Research Players who served in War

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I know I'm being picky, but can we change the title of this thread to Players who served in War.
So it doesn't refer to just WW1.
I think it would be a good thread to dump all War queries on.
Is that something WhiteHartLane23 would need to do seeing as he/she started the thread.
 
https://nswfootballhistory.com.au/football-in-sydney-during-wwi/

By mid May 1915, it was estimated that 1,500 players of Australian Football from NSW had gone to the front.

Because of the war, it was reckoned that only P. Barry, L. Bignell, E. Stephens and G. Davenport from South Sydney’s premiership team the previous year before would be available in 1915.

During that season 46 interstate clearances passed through the league and 1,340 players were registered in first, second and schools – a fair number.

But for the war, league secretary Jim Phelan wrote, Australian football would have been unable to continue in Sydney because of the loss of the players to the front. However the movement of interstate players through the city enabled clubs and even the umpiring ranks, to supplement their numbers.

East Sydney reported by early May 1915, that 30 of their players had enlisted while Newtown had 14 at the front. It was around this time that the North Shore club announced that because of lack of numbers, they were withdrawing from the competition.
 
WWI BOOK GAINS MOMENTUM
08/04/2014admin


Sportsmens-Recruitment-Poster-small.jpg
Good news following the society committee meeting today where officials took time out to work through the outline of the proposed book on the Impact WWI had on Sydney Football.

The sub-committee have already looked at the pre-war period in Sydney and how the game was shaping, then 1915, where many of the local footballers enlisted for the front.

Players names too are beginning to pop up and already well over 100 Sydney players have been identified as volunteering to fight in the conflict. Not all of these were in the army. A minority of naval personnel have been found to have been in the navy. In the early years of the war, East Sydney relied very heavily on sailors and their departure caused a number of forfeits in the latter part of the 1915 season.

https://nswfootballhistory.com.au/wwi-book-gains-momentum-1/
 
Appreciate any feedback on my list of MFC players who served during war (http://demonwiki.org/Players+who+served+during+war).

A later task is to go back and work out the units and service dates, but for now just want to make sure I'm not missing anyone.
 
Supermercado said:
Much appreciated, added to the list now.
Click to expand...
You are just the man for this.

Attached is a report of the Argus of 11 July 1945

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article976365

and a similar one in the Age

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204015461

which identifies one Lloyd Morvell as having played one game of football for Melbourne and then having died in WW2.

Mr Morvell was one Lloyd Douglas Morvell who was born on 10 May 1918 and died on 19 June 1945 and was from Lexton Victoria and enlisted in 1943, according to the nominal roll. I haven't checked his geneological records to confirm the accuracy of this data.

The date of his father's death was in November 1941

cf Weekly Times 15 November 1941.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224832703

So this can possibly backend date of the game he is supposed to have played.

Now the issue. No player named Lloyd Morvell or Morvell is listed as having played VFL for Melbourne at all. He simply does not appear on AFL records at all.

Which leads us to two scenarios.

First the reports of the Age and Argus are just plain wrong and maybe he played reserves at best if he did represent the colours of Melbourne.

Or

Two, we have a new player, an unknown casualty from World War 2, and a complete omission from history, an omission that can be corrected.

I don't have access to Melbourne seconds' records but because it was the Age and Argus reporting it, one can't necessary dismiss the report out of hand.
 
Harry Hook said:
Attached is a report of the Argus of 11 July 1945
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article976365

and a similar one in the Age
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204015461

which identifies one Lloyd Morvell as having played one game of football for Melbourne and then having died in WW2.

Mr Morvell was one Lloyd Douglas Morvell who was born on 10 May 1918 and died on 19 June 1945 and was from Lexton Victoria and enlisted in 1943, according to the nominal roll. I haven't checked his geneological records to confirm the accuracy of this data.

The date of his father's death was in November 1941

cf Weekly Times 15 November 1941.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224832703
So this can possibly backend date of the game he is supposed to have played.
Click to expand...
Actually his father was William Charles Morvell who died in 1938
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225429653

Can't find anything linking Lloyd to Melbourne Football Club in 1938 though...
 
Harry Hook said:
You are just the man for this.

Attached is a report of the Argus of 11 July 1945

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article976365

and a similar one in the Age

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204015461

which identifies one Lloyd Morvell as having played one game of football for Melbourne and then having died in WW2.

Mr Morvell was one Lloyd Douglas Morvell who was born on 10 May 1918 and died on 19 June 1945 and was from Lexton Victoria and enlisted in 1943, according to the nominal roll. I haven't checked his geneological records to confirm the accuracy of this data.

The date of his father's death was in November 1941

cf Weekly Times 15 November 1941.

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224832703

So this can possibly backend date of the game he is supposed to have played.

Now the issue. No player named Lloyd Morvell or Morvell is listed as having played VFL for Melbourne at all. He simply does not appear on AFL records at all.

Which leads us to two scenarios.

First the reports of the Age and Argus are just plain wrong and maybe he played reserves at best if he did represent the colours of Melbourne.

Or

Two, we have a new player, an unknown casualty from World War 2, and a complete omission from history, an omission that can be corrected.

