Melbourne and Richmond’s wartime heritage is significant.
And, it is for this reason, that the two clubs will pay tribute to their shared wartime history at the MCG on April 24, in their first Anzac Day eve night match.
It will be just the third time the two clubs have met on Anzac Day eve – although their previous two meetings occurred during the day back in 1915 and 1937.
Tragically, 35 men who played for Melbourne or Richmond, died from active service – either from World War I or World War II.
During the Second World War, the two clubs met in the 1940 Grand Final, which Melbourne won. It remains their only meeting in a Grand Final.
Tickets are available for this Friday’s Anzac Day eve match, via Ticketek
Melbourne shared Punt Road Oval as its home ground during WW2 – considered an act of generosity by Richmond – until late in the 1946 season, due to the MCG being occupied by the armed forces. In 1944, Melbourne contributed to Richmond’s prisoner of war fund.
All of Melbourne’s key best and fairest trophies are named after players lost due to war. The most famous is Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott, a dual Melbourne premiership player, who played in 1939-40. He was also one of Australia’s best-known flying aces during World War II.
The VFL awarded premiership medals posthumously to Truscott, Ron Barassi Snr and Harold Ball, as it was considered that they would have certainly played in the 1941 Grand Final.
Melbourne lost players in many of the key Australian wartime battles, including Joe Pearce in Anzac Cove, Barassi Snr in Tobruk, Syd Anderson in the Pacific and Ball in the fall of Singapore.
Richmond’s Bill Cosgrove is the uncle of Sir Peter Cosgrove, AK MC (Retd) who served as Chief of the Australian Defence Force. Cosgrove’s 1940 season was cut short by war service. In fact, six of Richmond’s 1940 Grand Final side served Australia in the war. In 1943 – just six weeks before Richmond’s premiership – Cosgrove was shot down and killed in action over New Guinea.
PLAYERS FROM BOTH CLUBS KILLED IN ACTION
Melbourne (30)
World War I: Jim Bonelli, Cliff Burge, Jack Doubleday, Bill Fischer, Albert Gourlay, Mal Kennedy, Frank Lugton, Jim Mackie, Bill Maxwell, Fen McDonald, Alick Ogilvie, Joe Pearce, Joe Rankin, Harold Rippon, Percy Rodriguez, Bobby Royle, Alf Williamson.
World War II: Syd L. Anderson, Jack Atkins, Harold Ball, Ron J.Barassi, Laurie Brady, Noel Ellis, Clyde Helmer, Derek Mollison, Ted Regan, Beres Reilly, Archie Roberts, Keith Truscott, Barney Wood.
Richmond (5)
World War I: Artie Harrison, Les Lee, Bill Nolan.
World War II: Bill Cosgrove, Bill Garvie.
