Almost 300 St Kilda listed players fought for their country during World War | and World War ||, with 21 of those soldiers paying the ultimate sacrifice.
Among the fallen heroes was Harold Parker.
Harold Parker was recruited to St Kilda from the Essendon District Football League at the age of 18.
He played his first senior VFL match against Collingwood, at Victoria Park on 17 June 1911.
Just 15 days after his 23rd birthday, Harold was enlisted to fight for Australia. Prior to his enlistment, he had three and a half years of experience in the Citizen's Military Force.
Harold was promoted to Second Lieutenant on 21 February 1916 and was involved in military combat for little over three months before being struck in the groin by German machine gun fire.
He was too badly wounded to be carried out of the shell hole he was in, and when the stretcher party came to retrieve him they were shot down.
By the time a patrol party came to save him, he was gone.
Harold had been captured by the Germans.
Sadly, Harold died from his wounds in the German hospital he was placed in the next day.
To celebrate Harold and the other men who bravely put their lives on the line for the women and children back home, there will be an ANZAC Day match between Avondale Heights Football Club and Aberfeldie Football Club.
The game will be held at Avondale Heights at 2.15pm on April 25, featuring Xavier Clarke; a former St Kilda listed player and brother of current player Raphael Clarke.
The inaugural Johnson Parker Medal will be awarded in 2nd Lieutenant Parker’s honour, as well as in the memory of fellow Essendon fallen war hero, Leslie Johnson.
It will be awarded to the player who best exemplifies the soldiers’ attributes: Skill, Courage, Self-Sacrifice, Teamwork and Fair Play.
When: 25 April, 2012
Where: Canning Street, Avondale Heights.
Time: 2:15pm
Below is a list of the men who fought for our country
*denotes those who lost their lives in action.
Michael Henry "Mick" | ANTHONY |
Vincent Lionel | ARTHUR |
George Bertram | ATKINS |
Robert James | AUBREY |
Horace Powell | BANNISTER |
Clyde Victor | BEATTIE |
Henry Arnold | BEITZEL |
Alfred William Paul | BELL* |
Peter John | BENNETT |
Brendon Doyle | BERMINGHAM |
Oswald Milne "Ossie" | BERTRAM |
Reginald James | BERRY |
Arthur Fitzroy | BEST |
Stanley Edward | BRADY |
William Albert Egerton | BRAGG |
Horace Horton | BRAIN |
Henry Arthur | BRAY |
John Denis | BRAY |
Edward Valentine"Ted" | BROWN |
Gordon James | BRUNNEN |
Kenneth William | BRYANT |
Allan William | BUCHANAN |
Edward Clarence | BULMER |
Martyn Arnold | BUNTINE |
Leslie Thomas Cecil | BURNS |
Frederick John | BURTON |
Patrick Thomas | CAHILL |
Arthur Edward | CALDWELL* |
Thomas James "Jim" | CALVERT |
Walter Pullar | CAMERON |
Leslie John Patience | CARBARNS |
William James | CARMODY |
Charles Oliver "Barney" | CARR |
George William Frank | CHAPMAN |
Percy Theodore | CHEFFERS |
Leslie Allan"Peter" | CHITTY BEM |
William Charles | CLARK |
Edward Augustus "Ansell" | CLARKE |
Jack Louis | CLIFF |
Clive Leslie | COLES |
William Henry James"Harry" | COMTE* |
Mathew Joseph | CONNIFF |
Alfred James Ernest | COPSEY |
Leo James | CORBETT |
Vernon John Gordon | COUTTIE |
