Playing long balls into empty space since 2012.

Wednesday 25 March 2015

Australian soccer teams from World War 1

These are randomly selected photographs from the Australian War Memorial collection. They represent teams of Australian soccer players or games of soccer being played by Australians during World War 1. I selected them from among a number of other football photographs (rugby and Australian rules) and have ignored photographs where the code was not clear. I have also left out the substantial number photographs of interned German players in Australia.

The AWM database information is included.


The team from the destroyer HMS Hunter playing a game of soccer against a 6th Battalion team at a camp on the Aegean island of Lemnos. The Greek government lent the island to the Allies as a base for operations on the Gallipoli Peninsula. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C01191/



Australian Flying Corps Christmas Day Sports. Football match. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C03957/


The Australian Army 12th Training Battalion football team at an unidentified camp. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H18925/


Outdoor portrait of two Allied Prisoner of War (POW) football teams and officials at Soltau POW camp near Hanover, Germany. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P08218.008/


Outdoor portrait of an Allied Prisoner of War (POW) football team of eleven members and two officials at Soltau POW camp near Hanover, Germany. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P08218.007/


An outdoors group portrait of unidentified members of the Soccer Football team of the 1st Australian Pioneer Battalion. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E04098/


Group portrait of the football team from the destroyer HMAS Huon. The Huon was headed for patrol work around Malaysia, with a base at Sandakan in British North Borneo. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/EN0192/


Outdoor group portrait of twenty-one unidentified allied prisoners of war (POW), probably a football team and associated personnel, at Güstrow POW camp, Germany. The soldier sitting in the front row, second from the right is holding a football with "1918" written in white. One of a series of 157 images from the collection of 4199 Sergeant William Charles Groves, 14th Battalion, an Australian prisoner of war held at Güstrow POW camp in Germany. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P09591.106/


The 1st Pioneer Battalion football team with supporters standing behind the team. The men are probably reinforcements for the 1st Pioneer Battalion at the Pioneer Training Battalion. The Australian soldier, wearing a slouch hat and standing just to the right of the footballers, has been identified as 2130 Private John Jonas, an Aboriginal serviceman who was attached to the Pioneer Training Battalion between 13 August 1916 and 2 November 1916. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P00960.003/


Group portrait of unidentified members of No 1 Command Depot, Sutton Veny, Soccer Football Team, who were the 1918 Premiers. Lieutenant Colonel W O Mansbridge DSO, 44th Battalion is seated in centre of second row. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A03388/


An outdoors group portrait of the Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel William Reginald Ffrench DSO MC and unidentified members of the soccer football team of the 1st Australian Machine Gun Battalion sitting on a field. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E04151/


Group portrait of the football team from HMAS Sydney. Third from the left in the middle row is probably Boatswain Alfred Moule Martin. On his left is Captain John Collings Taswell Glossop, RN. Along with HMAS Melbourne, the Sydney was engaged in patrols of the North Atlantic off Long Island and of the Caribbean, with bases in Halifax and Jamaica respectively. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/EN0191/



Group portrait of unidentified members of the 2nd Australian Pioneer Battalion soccer team. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H00537/


Feuquieres, France. 3 January 1919. Presentation of medals by Commanding Officer (CO), 35th Battalion to C Company (Coy) "soccer" team, winners of inter-company football competition played at Merelessart Chateau, on steps of the Mairie [Town Hall] in the village square. Left to right: Major H. J. Connell DSO MC & Bar, Second in Charge; Lieutenant Colonel H. F. White DSO Croix de Guerre, CO; Private (Pte) D. Lee; Captain R. V. Lathlean MC & Bar, OC C Coy; Corporal (Cpl) H. Randall; Cpl L. Whittaker; Pte Yarrow; Lance Corporal J. Mitchell; Pte J. Thraves. At left, foreground, is "Chick" the mascot of the Battalion transport section presented by a Flemish woman in January 1917 at Pont De Nieppe. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C04112/


Group portrait of an allied Prisoner of War (POW) football team, possibly at Dulmen POW camp, Germany. The team consists of five Australians, two Canadians, four Englishmen and two Frenchmen. In the background are two Russians and one Italian. Identified standing in the back row of the group, second from the left (and marked with an x) is 3388 Private (Pte) Frederick William Nichols, 3rd Battalion, from Junee, NSW, who enlisted on 29 June 1915 at the age of 18 and embarked for overseas on 2 November 1915 aboard HMAT Euripides. Identified standing in the back row fourth from the left (and marked with an x) is 3288 Pte Thomas Harrison Dobson, 1st Battalion, from Auburn, NSW, who enlisted on 18 July 1915 at the age of 21 and embarked for overseas on 5 October 1915 aboard HMAT Themistocles. Identified kneeling in the centre row (and marked with an x) is 3467 Pte Herbert Alfred Wilkins, 3rd Battalion, from Howlong, NSW, who enlisted on 20 July 1915 at the age of 24 and embarked for overseas on 2 November 1915 aboard HMAS Euripides. Identified sitting in the front row on the far left is 4151 Pte John Joseph Costello, 54th Battalion, from Sydney, NSW, who enlisted on 20 August 1915 at the age of 23 and embarked for overseas with the 2nd Battalion on 20 December 1915 aboard HMAT Aeneas. Identified sitting in the front row, second from the left is 3112 Pte Stephen Soper, 53rd Battalion, from Sydney, NSW, who enlisted on 8 July 1915 at the age of 21 and embarked for overseas on 8 October 1915 aboard HMAT Warilda. All of the five Australians were captured at Fleurbaix, France, on 20 July 1916 and held as POWs in Germany until repatriated to England on 29 November 1918. They all arrived back in Australia the following year. The postcard was sent to the Australian Red Cross in London by 4512 Pte Percy Arthur Haslam, 54th Battalion, from Newcastle, NSW, who enlisted on 28 July 1915 at the age of 24 and embarked for overseas with the 13th Battalion on 16 February 1916 aboard HMAT Ballarat. He was captured at Laventie, France, on 20 July 1916 and held as a POW in Germany. On 14 October 1917, he wrote from the POW camp at Dulmen "The advice of the despatch of the Boxing Gloves was hailed with delight by the boys. Would you send a couple of packets of playing cards and a few parlour games to help pass the time during the winter nights. The football which has provided such good sport for us will soon have to be put aside for milder weather conditions as the winter is very severe." Pte Haslam was repatriated to England on 5 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 29 February 1920. One of a series of over 400 photographs sent by Australian POWs in German camps to Miss M. E. Chomley, Secretary, Prisoners Department, Australian-British Red Cross Society, London. Original album housed in AWM Research Centre at RC00864, Album image number 348. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P03236.289/


