By the time the 1917/18 season began, the war had tightened its grip on every corner of British life. Travel was difficult, manpower was stretched thin, and the London Combination - already a patchwork competition - was forced to shrink further. Southampton, Luton, Portsmouth and Watford all withdrew, leaving West Ham United with a reduced fixture list and a league in which the longest journey was now to Brentford. Yet even within these constraints, the Hammers produced football of remarkable verve, scoring freely and offering supporters a welcome, if fragile, escape from the grim news filtering back from France.

 

The season’s structure was simple: each club met four times, producing a 36‑match programme. But the football was anything but ordinary. West Ham, who had passed the 100‑goal mark for the first time the previous year, did so again - 103 goals this time, despite the curtailed schedule. The goals came in bursts, often in spectacular fashion, and the Hammers’ matches against Brentford became the stuff of wartime legend. Between them, the four fixtures produced 35 goals, with West Ham scoring a quarter of their season’s total against the Bees, who replied with 11 of their own. For supporters, these games offered extraordinary value; for Syd King, they were a reminder of the unpredictable nature of wartime football.

 

King’s squad was a revolving door. The constant movement of troops meant that players appeared and disappeared with little warning, and the manager was forced to draw from an ever‑changing pool of servicemen, amateurs, and returning professionals. In all, West Ham used six goalkeepers during the campaign. The most distinguished was James Brownlie, the Scottish international from Third Lanark, whose calm authority stood out amid the chaos. At the other end of the spectrum was 16‑year‑old George Hebden, an England Schoolboy international who would later enjoy long spells with Leicester City and Gillingham. His presence was a reminder that, even in wartime, football continued to nurture its next generation.

 

Up front, Syd Puddefoot remained the club’s talisman. For the third time in four seasons, he finished as West Ham’s leading scorer, this time with 35 goals. His form was astonishing: by mid‑November, the Hammers had scored 36 goals in 11 matches, and Puddefoot had claimed 14 of them. He ended the season with a ten‑match scoring streak, capped by an extraordinary seven‑goal haul against Crystal Palace - a feat that equalled a London Combination record and cemented his status as one of the most prolific forwards in the country.

 

Danny Shea, who had been such a force in previous campaigns, played his final match for the club in December against Brentford, but not before contributing 15 goals. Manchester City’s Frank Roberts matched that tally in only 14 appearances, his brief spell in claret and blue leaving a vivid impression on those who saw him play.

 

Yet the season was not without its darker moments. In the match against Crystal Palace - the same game in which Puddefoot ran riot - outside‑left Jack Mackesy was sent off by referee Albert Neale. Fate would later deal Neale a tragic hand: years afterwards, he collapsed and died while officiating a Combination match between Charlton and West Ham at The Valley.

 

More grievous still was the loss of Arthur Stallard. A popular and wholehearted forward, Stallard had played his final match for the Hammers in the spring of 1917. Seven months later, in the last week of November, he was killed in action in France. His death cast a long shadow over the club, a stark reminder that even as goals were being scored in London, the war continued to claim the lives of young men who had once thrilled the terraces of Upton Park.

 

Despite the upheaval, the inconsistency of selection, and the emotional toll of wartime life, West Ham’s football remained bold and entertaining. They used 56 players in total, a testament to King’s resourcefulness and the fluid nature of wartime squads. The goals flowed, the crowds - though smaller than in peacetime - remained loyal, and the Hammers continued to offer East London a measure of pride and continuity.

 

The 1917/18 season did not bring trophies or formal honours; wartime football offered none. But it did bring moments of brilliance, flashes of joy, and a sense of resilience that would carry the club into the final year of the conflict. In a world defined by uncertainty, West Ham United still found ways to lift spirits, score goals, and remind their supporters of the enduring power of the game.