Edward Francis | CRANAGE |
John Matthew | CRENNAN |
Claude Terrell | CROWL* |
William Tennyson | CUBBINS |
Harry Vivian Bentinck"Vic" | CUMBERLAND |
Patrick Edmond | CUNNINGHAM |
Robert William | CURTAYNE |
Alwyn John | DAVIES |
John Alfred "Jack" | DAVIS |
Robert James | DAWSON |
Alfred Maurice | DE ARUGO |
Reginald"Rex" | De GARIS |
Claude Sydney William | DENMAN |
David George | DICK |
Murray Richard | DIMBLE |
Robert William | DONALD |
Eric | DONALDSON |
James Francis | DOOLAN |
William Sheppard | DOWNIE* |
John Joseph | DRINAN |
Keith Francis James | DRINAN |
John Kevin | DUFFY MM |
Henry McLeod Black "Harry" | DUIGAN |
George William Henry | DUNSTAN |
William David | DYER |
Gilbert Henry | EBBOTT |
Percy | ELLIN |
Reginald Newnham | ELLIS |
Ronald Herbert | ELLIS |
Michael Edward | ENGLISH |
James | FARNAN* |
Edward Edgar | FISHER MSM |
James Albert | FITZGERALD |
Robert Barnes "Bob' | FLEGG* |
Robert Hector | FLETT |
William Morris Musson | FLINTOFT |
Thomas Bernard | FOGARTY |
Leslie Roy | FOOTE |
Charles Melbourne " Jim" | FORBES |
Walter Roy | FOUNTAIN |
Thomas Edward | GALE |
Joseph Henry | GARBUTT |
Louis John | GATTI |
Gordon Nesbit | GEDDES |
Eric Audley | GORDON |
Victor Bass Forsyth | GORDON |
Martin Bruce | GOTZ |
Raymond William | GRACIE |
Norman James | GRAVELL |
Frederick John | GREEN |
Allan John | GREENSHIELDS |
David | GRIFFITHS |
William Morgan | GRIFFITHS |
Haslett Hawksworth " Housie" | GROUNDS |
Walter | GUNNYON |
George Victor | HAINES (HEINTZ) |
Thomas Joseph | HALLAHAN |
Norman Crawford | HALLETT |
Robert Arthur | HANCOCK |
Leslie Arthur | HANDLEY |
Arthur Howie | HART |
Aubrey Hubert | HART |
Patrick | HARNETT |
William Augustus" Gus" | HEFTER |
Stanley Leonard Russell | HEPBURN |
Albert Ernest | HERMAN |
Keith Edward Garnet | HERON |
Marcel | HILSZ |
Clarence Melville | HINDSON |
Marcus George | HINES |
Allan Thomas | HIRD |
Vincent James | HOGAN |
Louis Gordon | HOLMES* |
Donald James | HOOPER |
Albert Jeffery | HOSKING |
Henry John | HOUSE |
Albert Victor" Gus" | HOWELL |
Ross William "Bill" | HUDSON* |
Leslie William | HUGHSON |
Roy Louis | HUGO |
Alan Cavendish | IRWIN |
Carlyle Thornton"Tom" | JONES |
Percival James Hector | JORY |
Francis James John | KELLY |
John Frederick | KELLY |
Henry Charles | KERLEY |
Robert John "Alan" | KILLIGREW |
Stuart Patrick | KING* |
Harry Melville | LAKIN |
Arthur Roy | LEECH |
Max Raymond | LESLIE |
Eric Richard | LITTLE |
Otto Bernard | LOWENSTERN* |
William John | LOWRIE MM |
Norris James"Jim" | LUNDBERG |
Roderick John "Jim" | MacBETH |
Aubrey Duckworth | MacKENZIE |
Kenneth Lawrence | MACKIE |
William Charles | MADDEN* |
Harold Albert | MANSON |
Graham Henry | MARCH |
Leslie Alan | MASKELL |
William Henry "Harry" | MATHESON |
Thomas James"Jimmy" | MATTHEWS |
Malcolm John | McBEAN |
Edward Joseph | McCARTHY |
John | McCOY |
George Alexander | McDONALD |
Donald Windsor | McGRATH |
Patrick | McGUINNESS* |
Robert John | McINTOSH |
Ernest John | McINTYRE |
Denis Joseph | McKEY |
Allan Robert Charles | McLEAN |
Maurice | McLEISH |
Ronald William | McLEOD |
John Patrick | MEEHAN |
Leslie John | MEEK |
John McDermott Loxton"Jock" | MENZIES |
Edward George | MILLAR |
George Leslie | MILLARD |
