Stuart Patrick King (22 April 1906 – 28 February 1943) was an Australian sportsman who played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

for

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and Australian rules football for

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 ...

club St Kilda.

Family

The son of David James King (1873-), and Emily Mary King, née Matthews, later Mrs. Edwards, Stuart Patrick King was born in

Ararat, Victoria Ararat (Djabwurrung language, Djabwurrung: ''Tallarambooroo'') is a city in south-west Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, about west of Melbourne, on the Western Highway, Victoria, Western Highway on the eastern slopes of the Ararat Hill ...

on 22 April 1906. He married Kathleen Patricia Lightfoot (1911-) at Newman College's chapel on 14 January 1935. They had two children: Gerald and Diana.

Education

Educated at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

, he graduated Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1930, and was admitted to the bar on 1 May 1931.

Cricket

Born in

, King started his cricket career first, debuting for Victoria in the 1926/27

Sheffield Shield The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shi ...

season, on 17 December 1926, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, against Queensland. He was a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman and batted in the middle order. The last of his 12 first-class matches was played in 1932/33 and he finished with 417 runs at 27.80. His claim to fame as a cricketer was scoring seven of Victoria's

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

1107 runs against

New South Wales ) , 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 ...

in his debut summer.

Football

Having been recruited from the University Blacks, King played his first VFL match for St Kilda in 1931 and the following year was appointed club captain. When

Charlie Hardy Charlie Hardy (1 April 1887 – 19 May 1968) was an Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) during the 1910s and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 19 ...

left the Saints seven games into the 1932 season he acted as a caretaker coach for the rest of the year. King played mostly as a defender and in his three seasons managed 43 games.

Military service

Already a well-established barrister and solicitor, King enlisted in the

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

on 30 March 1942 as an

intelligence officer An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile or analyze information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organization. The word of ''officer'' is a working title, not a rank, used in the same way ...

, and was posted to 20 Squadron, gaining the rank of Flying Officer.

Death

He was killed as a result of a aircraft crash off the coast of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

on 28 February 1943. King wasn't a member of the crew - he went along as a 'supernumerary' person to observe the mission.

Footnotes

References

World War II Service Record: Flying Officer Stuart Patrick King (255266), (Part One), ''National Archives of Australia''.

World War II Service Record: Flying Officer Stuart Patrick King (255266), (Part Two), ''National Archives of Australia''.

World War II Nominal Roll: Flying Officer Stuart Patrick King (255266).

Roll of Honour: Flying Officer Stuart Patrick King (255266), ''Australian War Memorial''.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission: Flying Officer Stuart Patrick King (255266).
* McCrery, N., ''The Coming Storm: Test and First-Class Cricketers Killed in World War Two'', Pen and Sword, (Barnesley), 2017.

External links

*
Project PRIAM: F/O Stuart Patrick King Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Stuart St Kilda Football Club coaches 1906 births 1943 deaths Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) St Kilda Football Club players University Blacks Football Club players Australian cricketers Victoria cricketers Royal Australian Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian military personnel killed in World War II People from Ararat, Victoria Cricketers from Victoria (state)