for the East London club. He is also credited with helping the development of young West Ham striker Syd Puddefoot. International Hilsdon received international recognition for England, often playing alongside his Chelsea teammate, Jimmy Windridge. Shortly after joining Chelsea he was selected to play for a Football League XI, for whom he hit a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over the Irish League on his debut. He made his England debut in February 1907, against Ireland. He scored four goals for England in a 7–0 win over Hungary and two apiece in wins over Ireland, Austria, Wales and Bohemia. In all, he scored 14 times in just eight international games for England, eight of his goals coming from games in England's first overseas tour in 1908. Military service and later life During the First World War Hilsdon tried to avoid active service and was caught by the police hiding in a chicken run, and was called up. He fought on the Western Front where he was attacked by gas. This affected him greatly, and in the words of his son, he "copped the mustard gas at Arras". The gas attack caused sufficient damage to Hilsdon to end his footballing career. After the War, he worked as a teaboy on building sites, ran a pub and organised raffles in East End pubs. He died in Leicester in 1941 and only four people came to his funeral. In October 2015 Chelsea supporters raised funds for a headstone to mark his grave. A weather vane modelled on Hilsdon is still a feature of Stamford Bridge, Chelsea's home ground. It was said to cause great misfortune if removed, and when it had to be removed during renovation in the late 1970s, Chelsea suffered financial and footballing difficulties. References West Ham United F.C. Player & People List External links EastLondonHistory.com: George "Gatling Gun" Hilsdon England FC.com Player Profile: George Hilsdon 1885 births 1941 deaths Footballers from Bromley-by-Bow English footballers England international footballers Chelsea F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Southern Football League players English Football League players English Football League representative players Association football forwards British Army personnel of World War I