George Henry Ward (22 April 1877 – 2 August 1921) 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 Arthur James Ward (1847-1914), and Helen Ward (1846-1928), née Gardner, George Henry Ward was born in
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Yarra local government area. Richmond recorded a population of 28,587 at the 2021 census, with a medi ...
on 22 April 1877.
Military service
He enlisted in the First AIF on 6 July 1915, and served overseas with the
60th Battalion. He was wounded in action, in France, on 19 July 1916, where he sustained gunshot wounds to his right arm and left leg. He required four operations, and his left leg was amputated mid-thigh, in France. He was repatriated to England, and spent more than 12 months hospitalized there. He was declared unfit for general service in November 1917, and left England in March 1918, returning to Australia in May 1918.
Death
He killed himself "while suffering from
ar causedmental depression" in the dressing shed at the Yarra bathing ground, in
Alphington, Victoria
Alphington ( ) is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Darebin and Yarra local government areas. Alphington recorded a population of 5,702 at the .
Alphi ...
, in August 1921 (he was last seen on 2 August 1921, and his body was discovered, with the throat cut, and a razor lying near the body, on 11 August 1921). He was buried at the
Boroondara General Cemetery
Boroondara General Cemetery, often referred to as Kew cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Victoria, Australia, created in the tradition of the Victorian garden cemetery. The cemetery, located in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, is listed ...
on 13 August 1921.
"Funeral Notices: Ward"
''The Argus'', (Saturday, 13 August 1921), p. 13.
Notes
References
*
* Maplestone, M., ''Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996'', Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996.
First World War Nominal Roll: Private George Henry Ward (3284), collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''
First World War Embarkation Roll: Private George Henry Ward (3284), collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''
First World War Service Record: Private George Henry Ward (3284), ''National Archives of Australia''
"Australia's Roll of Honor: 191st Casualty List: Wounded: Victoria"
''The Age'', (Thursday, 10 August 1916), p. 7.
External links
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1877 births
1921 deaths
Australian rules footballers from Melbourne
Essendon Football Club players
Australian military personnel of World War I
Australian military personnel who committed suicide
1921 suicides
Suicides by sharp instrument in Australia
Suicides in Victoria (state)
Military personnel from Melbourne
People from Richmond, Victoria
Burials at Boroondara General Cemetery
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