HE was a miner’s son from Yorkshire.

But Larrett Roebuck was also a talented footballer and was snapped up by Huddersfield Town in their fledgling years.

Sadly, his soccer career was tragically and terribly cut short – as Lance Cpl Roebuck became the first Town player to be killed on active service.

The young soldier was fatally wounded in an attack in the grim trenches of Ypres.

Now, as the nation prepares toremember those who gave their lives, his story has been revealed by historian Alan Hodgson.

Larrett Roebuck was one of the many millions who became a casualty during the First World War.

He was born at Jump in South Yorkshire on January 27, 1889. Almost inevitably he was to start his working life in the coal industry, and when the new Silverwood Colliery at nearby Thrybergh began mining in 1904, Larrett was to find employment there.

A year or so later he joined the Territorial Section of the York & Lancaster Regiment: a step that would have fatal consequences almost a decade later.

He joined the colliery football team and soon began making a name for himself as a talented full-back. The Silverwood side had a good reputation, regularly entering the FA Cup’s qualifying stages from 1910 onwards, and over the years was to produce several players who went on to make the grade in the Football League.

It is quite likely that Larrett played in some of these early FA Cup ties for the colliery and so came to the notice of Town’s scouts.

He signed for the Leeds Road club on March 1, 1913, closely followed in August by Harry Linley, another Silverwood player and friend.

During the 1913/14 season Roebuck and Linley were to play together in Town’s first team on 15 occasions as Huddersfield negotiated their way through their fourth Football League season in the Second Division.

Roebuck actually made his debut as left-back on January 3, 1914, in a 3-1 home win over Fulham, and was to play in the same position in all the club’s remaining games (including two FA Cup ties) that season. His 19th and last appearance was on April 25 in a 1-0 victory at Leicester Fosse.

Four days previously he had signed a contract with Town at an agreed rate of £2 per week, which was to rise to £3 from September 1 on the eve of the 1914/15 season. But all was to change.