John William Robertson (15 July 1892 – 8 September 1982) was an Australian rules football player for Port Adelaide. His career was cut short due to World War I and the injuries obtained in the conflict.
| John Robertson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | John William Robertson | ||
| Date of birth | 15 July 1892 | ||
| Place of birth | Semaphore South, South Australia | ||
| Date of death | 8 September 1982 (aged 90)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Plenty, Victoria | ||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre half-back | ||
| Playing career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1912–1915 | Port Adelaide | 59 | |
| 1919–1920 | Port Adelaide | 3 | |
| Total | 62 | ||
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1914 | South Australia | 5 | |
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Source: AustralianFootball.com | |||
Family edit
The son of John George Robertson (1868-), and Elizabeth Lucy Robertson (1865-1940), née Tuttle,[3] John William Robertson was born in Semaphore South, South Australia on 15 July 1892.
He married Ruby Mary Emily Kelsey (1895-1975) in 1919. They had one child: a daughter, Joan Mary Robertson (born 1921).
Football edit
Port Adelaide (SAFL) edit
Robertson made his South Australian National Football League (SANFL) senior debut for Port Adelaide Football Club in 1912.[4][5]
Interstate football edit
He quickly became a leading player in South Australia and was chosen for the South Australian squad for the 1914 ANFC Carnival, held in Sydney.
The best player from each state in the carnival was awarded a gold medal — known as the Referee Medal (after the sporting newspaper The Referee — and Robertson was awarded the South Australian gold medal.[6]
Military service edit
He enlisted in the First AIF, and served overseas in France during World War One; and was wounded in action.[7][8][9][10] He returned to Australia on the S.S. Swakopmund on 29 July 1919.[11][12]
Death edit
He died at his residence at Plenty, Victoria on 8 September 1982.[13]
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ "Robertson, John William". Find a Grave.
- ^ Service Record.
- ^ Deaths: Robertson, The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 24 October 1940), p.21.
- ^ Port Adelaide Team (photograph), The (Adelaide) Chronicle, (Saturday, 28 September 1912), p.32.
- ^ The Football Champions (photograph), The (Adelaide) Journal, (Monday, 21 September 1914), p.2.
- ^ "Criticism of the Carnival Players". The Referee. Sydney. 19 August 1914. p. 12. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ Nominal Roll.
- ^ Embarkation Roll.
- ^ Service Record.
- ^ 326th Casualty List: South Australia: Wounded, The (Adelaide) Observer, (Saturday, 28 July 1917), p.34.
- ^ Returning Troops: The Swakopmund, The (Adelaide) Advertiser, (Saturday, 19 July 1919), p.10.
- ^ Torrens Defeat Port, The (Adelaide) Daily Herald, (Friday, 1 August 1919), p.7.
- ^ Deaths: Robertson, The Age, (Friday, 10 September 1982), p.15.
References edit
- Studio portrait at Studio portrait of members of 31st Battery, 8th Field Artillery Brigade (P11373.001), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- First World War Embarkation Roll, Gunner John William Robertson (20007), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- First World War Nominal Roll, Sergeant John William Robertson (20007), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- First World War Service Record, Sergeant John William Robertson (20007), National Archives of Australia.
External links edit
- John Robertson at AustralianFootball.com