Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Carla Jenkins

First black Rangers player appears on Glasgow postbox as part of Black History Month

A postbox in Glasgow's west end has been painted black in honour of the Rangers Football Club's first black player, and a remarkable man.

The Byres Road postbox has donned the new look as well as a photograph and information about Walter Tull, as preparations are made for Black History Month.

Second Lieutenant Walter Tull was the first black player to sign for Rangers before he was killed in 1918. He had played as a forward with Spurs and Northampton Town.

Walter also featured in a set of stamps released in 2018 to mark the centenary of the end of World War One and was the first black Army officer to command troops in a regular unit.

Other postbox around the UK have been given a similar make over, including in London, Cardiff, and Belfast, honouring Sir Lenny Henry and Mary Seacole among others.

Each painted post-box features a significant figure in the British black community and has a social media link.

Royal Mail says the aim is to help mark the success of black Britons.

A QR code on the postboxes can also be scanned to bring up a list of the black Britons who have appeared on special stamps.

Peter De Norville, Royal Mail's head of diversity and inclusion, said: "Black History Month is a great opportunity to celebrate the contributions that black people have made to this country over many generations.

"We are also using it as an opportunity to celebrate the vital work that our black employees do throughout the nation, from the mail bag to the meeting room."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.