William Henry Roberts (22 July 1910 – 8 December 1973) was an
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er who played with
Essendon Essendon may refer to:
Australia
*Electoral district of Essendon
*Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington
*Essendon, Victoria
**Essendon railway station
**Essendon Airport
*Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League
United King ...
in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL).
Family
The son of Charles George Roberts (1881–1961), and Ellen Louisa Roberts (1884–1972), née Harris, William Henry Roberts was born at
Nhill
Nhill is a town in the Wimmera, in western Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Nhill is located on the Western Highway, Victoria, Western Highway, halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. At the , Nhill had a
population of 1,749. "Nhill" i ...
, Victoria on 22 July 1910.
He married Gwen Molloy (1919-2004) in 1937.
Football
Recruited from the Nhill Football Club in 1931.
Essendon (VFL)
He played for the First XVIII in six consecutive home-and-away games in 1931, and in 3 consecutive home-and-away games in 1933.
Horsham (WFL)
In 1946 he was appointed non-playing coach of the
Horsham Football Club
The Horsham Football & Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Demons'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in the city of Horsham, Victoria. The football team competes in the Wimmera Football League
The Wimmera Football League ...
in the
Wimmera Football League
The Wimmera Football League is a major Australian rules country league based in Western Victoria, with clubs located in towns in the Wimmera region: the regional centres along the Western Highway from Ararat to Nhill as well as Minyip-Murtoa ...
.
Military service
Roberts served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II.
Death
He died at
Seville, Victoria
Seville is a town to the east of Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria, Australia, along the Warburton Highway, located within the Shire of Yarra Ranges local government area. Seville recorded a population of 2,559 at the .
Seville sits wi ...
on 8 December 1973.
Deaths: Roberts, ''The Age'', (Monday, 10 December 1973), p.18.
/ref>
Notes
References
World War Two Nominal Roll: Aircraftman 1 William Henry Roberts (53856), ''Department of Veterans' Affairs''.
* A9301, 53856: World War Two Service Record: Aircraftman 1 William Henry Roberts (53856), ''National Archives of Australia''.
*
* Maplestone, M., ''Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996'', Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996.
External links
*
*
1910 births
1973 deaths
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
Essendon Football Club players
Nhill Football Club players
{{AFL-bio-1910-stub