Outdoor portrait of Prisoners of War (POW) and their German guard at POW camp Munster 3, Germany. The POW sitting in the centre is holding a football inscribed "432 F.C. 1918" and the two sitting in front are holding a dog and a rabbit, probably mascots. Identified standing in back row, second from right is 3219 Private (Pte) Raymond Edward Stevens, 54th Battalion, from Bega, NSW who enlisted at the age of 21 on 2 August 1915 and embarked for overseas on 20 November 1915 aboard HMAT Suevic. He was captured at Fleurbaix, France on 20 July 1916 and held as a POW until repatriated to England on 14 December 1918. Pte Stevens arrived back in Australia on 4 March 1919. Identified standing in back row on far right is 3536 Pte Charles Joseph McCue, 53rd Battalion, from Manly, NSW who enlisted at the age of 20 on 18 August 1915 and embarked for overseas on 2 November 1915 aboard HMAT Euripides. He was captured at Fleurbaix, France on 20 July 1916 and interned at various German POW camps. He was repatriated to England on 14 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 26 March 1919. He re-enlisted in the Army in the Second World War and served from 13 December 1939 to 29 September 1943. Identified sitting in second row, second from right is 3067 Private (Pte) James McCullock Galloway, 55th Battalion, from Balmain, NSW who enlisted at the age of 20 on 4 August 1915 and embarked for overseas on 20 December 1915 aboard HMAT Suevic. He was captured on 20 July 1916 during the fighting around Fromelles on the Somme, France. He was held in German POW camps until he was repatriated to England in December 1918. Pte Galloway embarked to return to Australia on 2 March 1919. Identified sitting in second row on far right is 3339 Pte John Francis Killalea, 53rd Battalion, from Surry Hills, NSW who enlisted at the age of 43 on 15 August 1915 and embarked for overseas on 2 November 1915 aboard HMAT Euripides. He was captured at Fleurbaix, France on 20 July 1916 and held as a POW in Germany. Pte Killalea was repatriated to England on 14 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 26 March 1919. Identified sitting in front row, holding the rabbit, is 3563 Private (Pte) Herbert George Lohmann, 54th Battalion from Balmain, NSW who enlisted on 2 November 1915 and embarked for overseas on 12 December 1915 aboard HMAT Berrima. He was captured at Laventie, France, on 20 July 1916 and was interned in at least two POW camps in Germany. He was repatriated to England on 14 December 1918 and arrived back in Australia on 26 March 1919. One of a series of over 400 photographs sent by Australian POWs in German camps to Miss M. E. Chomley, Secretary, Prisoners Department, Australian-British Red Cross Society, London. Original album housed in AWM Research Centre at RC00864, Album image number 194. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P03236.164/


An outdoors group portrait of unidentified members of the 1st grade soccer team of the 9th Battalion and an unidentified officer, on a playing field. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E04227/


Outdoor group portrait of members of the Scottish-born soccer team on the occasion of a match between Scottish and English-born players at Fremantle, 1914. The Scottish team, dressed in the Caledonian Soccer Club strip, won the game, one goal to nil. Identified in this photograph are players from the Caledonian Soccer Club who later served in the AIF. Back row standing are: third from left, 421 Private (Pte) James Durward, 11th Battalion, D Company; fifth from left, 28654 Gunner (Gnr) Alexander Marr, 10 Field Artillery Brigade; seventh from left, 25977 Driver (Dr) Robert Brodie Dewar, 3 Divisional Ammunition Column, 2nd Reinforcements. Middle row, seated, are: far left, 2705 Pte James Simpson, 16th Battalion, 8th Reinforcements. Pte Durward (later Sergeant), Gnr Marr and Dr Dewar all returned to Australia following the war. Pte Simpson, who was transferred to the 48th Battalion in March 1916, was killed in action near Pozieres on 7 August 1916. Pte Simpson has no known grave; his name is recorded on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, France. This photograph also appeared in the Western Mail, Friday 1 May 1914, and is part of a collection of eight photographs relating to the Caledonian Soccer Club, Fremantle, WA. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P08210.008/

Group portrait of the soccer team representing the crew of HMAS Sydney. Two of the men have tattoos on their forearms. On the far right of the back row is an unidentified midshipman. HMAS Sydney was at the southern naval base of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet, near the Forth of Firth, Scotland, during a break from patrols of the North Sea with the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/EN0334/




2 comments:

  1. Great article as always. But you state at the top "substantial number photographs of interned German and Italian players in Australia." I don't think Italians would have been interned as Italy was on the same side of the Allies in WW1

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    1. You are right of course Guido. I wonder what on earth I was thinking.

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