William Henry James Comte (10 March 1909 – 30 May 1945) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda 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), and

Sandringham Sandringham can refer to: Places * Sandringham, New South Wales, Australia * Sandringham, Queensland, Australia * Sandringham, Victoria, Australia **Sandringham railway line **Sandringham railway station **Electoral district of Sandringham * Sand ...

in the

Victorian Football Association 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 ...

(VFA) during the 1930s. He fought in World War II with the 2/24th Battalion, Second A.I.F., and died of wounds sustained in action during the 1945 Battle of Tarakan.

Family

The second son of William Thomas Comte (1881–????), and Matilda Comte (1884–1943), née Flowers, William Henry James Comte was born at

Moama Moama ( or ) is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. The town is directly across the Murray River from the larger town of Echuca in the neighbouring state ...

, in New South Wales on 10 March 1909. He married Ruby Irene "Connie" Curtis (later, Mrs Jack Shearer) on 31 May 1941. They had one son: John Henry Comte (1942–2018).

Football

Echuca (BFL)

Recruited from the Moama Junior Football Club, he played for the ''Echuca Football Club'' (coached by ex-Fitzroy footballer

Steve Donnellan Steve Donnellan (12 November 1900 – 29 June 1934) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Football Donnellan came to Fitzroy from Cohuna and played 16 games in his debut season in ...

) in the

Bendigo Football League The Bendigo Football Netball League (previously known as the Sandhurst Football Association, Bendigo and District Football Association, Bendigo Football Association and Bendigo Football League) is an Australian rules football and netball compe ...

for three seasons (1927–1929). He was the club's best and fairest in his first year at the club, and played a number of games over those three seasons for combined Bendigo League teams.

St Kilda (VFL)

Comte usually played as a rover or in defence. He won St Kilda's best and fairest in 1933.

Sandringham (VFA)

Cleared from St Kilda to Sandringham on 13 April 1938, he was only able to play 17 matches over the two years he was with Sandringham (1938–1939), due to the knee injuries that had ended his career at St Kilda.

Military service

He enlisted for service with the Second AIF and served with the 2/24 Australian Infantry Battalion.

Death

He died at

Tarakan Island Tarakan is an island and the largest city of the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan. The island city is located in northern Borneo, midway along the coast of the province. The city boundaries are co-extensive with the island (including a cou ...

on 30 May 1945 of wounds he sustained in action on 29 May 1945, and was buried at the

Labuan War Cemetery Labuan War Cemetery ( ms, Tanah Perkuburan Perang Labuan) is a Commonwealth World War II graveyard in Labuan, Malaysia. The cemetery Many of the personnel buried in this cemetery, including Indian and Australian troops, were killed during th ...

.Former St. Kilda Footballer Killed, ''The Herald'', (Tuesday, 5 June 1945), p. 3The Last Post, ''The Sporting Globe'', (Saturday, 16 June 1945), p. 3.
/ref>

Footnotes

References

*
World War Two Service Record: Private William Henry James Comte (VX102248)
''National Archives of Australia''.
Roll of Honour: Private William Henry James Comte (VX102248)
''Australian War Memorial''.
Australian Army Casualty List: Victoria: Overseas: Died of Wounds, ''The Argus'', (Wednesday, 27 June 1945), p. 4.

External links

* *
Harold "Bill" Comte
at ''The VFA Project''.
Harry Comte
at ''Boyles Football Photos''.
''Commonwealth War Graves Commission'': Private William Henry James Comte (VX102248).
Trevor Barker Award winners 1909 births Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian military personnel killed in World War II Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) St Kilda Football Club players Echuca Football Club players 1945 deaths Burials at Labuan War Cemetery Australian Army soldiers Military personnel from Victoria (Australia) {{AFL-bio-1909-stub