MELBOURNE and Richmond’s wartime heritage is significant.
And, it is for this reason, that the two clubs will pay tribute to their shared wartime history at the MCG on April 24 in their fourth consecutive Anzac Day Eve night match.
It will be just the sixth time the two clubs have met on April 24 – with the first two meetings occurring in 1915 and 1937.
Tragically, 35 men who played for Melbourne or Richmond died from active service – either from World War I or World War II.
During the Second World War, Melbourne and Richmond met in the 1940 Grand Final, which the red and blue won. It remains their only meeting in a Grand Final.
Melbourne shared Punt Road Oval as its home ground during WW2 – considered an act of generosity by Richmond – until late in the 1946 season, due to the MCG being occupied by the armed forces.
In 1944, Melbourne contributed to Richmond’s prisoner of war fund.
All of Melbourne’s key best and fairest trophies are named after players lost due to war.
The most famous is Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott, a dual Melbourne premiership player in 1939-40. He was also one of Australia’s best-known flying aces during World War II.
The VFL awarded premiership medals posthumously to Truscott, Ron Barassi Snr and Harold Ball, as it was considered certainties to have played in the 1941 Grand Final.
Melbourne lost players in many of the key Australian wartime battles, including Joe Pearce in Anzac Cove, Barassi Snr in Tobruk, Syd Anderson in the Pacific and Ball in the fall of Singapore.
Richmond’s Bill Cosgrove is the uncle of Sir Peter Cosgrove, AK MC (Retd) who served as Chief of the Australian Defence Force.
Cosgrove’s 1940 season was cut short by war service.
In fact, six of Richmond’s 1940 Grand Final side served Australia in the war.
In 1943 – just six weeks before Richmond’s premiership – Cosgrove was shot down and killed in action over New Guinea.
They are just some of the stories that remain etched in history today.
Players who represented Melbourne and Richmond killed in action
Melbourne (30)
World War I: Jim Bonelli, Cliff Burge, Jack Doubleday, Bill Fischer, Albert Gourlay, Mal Kennedy, Frank Lugton, Jim Mackie, Bill Maxwell, Fen McDonald, Alick Ogilvie, Joe Pearce, Leo Rankin, Harold Rippon, Percy Rodriguez, Bobby Royle, Alf Williamson
World War II: Syd L. Anderson, Jack Atkins, Harold Ball, Ron J.Barassi, Laurie Brady, Noel Ellis, Clyde Helmer, Derek Mollison, Ted Regan, Beres Reilly, Archie Roberts, Keith Truscott, Barney Wood
Richmond (five)
World War I: Artie Harrison, Les Lee, Bill Nolan
World War II: Bill Cosgrove, Bill Garvie.
All VFL players killed in action during the Boer War, WW1 and WW2
Boer War
Player | Club | Career | Location of Death / Detail | Date of Death | |
Charlie | Moore | Essendon | 1897-99 | Quaggashoek, South Africa | 12/05/1901 |
