Edward James Griffiths (1891-1980) was an Australian

fire fighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

, veteran of the

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

campaign and a three-time premiership-winning

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

player with the

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

club.

Career and war service

Born in

Pyrmont, New South Wales Pyrmont is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 2 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is also part of the Darling Harbour reg ...

in 1891, Eddie Griffiths joined the

fire service A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

as a Brigades Cadet Corp at just sixteen years of age and his exploits since that time are legendary. Current station commander of the ‘D’ Platoon in the

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Fire Brigade A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

recalls Griffiths as a tough fearless man who always led by example, describing him as ''“Our greatest fire fighter”''......''”A legend in the true sense of the word”''. In 1948 Griffiths was given the highest honour of any

when he was promoted to Chief Officer of the

s. A veteran of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Griffiths, a member of an Australian artillery unit, served in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Rugby league career

Eddie Griffiths played 4 seasons with Easts and was a member of the

sides that won premierships in 1911,1912 & 1913, retaining permanent ownership of the

New South Wales Rugby League The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...

‘s first trophy, the Royal Agricultural Society Shield. He played 37 first grade games with Easts between 1909 and 1912. He then joined the

Western Suburbs Magpies The Western Suburbs Magpies (legal name: Western Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club Ltd) are an Australian rugby league football club based in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Formed in 1908, Wests, as they are commonly r ...

. Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson: Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players- 1995 ()

Accolades

Death

Eddie Griffiths died at a nursing home at Manly on 1 November 1980, age 89. He was cremated at Northern Suburbs Crematorium on 4 Nov 1980.

References

* History Of The NSW Rugby League Finals (Steve Hadden) * Eastern Suburbs Website 1891 births 1980 deaths Australian firefighters Australian rugby league players Sydney Roosters players Rugby league players from Sydney Western Suburbs Magpies players Australian military personnel of World War I {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1890s-stub