remained with the club through the First World War and was capped by England in a wartime fixture in 1919. He was a non-playing reserve for competitive England matches in October 1919 and May 1921 and was a member of the FA XI which toured South Africa in 1920.{{Cite web |last=Lemmerman |first=Mick |date=19 September 2019 |title=Bill Voisey, the Millwall Footballer from Cubitt Town |url=https://islandhistory.wordpress.com/2019/09/19/bill-voisey-the-millwall-footballer-from-cubitt-town/ |access-date=29 October 2019 |website=Isle of Dogs – Past Life, Past Lives |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=British FA XI Tours |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/britishfatours.html |access-date=20 October 2021 |website=RSSSF}} Voisey played in Millwall's first three seasons of league football after the war, before transferring to newly-elected Third Division South club Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic in 1923. He ended his playing career in non-League football with Leytonstone. In 2015, a housing block at the Frank Whipple Estate in Tower Hamlets was named Bill Voisey Court in his honour.{{Cite web |title=Neil Harris 'so proud' to open Frank Whipple Estate |url=https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/2015/june/neil-harris-so-proud-to-open-frank-whipple-estate/ |access-date=29 October 2019 |website=www.millwallfc.co.uk |language=en-gb}}

Managerial and coaching career

After retiring from football, Voisey held the position of trainer at Leytonstone, Fulham and Millwall. He managed the Great Britain team to the quarter-finals of the 1936 Summer Olympics and later managed Millwall during the Second World War.{{Cite web |title=Great Britain squad – Berlin 1936 |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/teams/team=1889945.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211160102/http://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=512/edition=197041/teams/team=1889945.html |archive-date=11 December 2007 |access-date=10 November 2009 |publisher=FIFA}} In 1941, at the age of 50, he named himself in the lineup as a player for a London War Cup match versus West Ham United. After sustaining injuries during an air raid in April 1943 (in which The Den received a direct hit), Voisey was forced to relinquish his management role in November 1944.{{Cite news |last=Ronan |first=Barney |date=12 August 2009 |title=Football managers: camel coat optional |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2009/aug/12/football-managers-leadership |access-date=10 November 2009}}

Personal life

Voisey was married with five children, two of whom died in infancy. One son, Harry, became a footballer and made appearances for Millwall during the Second World War.{{Cite web |title=VE Day |url=https://www.millwallfc.co.uk/news/2020/may/celebrating-ve-day/ |access-date=20 October 2021 |website=www.millwallfc.co.uk |language=en-gb}} Voisey served as a sergeant in the Royal Field Artillery during the First World War and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the Military Medal, the Croix de guerre during the course of his service and was mentioned in dispatches. His DCM citation reads:

{{cquote|He (Voisey) came to France with the Division, has frequently acted as Battery Sgt. Major and invariably displayed marked resource, particularly during the retirement after 21 March 1918 when the Battery sustained many casualties from hostile fire. His fine example and disregard of danger contributed largely to the withdrawal of men and guns. Has always set a fine example of courage and cheerfulness to all ranks.}}

Career statistics

{{Expand section|1=

Millwall career from 1908 to 1920

|date=October 2019}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" \|+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ! rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|FA Cup ! colspan="2" \|Total
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
rowspan="3" \|Millwall \|1920–21{{Cite web \|title=Millwall Season 20/21 Stats \|url=http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-Stats20-21.htm \|access-date=29 October 2019 \|website=www.millwall-history.org.uk}} \|Third Division \|30 \|1 \|1 \|0 \|31 \|1
1921–22{{Cite web \|title=Millwall Season 21/22 Stats \|url=http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-Stats21-22.htm \|access-date=29 October 2019 \|website=www.millwall-history.org.uk}} \| rowspan="2" \|Third Division South \|42 \|2 \|5 \|0 \|47 \|2
1922–23{{Cite web \|title=Millwall Season 22/23 Stats \|url=http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-Stats22-23.htm \|access-date=29 October 2019 \|website=www.millwall-history.org.uk}} \|7 \|0 \|0 \|0 \|7 \|0
colspan="3" \|Career total !78 !3 !6 !0 !84 !3

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

|+Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |FA Cup

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

rowspan="3" |Millwall

|1920–21{{Cite web |title=Millwall Season 20/21 Stats |url=http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-Stats20-21.htm |access-date=29 October 2019 |website=www.millwall-history.org.uk}}

|Third Division

|30

|31

1921–22{{Cite web |title=Millwall Season 21/22 Stats |url=http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-Stats21-22.htm |access-date=29 October 2019 |website=www.millwall-history.org.uk}}

| rowspan="2" |Third Division South

|42

|47

1922–23{{Cite web |title=Millwall Season 22/23 Stats |url=http://www.millwall-history.org.uk/Millwall-Stats22-23.htm |access-date=29 October 2019 |website=www.millwall-history.org.uk}}

colspan="3" |Career total

!78

!84