![Awm 044827 ( truscott 1941)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Awm_044827_%28_truscott_1941%29.jpg)
Since the inception of 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 ...
in 1897, many of its players have served in the armed services, including
the Anglo–Boer War, World War I, World War II, the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
(in which
Melbourne's Geoff Collins served as a fighter pilot), and the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
(in which
Essendon's Keith Gent
Keith Gent (born 13 April 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He played for Essendon's under-19s in 1964, winning the club best and fairest as well as representing V ...
,
Lindsay McGie
Lindsay McGie (born 30 March 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and Port Adelaide in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). A long-kicking left-foote ...
, and
Ian Payne, and
Geelong's Wayne Closter
Wayne Closter (born 26 February 1945) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Closter played as both a wingman and centreman during his 191-game career, missing out on joining th ...
all served).
A number of the VFL players who served also lost their lives on active service; they were either killed in action, or died as a consequence of the wounds, injuries, and/or illnesses they had suffered in their active service.
According to Main & Allen (2002, p. x), "no VFL footballer was killed in any wars other than the Anglo–Boer War and the two World Wars".
Anglo-Boer War
Charlie Moore and
Stan Reid
Stanley Spencer Reid (12 July 1872 – 23 June 1901) was an Australian rules footballer with the Fitzroy Football Club from 1894 to 1898.
Soon after his retirement from VFL football, he became an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church.
...
, the only two VFL players to be killed in the
Anglo–Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
, had played against each other in the 1898 VFL Grand Final.
Reid had played in the back pocket for
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to:
People As a given name
*Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name:
**FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855)
** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
and was one of Fitzroy's best players, whilst Moore had played at full-forward for
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 Ki ...
. Fitzroy won the match 5.8 (38) to 3.5 (23), with Moore kicking one of Essendon's three goals.
Moore had already played a number of senior games for
Albert-Park Football Club (and, possibly, also for the
South Melbourne Football Club) in the VFA before moving to play for Essendon in the VFL's inaugural year of 1897, whilst Stan Reid had played quite a number of senior games for the Fitzroy Football Club in the VFA prior to 1897.
World War I
It can never be definitively argued that any particular person was "the first VFL footballer killed in the First World War" due to at least six former VFL footballers being killed during the chaos of
the landing at Anzac Cove on Sunday, 25 April 1915 –
Lieutenant Joseph Rupert "Rupert" Balfe (University),
Private Joseph Alan "Alan" Cordner (Geelong and Collingwood),
Private Claude Terrell Crowl (St Kilda),
Private Charles "Charlie" Fincher (South Melbourne),
Private Fenley John "Fen" McDonald (Carlton and Melbourne), and
Corporal Arthur Mueller "Joe" Pearce (Melbourne).
World War II
Umpires
At least one VFL umpire is known to have been killed: goal umpire
Alexander Salton
Alexander Salton (1869 – 10 September 1916) was an Australian rules football goal umpire
An umpire is an official in the sport of Australian rules football who adjudicates the game according to the " Laws Of The Game", the official hand ...
who served as a Private in the 60th Battalion, First A.I.F. He died from his wounds on 10 September 1916 in France. He was shot in the stomach five days after joining his battalion, which had been comprehensively defeated two months before at the
Battle of Fromelles. He is the only VFL field, boundary, or goal umpire known to have been killed on active service in any war.
In an unusual case, one VFL umpire, Henry James "Bunny" Nugent (1880–1955), served in three wars: the Boer War, World War I (wherein he was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery), and World War II (he had put his age back five years to enlist in 1939). In his first senior VFL match as field umpire back from his service in the First AIF (Richmond v. Essendon on Saturday, 11 May 1918), the Richmond and Essendon players lined up and formed a guard of honour for him to run through as he took the ground.
Football: Richmond (5.16) Beat Essendon (4.10), ''The Age'', (Monday, 13 May 1918), p.6.
/ref>
Footnotes
See also
* The VFL during the World Wars
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
References
* Batchelder, A.,
Melbourne Cricket Club Roll of Honour (1914–1918)
', Melbourne Cricket Club, 1998.
* Hogan P: ''The Tigers of Old'', Richmond FC, (Melbourne), 1996.
* Main, J. & Allen, D., ''Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War'', Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002.
* Maplestone, M., ''Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996'', Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996.
* Ross, J. (ed), ''100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported'', Viking, (Ringwood), 1996.
External links
The official Australian War Memorial Web site
AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round)
Mick O'Regan, "Lest We Forget - Sport and War", ABC Radio, 19 April 2002. (transcript)
Chronology: A year by year summary of our history (Melbourne Football Club)
Alan Grant, "Lest We Forget - Part 1" (St Kilda Football Club Official Website, 19 April 2007)
Alan Grant, "Lest We Forget - Part 2" (St Kilda Football Club Official Website, 19 April 2007)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Victorian Football League players who died on active service
Died on active service
History of Australia (1901–1945)
Australian people of World War I
Australian people of World War II
Lists of Australian military personnel
Lists of people killed in World War I
History of Australian rules football
Australian rules football-related lists
Lists of people killed in World War II