Bettridge was a regular at right-back for over a decade, there among the team’s highest appearance-makers season after season from when he joined 1909 until departing in 1922, largely playing in the top division having been part of the 1911/12 promotion-winning side.

Midway through his time at the club came our first FA Cup final – against this weekend’s opponents Sheffield United – and the Midlands-born defender played in that historic game at Old Trafford.

As well as being Chelsea’s first, it was the last final played before football competitions halted due to the First World War. With conflict already underway, many on the terraces were in military uniform which led to it being dubbed the khaki cup final.

Unfortunately, Bettridge and his team-mates were defeated by the Yorkshire side that April afternoon but he received a runners-up medal (pictured below) from the Football Association, and having also played in a fundraising final organised by the London Football Association, he was awarded a medal (top right) to mark that occasion too.

The existence of the FA Cup final medal was discovered by the Chelsea Graves Society, a collective of fans who trace and restore the final resting places of former players and other significant figures in our history, and in conjunction with the Chelsea Supporters' Trust, it was arranged for the club to acquire the medals from Walter’s grandson Stephen, along with photos from over a century ago and an official club letter confirming his £10 signing-on fee.

Often know as Little Billy Bettridge, Walter was short on height but highly rated on tackling ability and anticipation. One reporter at the time of his death in 1931 declared no one had ever performed the sliding tackle better.

He was swift, could kick long distances and goal-line clearances were another speciality during 254 appearances. Paired with the revered and even longer-serving Jack Harrow at left-back, Chelsea had those positions nailed down at a time when full-backs were the keystones of the defence. That said, Bettridge is considered to be one of the first to bring an attacking element to the role.

This early part of the Chelsea story will soon be available to view and for other details about our museum at Stamford Bridge, visit our Stadium Tours and Museum page