Stan | Reid | Fitzroy | 1897-98 | Near Ermelo, South Africa | 29/06/1901 |
World War 1
James T. | Aitken | GEEL | 1903 | Lone Pine, Gallipoli, Turkey | 8/08/1915 |
Rupert | Balfe | UNIV | 1909; 1911 | Pine Ridge, Gallipoli, Turkey | 25/04/1915 |
John | Bell elder | GEEL | 1906; 1908 | Tincourt, France | 27/12/1917 |
Lewis | Blackmore | ESS | 1905-07 | Pozieres, France | 23/07/1916 |
Jim | Bonelli | MELB | 1908 | DOW in France | 24/05/1918 |
Norm | Bradford | STH MLB/SYD | 1915 | Pozieres, France | 4/08/1916 |
Cliff | Burge | MELB | 1914 | Harvily, France | 14/08/1918 |
Arthur | Caldwell | ST K | 1909 | Died of Wounds, Malta | 26/07/1915 |
Hughie | Callan | STH MLB/SYD | 1903-05 | Gueudecourt, France | 5/02/1917 |
Sam | Campbell | COLL | 1910 | Died of influenza OAS, Sierra Leone | 21/10/1918 |
George | Challis | CARLT | 1912-15 | Armentieres, France | 15/07/1916 |
Thornton | Clarke | FITZ | 1911 | Fleurbaix, France | 19/07/1916 |
Dick | Clough | ESS | 1907-08 | DOW at sea | 2/06/1915 |
Harry | Collins | FITZ | 1912; 1915 | Villers-Bretonneux, France | 10/08/1918 |
Jack T. | Cooper | FITZ | 1907-15 | Polygon Wood, Belgium | 20/09/1917 |
Arch | Corbett | UNIV | 1912-13 | Lost overboard at sea near Toulin | 25/06/1920 |
Alan | Cordner | COLL | 1911-12 | Lone Pine, Gallipoli, Turkey | 25/04/1915 |
Claude | Crowl | ST K | 1911 | Gallipoli, Turkey | 25/04/1915 |
Joe | Crowl | GEEL | 1906 | Walker’s Ridge, Gallipoli, Turkey | 27/06/1915 |
Dave | Cumming | UNIV | 1911-12 | Villers-Bretonneux, France | 3/05/1918 |
Harry | Daniel | CARLT | 1901 | Villers-Bretonneux, France | 10/08/1918 |
Jack | Doubleday | MELB | 1912-14 | At sea in the Indian Ocean | 30/10/1918 |
George | Elliott | UNIV | 1905 | Polygon Wood, Belgium | 25/09/1917 |
Jim | Farnan | ST K | 1899 | Pozieres, France | 9/08/1916 |
Fred | Fielding | COLL | 1911 | Amiens, France | 8/08/1918 |
Charlie | Fincher | STH MLB/SYD | 1913 | Gallipoli, Turkey | 25/04/1915 |
Bill | Fischer | MELB | 1909 | Passchendaele, Belgium | 15/10/1917 |
Chris | Fogarty | UNIV | 1906 | Lone Pine, Turkey | 29/11/1915 |
Jack | Freeman | STH MLB/SYD | 1913-14 | Abincourt, France | 15/11/1916 |
Dick | Gibbs | UNIV | 1912-14 | Fleurbaix, France | 19/07/1916 |
Dave | Gillespie | CARLT | 1907-08 | DOW OAS at Caulfield, Vic | 27/03/1917 |
Jimmy | Gordon | ESS | 1913-14 | France | 30/09/1918 |
Albert | Gourlay | CARLT | 1903 | DOW in Surrey, England after serving in the NZ army in France | 1/11/1918 |
Artie C. | Harrison | FITZ | 1911 | Bullecourt, France | 3/05/1917 |
Ed | Harrison | STH MLB/SYD | 1906; 1908-09 | Bapaume, France | 13/03/1917 |
Billy G. | Harvey | ESS | 1912 | Ypres, Belgium | 14/09/1917 |
Arthur | Hinman | UNIV | 1910-11 | Quinns Post, Gallipoli, Turkey | 10/05/1915 |
Lou | Holmes | ST K | 1910 | DOW Gallipoli | 23/06/1915 |
