Herbert Whittall

Herbert James Whittall (1884 – 22 March 1953) was an Anglo-Ottoman footballer who played as a forward for Bournabat FC and was one of five members of the Whittall family who competed in the football tournament at the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens, winning a silver medal as a member of the Bournabat Olympic team representing Smyrna.

Early life and education Herbert Whittall was born in İzmir in 1884, as the third of five children from the marriage formed by Louisa Jane Maltass and Herbert Whittall, one of the grandsons of the family's founder, the Liverpool-born Charlton Whittall (1791–1867), who worked for a trading company in his hometown, which sent him to Smyrna (now İzmir), a major sea port, where he later set up his own trading company named C. Whittall & Co.

In the early 20th century, Smyrna had the best football in the Ottoman Empire, hence why the Greeks invited a team from that region to participate in the 1906 Intercalated Games in Athens. At the Olympics, Smyrna were knocked-out in the semifinals by a Copenhagen XI (5–1), who went on claim gold, but the withdrawal of the Athens team during the final and their subsequent disqualification meant that Smyrna and Thessaloniki would face each other for second place on 25 April 1906, in which the Whittalls, who formed a powerful attacking quintet, played a crucial role in helping their side to a 12–0 victory, thus winning the silver medal, which still is the greatest success of Izmir football in official matches.

Death On 22 March 1953, the 69-year-old Whittall died during a hunting trip when his Jeep was hit on an unmarked level crossing by a train. He had three children, Douglas George (1909–?), Herbert Alfred (1914–?), and Victor.

Honours Smyrna XI Intercalated Games