Sydney Louis Anderson (13 January 1918 – 20 May 1944) 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

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

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 Sydney Sims Anderson (1888-1964), who became Town Clerk of the City of Port Melbourne, and Adela Myrtle Anderson (1884-1983), née Day, Sydney Louis Anderson was born on 13 January 1918. He married Lorna Jean Waddell on 22 February 1941.

Football

A tall wingman, Anderson was a premiership player in every one of his three VFL seasons. His father played 98 games for Port Melbourne in the VFA; his brother,

Claude Anderson Claude Raymond Anderson (11 April 1924 – 28 June 2010) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). His brother, Syd Anderson played for Melbourne. Personal life Anderson served ...

, played 2 games for South Melbourne; and his nephews (Claude's sons), Syd Anderson played 4 games for South Melbourne and 56 games for Port Melbourne, and Graeme Anderson played 71 games for Collingwood and 144 games for Port Melbourne.

Military service

Anderson enlisted in the

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

in December 1941. Commencing as a Pilot Officer, he was promoted to Flying Officer in September 1943. Whilst serving on air operations near

Wewak Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city (seat) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak. ...

in the

Territory of New Guinea The Territory of New Guinea was an Australian-administered United Nations trust territory on the island of New Guinea from 1914 until 1975. In 1949, the Territory and the Territory of Papua were established in an administrative union by the nam ...

in 1944, Anderson's

Bristol Beaufort The Bristol Beaufort (manufacturer designation Type 152) is a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber. At l ...

was shot down by Japanese flak, and all aboard save one were killed, including Anderson.

Legacy

In 1949, his parents donated a trophy in his memory to the Melbourne Football Club, and the club decided to award the ''Syd Anderson Trophy'' annually to the player who came second in the club's best and fairest — the trophy to the winner was named after "Bluey" Truscott, and the trophy to the season's third best and fairest player was named after Ron Barassi Sr.Taylor, Percy, "'Spencer for Captain' is Demon move", ''The Argus'', (Friday, 21 September 1956), p.22.
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Footnotes

References

* Main, J. & Allen, D., "Anderson, Syd", pp. 203–206 in Main, J. & Allen, D., ''Fallen — The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War'', Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002.
World War II Nominal Roll: Flying Officer Sydney Louis Anderson (410192).

World War II Service Record: Flying Officer Sydney Louis Anderson (410192).

External links

*
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Flying Officer Sydney Louis Anderson (410192).

Commonwealth War Grave Commission: Flying Officer Sydney Louis Anderson (410192).

DemonWiki profile

Boyles Football Photos: Syd Anderson.

Members of the Melbourne Football Club Team (September 1940), ''Collection of the Australian War Memorial''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Syd 1918 births 1944 deaths Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Melbourne Football Club players Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Australian military personnel killed in World War II Royal Australian Air Force officers Melbourne Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players Military personnel from Melbourne People from Moonee Ponds, Victoria