Herb | Hunter | ESS | 1900 | Cape Helles, Gallipoli, Turkey | 8/05/1915 |
Les | James | GEEL | 1909-11; 1913-15 | Passchendaele, Belgium | 22/10/1917 |
Arthur | Jones | FITZ | 1914 | Gallipoli, Turkey | 7/08/1915 |
Mal | Kennedy | MELB | 1911-12 | DOW in Wytschete, Belgium | 2/01/1918 |
Bill | Landy | GEEL | 1915 | Fleurbaix, France | 19/07/1916 |
Charles | Langtree | COLL | 1900 | Corbie, France | 3/08/1916 |
Ron | Larking | UNIV | 1909 | Neuve Eglise, France | 1/04/1918 |
Les | Lee | RICH | 1913 | Messines, France | 8/06/1917 |
Otto | Lowenstern | ST K | 1910-11 | France (served in Canadian Army) | 1/12/1917 |
Frank | Lugton | MELB | 1913-14 | Pozieres, France | 29/07/1916 |
Jim | Mackie | MELB | 1913 | Bapaume, France | 20/03/1917 |
Bill | Madden | ST K | 1908-09 | Bullecourt, France | 3/05/1917 |
Peter | Martin | COLL | 1901-02 | DOW at South Melbourne, Vic | 25/03/1918 |
Stan | Martin | UNIV | 1909-14 | Bullecourt, France | 3/05/1917 |
Bill | Maxwell | MELB | 1909 | Passchendaele, Belgium | 12/10/1917 |
Tom | McCluskey | FITZ | 1910 | Passchendaele, Belgium | 4/10/1917 |
Fen | McDonald | MELB | 1911-12 | Gallipoli, Turkey | 25/04/1915 |
Paddy | McGuinness | ST K | 1901 | DOW in Le Treport, France | 6/05/1918 |
Fred | McIntosh | ESS | 1913-14 | DOW in Polygon Wood, Belguim | 28/09/1917 |
Arthur | McKenzie | GEEL | 1898 | Le Transloy, France | 18/07/1916 |
M. Stan | McKenzie | CARLT | 1914 | Alexandria, Egypt | 8/12/1915 |
Ted | McLean | GEEL | 1912 | Gallipoli, Turkey | 29/05/1915 |
Charlie | Morley | ESS | 1906 | OAS (illness), England | 13/04/1919 |
Stan | Neale | UNIV | 1913-14 | Bullecourt, France | 29/09/1918 |
Jim | Nicholas | UNIV | 1911 | Menin Road, Belgium | 20/09/1917 |
Bill | Nolan | RICH | 1914-15 | DOW in Boulogne, France | 23/06/1916 |
Bert | O'Connell | ST K | 1908 | DOW in Broodseinde Ridge, Belgium | 17/10/1917 |
Alick | Ogilvie | UNIV | 1905 | DOW in Malta, after being mortally wounded on the 6th. | 18/08/1915 |
Charlie | Oliver | CARLT | 1900 | OAS as the result of an accident at Seymour | 29/12/1917 |
Sid | O'Neill | FITZ | 1909 | Walkers Ridge, Gallipoli, Turkey | 7/08/1915 |
Alby | Patterson | Carl | 1897 | Died of illness attributable to war service | 16/4/1920 |
Harold | Parker | ST K | 1911 | DOW as a POW, Lille, France | 30/01/1917 |
Joe | Pearce | MELB | 1904-13 | Gallipoli, Turkey | 25/04/1915 |
Jim R. | Pender | CARLT | 1898 | Bois Grenier, France | 2/07/1916 |
Hugh | Plowman | ST K | 1910-12 | Fleurbaix, France | 19/07/1916 |
Les | Primrose | UNIV | 1912-13 | Cladeincourt, France | 4/06/1918 |
Leo | Rankin | MELB | 1899 | Died of illness OAS in England | 10/05/1917 |
Harold | Rippon | STH MLB/SYD | 1898 | DOW in Somme, France | 16/01/1917 |
Alex J. | Robertson | UNIV | 1909 | Lone Pine, Gallipoli, Turkey | 6/08/1915 |
