Thomas James Wright (23 August 1882 – 12 December 1916) 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 Collingwood 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). He was killed in action on active service in France in World War I. He was captain of the New Zealand team that competed in the 1908 Melbourne Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival, and was one of that team's best players. He finished his football career playing for 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) club

Prahran Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City ...

. A slater and tiler by profession, he played his first senior game for Collingwood, against

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 King ...

, at

Victoria Park Victoria Park may refer to: Places Australia * Victoria Park Nature Reserve, a protected area in Northern Rivers region, New South Wales * Victoria Park, Adelaide, a park and racecourse * Victoria Park, Brisbane, a public park and former golf ...

, on 4 August 1906 (at the time of his enlistment in the army in 1916 his height was measured at 5 ft 8½in, and his weight at 11½stone). The report of his first match noted that "Wright, a district junior, gave satisfactory promise of future usefulness forward". He played another three matches that season, including Collingwood's losing semi-final against Carlton. He played another eight senior games for Collingwood in 1907, including Collingwood's losing semi-final against South Melbourne. After leaving the VFL, Wright went to New Zealand to work. He was appointed New Zealand's captain for the team that played in

Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival The 1908 Melbourne Carnival was the inaugural Australian National Football Carnival, an Australian rules football interstate competition, held in Melbourne in August 1908. It was known at the time as the Jubilee Australasian Football Carnival ...

, where New Zealand defeated both New South Wales and Queensland. Wright finished his career in the VFA at Prahran, having been granted a permit to play for Prahran in April 1909. He was elected to the committee of the Collingwood Football Club, and continued to serve Collingwood well until he resigned upon his enlistment in the AIF. Wright had served with the North Melbourne Garrison Artillery for three years (1904–1907); and he enlisted in the First AIF on 3 February 1915, serving first with the 7th Battalion AIF, and transferring to the 59th Battalion on 4 August 1916. A Corporal with the 59th Battalion—he was promoted to corporal on the field on 16 October 1916—Wright fought on the western front during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was killed in action on 12 December 1916 and was buried at Delville Wood Cemetery in

Longueval Longueval () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Longueval is located northwest of Amiens on the D919 road, at the junction with the D8. Longueval is found in the north-east of the départeme ...

, France.

Footnotes

References

*
Australian World War I Service Record: Thomas James Wright

Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Thomas James Wright

Died on Service: WRIGHT (Corporal T. J. Wright), ''The Argus'', (Thursday, 11 January 1917), p. 1.

Casualties: Victoria: Killed in Action: Cpl. T. J. Wright, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', (Saturday, 13 January 1917), p. 9.

The Roll of Honour: Victoria: Killed in Action: Cpl. T. J. Wright, Collingwood, 12/12/16, ''The Brisbane Courier'', (Monday, 15 January 1917), p. 11.

In Memoriam: WRIGHT, ''The Argus'', (Wednesday 12 December 1917), p. 1.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Tom 1882 births 1916 deaths Collingwood Football Club players Prahran Football Club players Australian military personnel killed in World War I Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) New Zealand players of Australian rules football Burials at Delville Wood Cemetery

See also

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References