James Montgomery Gilmour (4 January 1881 – 18 December 1918) was an Irish-born New Zealand

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1910s. He played at representative level for

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

(non-

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

es) ( Heritage № 67), and

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, as a , i.e. number 3 or 4.

Playing career

Auckland v Wellington, 1912 at Victoria Park

Gilmour moved to Australia in 1911, playing for North Sydney alongside compatriot

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

until heading north to play for

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 , established_ ...

. Gilmour played all three matches against the touring New Zealand side before joining the New Zealanders for matches against Hunter River and

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 ...

.John Coffey and Bernie Wood, ''The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League'', Hodder Moa, Auckland, 2007, p. 43. He again toured Australia with New Zealand in 1912. Prior to leaving he scored 5 tries for New Zealand against Auckland along with a conversion.

Military service and death

Gilmour served as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

with the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

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 sailed from New Zealand with the 43rd reinforcements on 17 August 1918 and died of pneumonia at Tidworth Hospital, Wiltshire, England on 18 December 1918. He was buried at Tidworth Military Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmour, Jim New Zealand national rugby league team players New Zealand rugby league players Rugby league centres Wellington rugby league team players 1881 births 1918 deaths People from County Londonderry Deaths from pneumonia in England North Sydney Bears players Queensland rugby league team players New Zealand military personnel killed in World War I Irish emigrants to New Zealand