John Charles -  Canning Town football hero and the first black player to represent England

John Charles (1944 - 2004) was a Canning Town football hero, was the first black player to represent England as an Under 18 and became the first black player to turn out for a first division West Ham United side in the 1962/63 season.

John was born in Ordnance Road, Canning Town. The family later moved to Ronald Avenue and he attended Pretoria School (now renamed Eastlea). He was the second youngest of nine children. His younger brother Clive also played for West Ham and went on to coach the US National Soccer Team. His mother, who was white, came from Silvertown and his father was a merchant seaman from Grenada.

As a young player, ‘Charlo' as he was affectionately known, captained the 1963 FA Youth Cup winning side and won England youth honours before making his first team debut at Upton Park at the age of 19, on 4 May 1963 against Blackburn Rovers. He made a total of 142 league and cup appearances for the Hammers during the 1960s, playing as a full-back alongside Bobby Moore on every occasion, and was a member of the squads that triumphed in the FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup of 1964 and 1965. John was released by the club in 1971 at the age of 26. He declined the chance to join east London neighbours Orient, preferring instead to run his own greengrocery market stall.

You can read the amazing John Charles story in the book ‘Johnnie The One' by Brian Belton.