Bill Roberts (footballer, born 1910)

Bill Roberts
Personal information
Full name William Henry Roberts
Date of birth (1910-07-22)22 July 1910
Place of birth Nhill, Victoria
Date of death 8 December 1973(1973-12-08) (aged 63)
Place of death Seville, Victoria
Original team(s) Nhill
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1931, 1933 Essendon 12 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1933.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

William Henry Roberts (22 July 1910 – 8 December 1973) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]

Family

The son of Charles George Roberts (1881–1961), and Ellen Louisa Roberts (1884–1972), née Harris, William Henry Roberts was born at Nhill, Victoria on 22 July 1910.

He married Gwen Molloy (1919-2004) in 1937.

Football

Recruited from the Nhill Football Club in 1931.[2]

Essendon (VFL)

He played for the First XVIII in six consecutive home-and-away games in 1931,[3][4] and in 3 consecutive home-and-away games in 1933.[5]

Horsham (WFL)

In 1946 he was appointed non-playing coach of the Horsham Football Club in the Wimmera Football League.[6]

Military service

Roberts served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II.[7]

Death

He died at Seville, Victoria on 8 December 1973.[8]

Notes

  1. ^ Holmesby & Main (20140, p.754.
  2. ^ Nhill Players for Essendon, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 27 September 1930), p.74.
  3. ^ Football: Essendon v. Collingwood, The Argus, (Friday, 10 July 1931), p.11.
  4. ^ Collingwood Defeated: Outplayed in Second Quarter, The Argus, (Monday, 13 June 1931), p.11.
  5. ^ "It was evident throughout 1933 that a number of [Essendon's] players were not living up to [the Club's] expectations. Thirty-seven players were tried during the year in a vain endeavour to lift the side." (Maplestone, 1996, p.119). Roberts did not play in either of the only two matches that Essendon won in the 18-game 1933 home-and-away season.
  6. ^ Horsham Appoints Non-Playing Coach: Bill Roberts Accepts Position, The Horsham Times, (Tuesday, 19 March 1946), p.4.
  7. ^ Nominal Roll.
  8. ^ Deaths: Roberts, The Age, (Monday, 10 December 1973), p.18.

References

  • World War Two Nominal Roll: Aircraftman 1 William Henry Roberts (53856), Department of Veterans' Affairs.
  • A9301, 53856: World War Two Service Record: Aircraftman 1 William Henry Roberts (53856), National Archives of Australia.
  • Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  • Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8


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