England captain Harry Kane described it as "incredibly powerful" to see Leyton Orient remember its fallen football heroes when veterans from Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI) and its Tommy Club joined the club’s spectators at a special remembrance match on Saturday.

In a short ceremony in the centre circle before the Orient's 5-0 victory over Hartlepool United, representatives from military charity RBLI commemorated three former O's players who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country during World War One.

The remembrance match was part of the League Two club’s partnership with the Tommy Club, which raises money for the RBLI’s work with veterans and people with disabilities.

Veterans Steve Hammond, who was injured on the Sir Galahad during the Falklands, and George Bradford, a former Royal Marine aged 91, marked the moment in the centre circle, alongside three Tommies, each named after a former player and produced by RBLI’s factory.

Tommy Club is front and centre as this season’s home shirt sponsor thanks to the partnership with the football club. This has been made possible by Kane who started his career with a loan spell at Leyton Orient.

The England and Tottenham Hotspur skippert said: “It was incredibly powerful to see the veterans of the Tommy Club honour the three former Leyton Orient players who lost their lives.

“The support for our veterans provided by the Tommy Club is needed now more than ever. They are changing lives every day and I’m delighted to champion their work supporting those who served our nation.”

The short ceremony led by two RBLI veterans, marked the occasion when the O’s were known as the Clapton Orients. Ten of their players signed up to serve in the 17th Bn Middlesex Battalion, which become known as the Footballers' Battalion.

Three players didn’t return from the Somme - Sergeant Major Richard McFadden, who was mortally wounded near Serre; Private William Jonas, who was killed in Delville Wood; and Private George Scott, who died of his wounds in a German military hospital in Le Cateau.

George Bradford, a founding partner of the Tommy Club, said: “The three players epitomise the club’s spirit and it is only right that their sacrifice was marked before the remembrance match.

“The Tommy Club is proud to partner with the club and highlight the work of RBLI and what it does to improve the lives of the veterans it works with every day across the country. The partnership with Leyton Orient is a win-win for everybody concerned.”

A bucket collection at the League Two game raised nearly £1,600 for RBLI, which provides employment for veterans and people with disabilities at a factory in Kent, alongside its village offering homes and care accommodation.