I don't have access to Melbourne seconds' records but because it was the Age and Argus reporting it, one can't necessary dismiss the report out of hand.
Click to expand...
This has him training with Melbourne in 1940. Not sure what happened from there, but he seemingly didn't get to play a senior game:-

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12447988 (17 April 1940)

"Another newcomer was L. Morvell (Lexton), who trained ruggedly."

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204426814 (17 April 1940)

"L. Morvell, from Lexton, is a small player who may develop into a rover."

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/225431415 (December 1938)

"His brother, Lloyd Morvell, has been awarded the trophy for best and fairest player in Lexton football team for the season 1938."

Edit: I can't spot the name Morvell in any of the team lineups, goalkickers or best players (that I've checked) for Melbourne's seconds in 1940 (or 1938).

The 1945 story that says he returned home on the death of his father, cutting short his League football career, just doesn't add up given that the father died in September/October 1938, yet Morvell obviously tried out with Melbourne in 1940. Perhaps he played a seconds game at some stage and the paper got the story rather mixed up.
 
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Harry Hook said:
Thanks for that.

That date fits the narrative, if there is one, much better.
Click to expand...

I haven't got a Morvell in my Unknown Players (http://demonwiki.org/Unknown+Players) list, so I suspect he'd be one of the hundreds who trained with the club but didn't play a game. I will keep an eye out for him in seconds team lists.

The good news is, with the info above I can add him to the Other players (http://demonwiki.org/Other+Players) list of people who I have a full name for.
 
35Daicos said:
This has him training with Melbourne in 1940. Not sure what happened from there, but he seemingly didn't get to play a senior game:-

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12447988 (17 April 1940)

"Another newcomer was L. Morvell (Lexton), who trained ruggedly."

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/204426814 (17 April 1940)

"L. Morvell, from Lexton, is a small player who may develop into a rover."
Click to expand...

Interesting that the two articles have the same list of recruits, except The Argus has "Campbell" from Cohuna, and The Age "Kevin Cocayne" (what a surname) from the Moama district. Given Cohuna and Moama are reasonably close I wonder if they're the same. Campbell from Cohuna is shown in this Sporting Globe article too - http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/188802759
 
Supermercado said:
Interesting that the two articles have the same list of recruits, except The Argus has "Campbell" from Cohuna, and The Age "Kevin Cocayne" (what a surname) from the Moama district. Given Cohuna and Moama are reasonably close I wonder if they're the same. Campbell from Cohuna is shown in this Sporting Globe article too - http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/188802759
Click to expand...
You could well be right with that. That surname certainly does stand out, but this has "L. Campbell (Cohuna)."

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12441868

I see you have Ray Steele on your Other Players list, as someone who trained with the club in 1940. Given the University connection (and the year) surely he's the same chap who ended up a Richmond Premiership player, and well-known cricket administrator?

Edit: http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206768174 (6 June 1940)
V.F.L. permits granted last night were:— L. Campbell. Cohuna to Melbourne;

He was named to play seconds a few weeks later: http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206774169

And tried out at Richmond a year earlier it seems:- http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11249267 (5 July 1939)

The new men appeared at Richmond last night. They were ~~; and L. Campbell (Cohuna), who has been recommended by a former Richmond player, W. Ripper.
 
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Supermercado said:
Interesting that the two articles have the same list of recruits, except The Argus has "Campbell" from Cohuna, and The Age "Kevin Cocayne" (what a surname) from the Moama district. Given Cohuna and Moama are reasonably close I wonder if they're the same. Campbell from Cohuna is shown in this Sporting Globe article too - http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/188802759
Click to expand...
There's three Cocayne's named in the best players for Mathoura in a 1946 game against Echuca! K. Cocayne is one of them, so it's quite likely to be the same player who tried out with Melbourne a few years earlier.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/117119155
 
35Daicos said:
There's three Cocayne's named in the best players for Mathoura in a 1946 game against Echuca! K. Cocayne is one of them, so it's quite likely to be the same player who tried out with Melbourne a few years earlier.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/117119155
Click to expand...

Excellent thank you. Best wishes to him having that name before it would have been fashionable to rip the piss out of.
 
Harry Hook said:
Nice World War 1 enlistee.

General Frederick Hughes who apparently represented Victoria in interstate games ( presumably pre VFL) and fought at Gallipoli and became a Major - General

Age 24 August 1944

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article206003041
Click to expand...
http://boylesfootballphotos.net.au/Same_Old_Essendon

In 1879 the team was reinforced by players from St. Kilda, where there had been one of the periodical upsets. Among these were Fred Hughes, later captain, who, after his football days were done, became major, colonel, and general in the greater game.
 
35Daicos said:
http://boylesfootballphotos.net.au/Same_Old_Essendon

In 1879 the team was reinforced by players from St. Kilda, where there had been one of the periodical upsets. Among these were Fred Hughes, later captain, who, after his football days were done, became major, colonel, and general in the greater game.
Click to expand...
So he's a good pick up then. Have a good one for you.

A VC winner who became a Collingwood Time keeper

Bill Ruthven

Argus 7 September 1940

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11311672
 
35Daicos said:
Wonderful story, Harry. Read the whole thing. Any "Collingwood-related good news story" is welcome at the moment, even if it is (almost) 100 years old!!!
Click to expand...
Send it on to Collingwood. I'm not sure if it has seen the light of day for a long time and Collingwood might want to republish it.
 
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