Wikipedia

Billy Walsh (Australian footballer)

William Joseph Walsh (18 February 1911 – 11 September 1986)[1] was an Australian rules footballer who played with the Preston Football Club in the Victorian Football Association (VFA), and with the Melbourne Football Club and Fitzroy Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[2]

Billy Walsh
Personal information
Full name William Joseph Walsh
Date of birth (1911-02-18)18 February 1911
Place of birth Collingwood, Victoria
Date of death 11 September 1986(1986-09-11) (aged 75)
Place of death Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital,
Heidelberg, Victoria
Original team(s) Preston (VFA)
Height 177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 71 kg (157 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1932-33 Preston (VFA) 23 (39)
1934 Melbourne (VFL)   3 (2)
1935-37 Preston (VFA) 23 (24)
1944 Fitzroy (VFL)   1 (0)
1945 Preston (VFA)   7 (7)
Total 57 (72)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1945.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family edit

The son of John Walsh (1874-1952),[3] and Catherine Walsh (1876-1949), née Cleary,[4] William Joseph Walsh was born at Collingwood, Victoria on 18 February 1911.[5]

He married Roma Rubina Ward (1914–1992) in 1936.[6][7]

Education edit

He was educated at St Joseph's Technical School, Abbotsford.[8]

Football edit

His senior career involved a wide range of teams and competitions over fourteen years (1932 to 1945).

Preston (VFA) edit

He made his debut for Preston in the match against Yarraville, at the Yarraville Oval, on 14 May 1932,[9] and went on to play in 23 games (39 goals) in 1932 and 1933.

Melbourne (VFL) edit

Cleared to Melbourne from Preston on 4 May 1934,[10][11] he played for most of the season with the Melbourne Seconds.[12] He played in the last three home-and-away matches of the 1934 season for the Firsts, was best on the ground for the team that won the 1934 VFL Seconds Grand Final,[13] was released before the 1935 season began,[14] and cleared back to Preston.[15]

Preston (VFA) edit

He played in 23 games for Preston from 1935 to 1937. In his first match back at Preston, playing against Oakleigh, at the Oakleigh Football Ground, on 11 May 1935, Walsh broke his leg and did not play again that season.[16]

General Motors-Holden (SMFL) edit

In 1938 he was cleared from Preston to play with General Motors-Holdens in the Saturday Morning Football League.[17][18] He played with the team for the entire 1938 and 1939 seasons, including the 1938 Grand Final winning team, and the 1939 Grand Final losing team.[19]

Moe (CGFA) edit

On 17 April 1940 he was cleared from Preston to the Moe Football Club,[20] where he had been appointed captain-coach.[21] Walsh, the captain-coach of Moe, did not play in the match between Moe and Leongatha on 29 June 1940; with the local paper reporting that he had returned to his former team, "Preston Seconds".[22]

RAAF edit

In June 1942 he was playing for a representative RAAF team.[23][24]

Fitzroy (VFL) edit

He was cleared from Moe to Fitzroy on 5 May 1944,[25] and played his only senior game for Fitzroy against St Kilda, at the Brunswick Street Oval, on 6 May 1944.

Preston (VFA) edit

Cleared from Fitzroy to Preston on 27 April 1945,[26] he played in 7 games (7 goals) in 1945.

Military service edit

Walsh served in the Royal Australian Air Force (from 15 January 1942 to 30 November 1945) during World War II.[27] He did not serve overseas.[28]

Death edit

He died at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, in Heidelberg, Victoria, on 11 September 1986.[29]

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Billy Walsh - Player Bio". Australian Football. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
  2. ^ Holmesby & Main (2009), p. 862.
  3. ^ Deaths: Walsh, The Age, (Friday, 5 December 1952), p.10.
  4. ^ Deaths: Walsh, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Thursday, 15 December 1949), p.30.
  5. ^ Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Births Registration no.2567/1911.
  6. ^ Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Marriages Registration no.13322/1936.
  7. ^ Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Deaths Registration no.24136/1992.
  8. ^ Demonwiki.
  9. ^ Association: The Teams; Yarraville v. Preston, The Argus, (Friday, 13 May 1932), p. 13.
  10. ^ Last batch of Permits, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Saturday, 5 May 1934), p. 24.
  11. ^ Association Permits, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Saturday, 5 May 1934), p. 24.
  12. ^ Red Leg Rover, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 1 September 1934), p. 7.
  13. ^ Melbourne win Seconds' Final, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Saturday, 13 October 1934), p. 5.
  14. ^ Melbourne's List: Four Men Dropped, The Argus, (Tuesday, 30 April 1935), p. 11.
  15. ^ Permits Granted, The Age, (Thursday, 9 May 1935), p. 6.
  16. ^ Injured Players: Walsh (Preston) Fractures Leg, The Argus, (Monday, 13 May 1935), p. 11.
  17. ^ In Morning Games for 10 Years, The Argus, (Friday, 29 April 1938), p. 17.
  18. ^ Morning League: Teams for Opening Round: General Motors-Holdens, The Age, (Saturday, 23 April 1938), p. 14.
  19. ^ Morning League: Vic. Brewery's 10 goals to 1, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 19 August 1939), p. 6.
  20. ^ Football, The Argus, (Thursday, 18 April 1940), p. 15.
  21. ^ Football, Supplement to "The Narracan Shire Advocate", (Friday, 29 March 1940), p.1.
  22. ^ Football: Moe v. Leongatha, The Narracan Shire Advocate, (Friday, 5 July 1940), p.3.
  23. ^ Football, The Age, Wednesday, 3 June 1942), p. 4.
  24. ^ Football, The Age, Thursday, 11 June 1942), p. 4.
  25. ^ Many Permits Granted, (Saturday, 6 May 1944), p. 6.
  26. ^ VFA Permits, The Argus, (Saturday, 28 April 1945), p. 8.
  27. ^ Nominal Roll.
  28. ^ Service Record.
  29. ^ Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Deaths Registration no.22313/1986.

References edit

External links edit

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