Ralph | Robertson | ST K | 1899-1900 | Aboukir Aerodrome, Egypt | 11/05/1917 |
Percy | Rodriguez | MELB | 1914 | Noreuil, France | 20/03/1917 |
Bill | Rogers | CARLT | 1913 | DOW at Rouen, France | 22/09/1918 |
Les | Rogers | ESS | 1915 | Pozieres, France | 4/08/1916 |
Paddy (Percy E.) | Rowan (Rowe) | COLL | 1911-15 | DOW in France | 5/12/1916 |
Bobby | Royle | MELB | 1898 | Gueudecourt, Franice | 3/11/1916 |
Gerald J. | Ryan | ESS | 1906; 1909 | Tiddworth, Wiltshire, UK | 6/02/1917 |
Cyril | Seelenmeyer | UNIV | 1914 | Fouilloy, France | 8/08/1918 |
Joe | Slater | GEEL | 1906-14 | Bullecourt, France | 3/05/1917 |
Bruce | Sloss | STH MLB/SYD | 1907-08 | Armenteries, France | 4/01/1917 |
Claude | Thomas | STH MLB/SYD | 1914-15 | Hamel, France | 5/07/1918 |
Jack | Turnbull | STH MLB/SYD | 1908 | Messines, France | 2/05/1917 |
Jack P. | Walker | ST K | 1910-11 | Pozieres, France | 27/07/1916 |
Mal | Williams | UNIV | 1908 | DOW, France | 3/03/1917 |
Alf | Williamson | MELB | 1912-14 | Bullecourt, France | 11/04/1917 |
Jack | Wood | ESS | 1910 | OAS as the result of an accident at East Melb, Vic | 20/10/1914 |
Tommy | Worle | COLL | 1907 | Passchendaele, Belgium | 31/07/1917 |
Tom | Wright | COLL | 1906-07 | Le Transloy, France | 12/12/1916 |
World War 2
Syd L. | Anderson | Melbourne | 1939-41 | Wewak, Dutch New Guinea | 20/05/1944 |
Jack | Atkins | Melbourne | 1940 | Sundra Strait | 1/03/1942 |
Wilf | Atkinson | Carlton | 1942 | Flying Battle, Sicily | 12/08/1943 |
Harold | Ball | Melbourne | 1939-40 | Malaya | 9/02/1942 |
Ron J. | Barassi | Melbourne | 1936-40 | Tobruk | 31/07/1941 |
Paul | Bell | St Kilda | 1937-38 | Balikpapan, Borneo | 4/07/1945 |
Laurie | Brady | Melbourne | 1913 |
| 1/05/1944 |
George | Brock | North Melb | 1941 | OAS at the You Yangs, Vic | 2/08/1941 |
Harry | Comte | St Kilda | 1930-37 | Tarakan Island, Borneo | 30/05/1945 |
Tommy | Corrigan | Fitzroy | 1922-28 | Died of illness OAS at Heidelberg Hospital | 9/01/1943 |
Bill | Cosgrove | Richmond | 1940 | Goodenough Island, New Guinea | 11/08/1943 |
Bill S. | Downie | Footscray | 1929-32 | POW in Moulmein, Burma | 11/09/1943 |
Jack | Drake | Hawthorn | 1926 | Brallos Pass, Greece | 23/04/1941 |
Noel | Ellis | Melbourne | 1940-41 | OAS at Yimboona Army Camp South of Brisbane, Qld | 6/07/1942 |
Bob | Flegg | St Kilda | 1941 | Shot down in an air raid on German Airbase at Feuersbrunn | 7/07/1944 |
Bill | Garvie | Richmond | 1934-35 | Atherton Tablelands, Qld | 27/06/1944 |
Alf | Giblett | Hawthorn | 1935 | New Guinea | 19/06/1943 |
Godfrey | Goldin | Essendon | 1939 | DOW in New Guinea | 7/02/1943 |
Alf | Goonan | North Melb | 1925-26 | OAS, Malaya | 22/01/1942 |
Jeff | Grieve | South Melb | 1941 | Glenshee, Scotland | 8/11/1944 |
Gordon | Hamilton | South Melb | 1940 | Drowned OAS rescuing a girl at Chelsea, Vic | 23/02/1941 |