Keith Ross | MILLER |
Algernon Edward"Algy" | MILLHOUSE |
Wallace Hickford | MILLS* |
James William | MILNE |
Norman Frederick | MITCHELL |
Duncan Cameron "Dinny" | MOODIE |
Samuel Allan | MORTIMER |
Harold Milne | MOYES |
Crofton Robert "Ron" | MUDGE |
Henry George Gordon | MYERS |
Victor Andrew | NANKERVIS |
James Basil John | NEHILL |
Albert Edward | OATWAY |
Terrance Brian | O'BRIEN |
Stanley James | OBST |
Herbert Dean"Bert" | O'CONNELL* |
Brendon Bernard | O'DONNELL |
Kevin | O'DONNELL |
Albert Edward | OFFICER |
Michael Joseph | O'GORMAN (MINAHAN) |
Alan Charles | OLLE |
Percy Dwight | OUTRAM |
George Andrew | PARKER |
Harold Carlyle | PARKER* |
William George | PATTERSON |
James Alexander "Alec" | PEAK |
Raymond "Joey" | PEARCE |
Alan Henry | PEEL |
Frederick Harold | PEMBERTON |
Richard George | PENNICOTT |
Reginald Lochiel | PETERSON |
Kenneth Martin | PHELAN |
Leonard Vincent | PHILLIPS |
Hugh McDonald | PLOWMAN* |
Laurence | POLINELLI |
Hughes Davies | PRICE |
Frank John Frederick | QUINN |
Vincent Trevor | RANSON |
Douglas Herbert | RAYMENT |
Lancelot Robert | REGNIER |
Beresford Stanley | REILLY* |
Arthur | RETELL |
Eric Walter | RICHARDSON |
Clifford David | RILEY |
Clarence Hector | RIORDAN |
Clarence Richard | ROBERTS |
William Charles | ROBERTS MM & Croix de Guerre |
Arthur James | ROBERTSON |
Frank George | ROBERTSON |
Ralph | ROBERTSON* |
Jack Edgcombe | ROGERS |
Kevin Stanley | ROHLEDER |
Arthur Middleton | ROSE |
Keith John | ROSEWARNE |
Raymond Robert | ROSS |
Emmett Francis"Ted" | RYAN |
George James | SANDFORD |
William Maynard | SARLL |
Albert George | SAWLEY |
Joseph Lindley | SCALES DSO MM |
Harold Murray | SCHEDLICH |
Louis William | SCHMIDT |
Alan Gordon Forcett | SCOTT |
Alan Keith | SCOTT |
Daniel | SCULLION MM |
Harold Ernest | SELLARS |
William Henry | SHARP |
James Joseph | SHEEHAN |
Stephen John | SHEEHAN |
John Robert | SHELLEY |
John Thomas " Jack" | SHELTON* |
Peter Seaton | SHERMAN |
Alan John Joseph "Jack" | SMITH |
John Rowland "Rowley" | SMITH |
Laird Morton | SMITH |
Thomas William | SOUTAR |
James Gordon Harvey | SPRIGG |
Alan Keith | STEVENS |
Donald Laidlaw | STEWART |
William Alexander "Billy" | STEWART |
Keith Wellwood | STOREY |
Henry Colin | STRANG |
Alan Bishop | STRETTON MBE CBE |
Clarence Archibald | SULLIVAN |
Eugene Alphonsus "Gene" | SULLIVAN |
Joseph William "Tom" | SUTHERLAND |
William Edward | TALBOT |
David Frederick "Fred" | TAYLOR |
Edward Richard | TERRY |
Reginald Joseph Bowerman | THOMPSON |
Robert | THOMS |
Francis Stanley "Stan" | TORMEY |
Frank Eustace | TURNER |
Alec Ingleby | VARY |
Henry Edward "Harry" | VERDON |
John Preston"Jack" | WALKER* |
Alexander Henderson "Alec" | WALLACE MC |
Eric Robert | WARD |
Daniel James | WARR |
Russell Henry | WATSON |
John Watherston | WATT |
Neville James | WAY |
Geoffery Howard | WEBER |
William George | WELLS |
Frederick David | WHELPTON |
George Michael | WHITE |
Henry | WHITE |
John George | WHITE |
James Leslie "Les" | WHITE |
Jack Francis | WHITEHEAD |
Robert Laurence | WILKIE |
Darrell | WILKINS |
Reginald Clarke | WILKS |
Ronald Clive | WILLIAMS |
Edward James "Jim" | WILLIAMSON |
Leslie Patrick | WILLIS |
George Patterson | WILSON |
