In the history of mixed-heritage footballers in Britain, Tull may be mentioned alongside:
Robert Walker of
Third Lanark;
Andrew Watson, an amateur who is credited as the earliest black international football player, winning his first cap for
Scotland in 1881;
Arthur Wharton, a
goalkeeper for several clubs, including
Darlington, and who became the first mixed-heritage professional in 1889;
John Walker of
Hearts and
Lincoln, who died aged 22; the
Anglo-Indian Cother brothers, Edwin and John, who began their careers at
Watford in 1898, and
Willie Clarke, who played for
Aston Villa and
Bradford City in the
Edwardian era. From around 2006, campaigners including the then
Northampton South MP,
Brian Binley, and Phil Vasili, who has researched Tull since the early 1990s, called for a statue to be erected in his honour at
Dover and for him to be posthumously awarded the Military Cross. However, as the Military Cross was not authorised to be awarded posthumously until 1979, and the change did not include any provision for retrospective awards, this would not be possible without a change in the rules. The campaigners felt this would be justified given that the army broke the rules. Tull's commission, at a time when the army was desperately short of officers was also due to his natural leadership, coolness and respect of his unit's officers and men. If he had been recommended for a Military Cross, his status as an officer of non-European descent might have meant to award him the honour would validate his status, leading to more mixed-heritage officers being commissioned. A
Royal Army Medical Corps officer
Allan Noel Minns, also a natural-born British subject of Afro-Caribbean descent, was awarded both
DSO and
MC.
Memorials File:Walter Tull's name on the Arras Memorial and left memorabilia.jpg|Walter Tull's name on the Arras Memorial and left memorabilia File:Walter Tull Epitaph, Sixfields Stadium, Northampton.jpg|Walter Tull memorial at the
Sixfields Stadium,
Northampton File:Folkestone War Memorial 04.JPG|
Folkestone War Memorial File:Dover war memorial goulden 1.jpg|
Dover war memorial Tull is commemorated on Bay 7 of the
Arras Memorial, He is named on the
Folkestone War Memorial, at the top of the Road of Remembrance in Folkestone, and in Dover his name is on the town war memorial outside
Maison Dieu House, and on the parish memorial at
River. On 11 July 1999, Northampton Town F.C. unveiled a memorial wall to Tull in a garden of remembrance at
Sixfields Stadium. The text, written by Tull's biographer, Phil Vasili, reads: Through his actions, W. D. J. Tull ridiculed the barriers of ignorance that tried to deny people of colour equality with their contemporaries. His life stands testament to a determination to confront those people and those obstacles that sought to diminish him and the world in which he lived. It reveals a man, though rendered breathless in his prime, whose strong heart still beats loudly. A road behind the North Stand (The Dave Bowen Stand) at Sixfields Stadium is named Walter Tull Way, and a
public house adjacent to the stadium bears his name. In 2010, a
planning application to erect a bronze memorial statue of Tull in
Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park close to the
Imperial War Museum in London, was refused by
Southwark London Borough Council. The
Royal Mint included a
£5 coin honouring Tull in the introductory First World War six-coin set, released in 2014. On 21 October 2014, a
blue plaque was unveiled at 77
Northumberland Park, London N17, on the site of the house where Tull lived before the war, close to the
White Hart Lane ground. The plaque was provided by the
Nubian Jak Community Trust and was unveiled by former Spurs striker
Garth Crooks, who described Tull as an "amazing man" whose recognition had been "a long time coming". On 4 July 2017, five statues including one of Tull were unveiled in the courtyard of
Northampton Guildhall. The bronze installations were commissioned by
Northampton Borough Council from sculptor Richard Austin. On 25 March 2018, to commemorate the centenary of Tull's death, Rushden & District History Society unveiled a blue plaque at 26 Queen Street,
Rushden, where he lodged while playing at Northampton Town. In September 2018, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War,
Royal Mail produced a set of stamps, one of which features Tull. On
Remembrance Sunday 2018, the people of
Ayr, Scotland, came together to etch a large sand portrait of Tull into the town's beach as part of "Pages of the Sea", a nationwide public art project curated by
Oscar-winning filmmaker
Danny Boyle. In October 2020, as part of
Black History Month, the
Royal Mail painted a postbox black in Glasgow to honour Tull. On 21 October 2021, Tull was inducted into the
English Football Hall of Fame of the
National Football Museum. In October 2022, Nick Marr launched a campaign on
Change.org to honour Tull, advocating for Tull to be posthumously awarded the Military Cross and proposing the erection of a statue in
Central London. The campaign highlights the historical and symbolic importance of formally acknowledging Tull's contributions, both as a soldier and as a trailblazer for racial equality. It also underscores the potential value of a statue in London to commemorate his legacy, serving as a reminder of his achievements and an inspiration to future generations. In late 2024, a musical about Tull's life, written by
Dougie Blaxland with music by Chris Anthony, toured the UK.
Walter Tull Trophy In July 2004, to honour the memory of Tull Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers contested in a summer friendly tournament dubbed the
Walter Tull Trophy. Rangers won the Cup, defeating Spurs 2–0 with goals from
Dado Pršo and
Nacho Novo. The two clubs arranged and contested again in July 2022. This time Tottenham Hotspur beat Rangers 2–1 at Ibrox. ==Media and television==