Alf | Hedge | South Melb | 1937-38 | Over Hamburg, Germany | 4/05/1942 |
Fred | Heintz | Fitzroy | 1931-33 | Died as a POW, Ambon | 20/02/1942 |
Clyde | Helmer | Geelong | 1937-41 | Aitapi, near Lae, New Guinea | 24/04/1945 |
Lyall | Hone | Hawthorn | 1940 | Died of illness attributed to war service | 13/6/1946 |
Bill | Hudson | St Kilda | 1942 | New Guinea | 11/04/1945 |
Len | Johnson | Essendon | 1929-33 | Singapore | 24/01/1942 |
Jack | Keddie | Essendon | 1941 | Wewak, New Guinea | 15/08/1945 |
Stuart | King | St Kilda | 1931-33 | Coral Sea | 28/02/1943 |
Jim | Knight | Geelong | 1939-41 | Goodenough Island | 11/10/1943 |
Ralph | Lancaster | Geelong | 1929-32; 1935 | DOW, New Guinea | 28/08/1942 |
Norm | Le Brun | South Melb | 1929 | Near Danmap River, New Guinea | 15/11/1944 |
Jack T. | Lynch | Geelong | 1939-40 | OAS at Charters Towers, Queensland | 8/09/1944 |
Ken | MacLeod | University | 1910-13 | Nowegian Sea | 8/04/1940 |
Wallace | Mills | St Kilda | 1937 | Babinda, Qld | 24/11/1943 |
Derek | Mollison | Melbourne | 1923-28 | OAS at Rockhampton, Qld | 19/12/1943 |
Alex | Nash | Hawthorn | 1942 | Jacquinot Bay, New Guinea | 28/03/1944 |
Norm L. | Oliver | Collingwood | 1940-41 | Hansa Bay, New Guinea | 27/06/1944 |
Jim W. | Park | Carlton | 1932-40 | Wau, New Guinea | 9/02/1943 |
Allan | Pearsall | South Melb | 1941 | Over English Channel | 8/03/1944 |
Bert | Peters | North Melb | 1930-31 | Over English Channel | 13/06/1944 |
Dick M. | Pirrie | Hawthorn | 1940-41 | Normandy, France | 6/06/1944 |
Jack | Price | Hawthorn | 1925 | Syria | 27/06/1941 |
Ted | Regan | Melbourne | 1938 | Burma | 9/07/1943 |
Beres | Reilly | North Melb | 1935-36 | Over Crete | 23/07/1943 |
Archie | Roberts | Melbourne | 1932-36 | POW, Ambon Island | 6/06/1945 |
Percy | Roberts | Fitzroy | 1929; 1932 | POW, Moulmein, Burma | 3/08/1943 |
Gordon | Sawley | South Melb | 1941 | OAS in training flight accident over Scotland | 14/08/1942 |
Mo | Shapir | North Melb | 1935 | Egypt | 15/08/1942 |
Jack T. | Shelton | St Kilda | 1925-28 | Tobruk | 1/05/1941 |
Len A. | Smith | South Melb | 1902 | OAS at Heidelberg Hospital, Vic | 29/07/1943 |
Len | Thomas | South Melb | 1927-38 | Salamaua, New Guinea | 17/08/1943 |
Henry | Thomson | Carlton | 1930 | POW, Thailand | 21/05/1943 |
Keith | Truscott | Melbourne | 1937-40; 1942 | OAS at Exmouth, WA | 28/03/1943 |
Jack | Wade | South Melb | 1931-33 | Lebanon | 11/06/1941 |
Max | Wheeler | Hawthorn | 1937 | Syria | 17/06/1941 |
Barney | Wood | Melbourne | 1928 | Litani River, Syria | 10/06/1941 |
Gus | Young | Hawthorn | 1939-40 | Crete | 29/05/1941 |
Jack | Zimmerman | Footscray | 1937-39 | Died OAS at Heidelberg Hispital | 2/09/1944 |
Harold | Zucker | Hawthorn | 1942 | Died of illness, attributable to war service, aged 29 | 7/06/1947 |
