John Robert Walter Redman (10 July 1914 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian rugby league player who played of the 1930s and an

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

officer who was killed in the Pacific theatre of

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Background

John Robert Walter Redman was born at

Canterbury, New South Wales Canterbury is a suburb extending across south-western Sydney and the Inner West, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Canterbury is located south-west of the Sydney central business district in the City of Canterbury-Bankstown. The for ...

in 1914, and played rugby league from a young age.

Playing career

He debuted in first grade for

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

in 1933 and played 10 games for the club between 1933-1934. After completing his studies, he joined Balmain in 1935 and went on to become one of the best lock-forwards in Sydney rugby league until his last season in 1940. Redman was selected for NSW City Firsts, playing in one representative game in 1939.

Military career and death

He joined the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

in 1941 and did not play rugby league again. He rose to squadron leader and was shot down over

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

on 5 July 1945, five days before his 31st birthday.Sydney Morning Herald : 10 July 1945, page 8 "Jack Redman Killed"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Redman, Jack 1914 births 1945 deaths Balmain Tigers players Sydney University rugby league team players Australian rugby league players Australian military personnel killed in World War II Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Sydney Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force officers