Research Missing DOD or DOB for League players (AFL)

[Gibbsy]

View attachment 1911138
That^ looks like J. C. Solomon.
View attachment 1911153

And this looks like him (from the pennant cricket records)!:
View attachment 1911151

View attachment 1911150

View attachment 1911156

View attachment 1911157
View attachment 1911158

Eureka! The good old name change. I am not one to speculate why it happened. I'm just glad he lived a great life – judging by the tombstone!

Great find. Would never have thought to go scouring the cricket records. I'm impressed they have such a detailed database online, too. Very helpful in this case!

We're really motoring through here the last few days; nice to bring some closure to these stories.

 

[rbartlett]

Eureka! The good old name change. I am not one to speculate why it happened. I'm just glad he lived a great life – judging by the tombstone!

Great find. Would never have thought to go scouring the cricket records. I'm impressed they have such a detailed database online, too. Very helpful in this case!

We're really motoring through here the last few days; nice to bring some closure to these stories.

devils advocate - just post a summary paragraph so we know what the final change is for us/Rodgers

 

[Gibbsy]

Now, Jim Smith. Seemingly the only name on Rodgers' old list of missing DODs that didn't seem to be researched at all on this board.

First, I double checked some articles from 1906 to make sure his origin story was correct.






From Geelong, a Marylebone junior – that all lines up. It made matching his birth record a piece of cake.



Given how common of a name Smith is, I took a different turn in using the given names of his mother and father to try and narrow it down. I couldn't find anything initially in Vic BDM, although I must admit it was a cursory glance as every set of 20 years was turning up around 60 new names each time.

I start to think this guy on Ancestry could be our man. There are matches for the given name and surname, birth year, location (presuming he lived in Geelong essentially all his life), and given name of the mother. The father's name is a bit of a doozy considering Lauren is generally a female name.



But I think I've reached a dead end here with the Vic BDM death record. The father's name is actually Laurence, which definitely doesn't match up, and the place of birth as Melbourne compared to Geelong also doesn't augur well.



Back to square... two.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

You guys are in career best form here.

Is it the coffee?

 

[Gibbsy]

devils advocate - just post a summary paragraph so we know what the final change is for us/Rodgers

How recent do you need it from in terms of what changes have been recorded? Just the last week or so, or longer?

 

[Bandit55]

Is this his permit - as B Griffith, without the s on the endView attachment 1911104

Looks like permit to Oakleigh in 1953 but still no full name or middle initial
(though permit has typo of his first name initial D)
View attachment 1911116View attachment 1911115



This 1953 article says he was 22 years of age - which would put his DOB ~1931 , which is different to what wiki has which is 1929
View attachment 1911122



In 1954 he left Oakleigh to Albury.
It says he is 24 years old 1954 which makes his dob ~1930, which is still different to his wiki 1929 dob. Still no middle name
Certainly played a couple of games in Albury in 1954 and then in 1955 (did he move up there for that I wonder Gibbsy or 35Daicos because if so, he might be in an electoral roll of Albury around 1954-55)

Playing two seasons at least with Albury - perhaps their historian (if they have one) may be aware of if he is still alive, and what is full name is
View attachment 1911127


Now, I may be really jumping the gun here - but is this the same Barry Griffiths in 1959 for Acton Football Club.View attachment 1911139View attachment 1911140

Good chance that it's him. AF refers to Barry Griffiths of the Acton Football Club.as an accomplished player:


Australian Football - Acton Football Club - Stats

 

[35Daicos]

Eureka! The good old name change. I am not one to speculate why it happened. I'm just glad he lived a great life – judging by the tombstone!

Great find. Would never have thought to go scouring the cricket records. I'm impressed they have such a detailed database online, too. Very helpful in this case!

We're really motoring through here the last few days; nice to bring some closure to these stories.

There's a photo of him here:- The playboy, Jonathon Crawford, Melbourne dress designer and publican of the Pacific Hotel, Lorne, Victoria, ca. 1972 [picture]

He seems to have been quite well known as a fashion designer.

 

[Gibbsy]

You guys are in career best form here.

Is it the coffee?

Well, I did an order an extra shot this morning, but I think it may have worn off 15 hours later

 

[rbartlett]

How recent do you need it from in terms of what changes have been recorded? Just the last week or so, or longer?

Any changes that this board agrees on will need a separate post explaining the summary. It's easier to Rodgers to then just search for it, and then work his back from then.

Ideally from the last 6 months or so I think we began implementing it

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Well, I did an order an extra shot this morning, but I think it may have worn off 15 hours later

Hahaha.

It certainly gave you fuel and you were in cruise control.

 

[Gibbsy]

View attachment 1911138
That^ looks like J. C. Solomon.
View attachment 1911153

And this looks like him (from the pennant cricket records)!:
View attachment 1911151

View attachment 1911150

View attachment 1911156

View attachment 1911157
View attachment 1911158

Summary: John/Jack Solomon (Jonathan Crawford Solomon) died 14 July 2011. In 1955 he changed his surname to Crawford.

In case we needed any further proof on this one (which we didn't!), this obituary explicitly lists him as "A St Kilda footballer, MCC cricketer, Kooyong tennis regular, terrible driver and bachelor uncle with the Crawford Pacific Hotel at Lady Lorne".

 

[Bandit55]

Now, Jim Smith. Seemingly the only name on Rodgers' old list of missing DODs that didn't seem to be researched at all on this board.

First, I double checked some articles from 1906 to make sure his origin story was correct.

View attachment 1911161


View attachment 1911162

From Geelong, a Marylebone junior – that all lines up. It made matching his birth record a piece of cake.

View attachment 1911163

Given how common of a name Smith is, I took a different turn in using the given names of his mother and father to try and narrow it down. I couldn't find anything initially in Vic BDM, although I must admit it was a cursory glance as every set of 20 years was turning up around 60 new names each time.

I start to think this guy on Ancestry could be our man. There are matches for the given name and surname, birth year, location (presuming he lived in Geelong essentially all his life), and given name of the mother. The father's name is a bit of a doozy considering Lauren is generally a female name.

View attachment 1911164

But I think I've reached a dead end here with the Vic BDM death record. The father's name is actually Laurence, which definitely doesn't match up, and the place of birth as Melbourne compared to Geelong also doesn't augur well.

View attachment 1911165

Back to square... two.

I've looked into him and came to a dead end around WWI.

He returned to the Geelong Junior Association in 1907 and possibly played until 1919 or later it looks like Marylebone more or less became East Geelong:

29 Apr 1907 - CORIO v. EAST GEELONG. - Trove (nla.gov.au)

Trialled at Geelong VFL 1909:

GEELONG. - The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954) - 16 Apr 1909

Captain of East Geelong 1910:

14 Oct 1910 - GEELONG AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION. - Trove (nla.gov.au)

East Geelong Committee 1913

FOOTBALL. - EAST GEELONG F.O. - Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1929) - 18 Mar 1913

1919 J Smith resigned as captain of East Geelong (would have been 32 years old if him):

NORTH BEATS BARWON. - Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1929) - 13 Sep 1920

There is a J Smith getting a clearance from East Geelong to Eastern District in 1923:

ATHLETIC SOCIETIES LEAGUE. - Geelong Advertiser (Vic. : 1859 - 1929) - 14 Jul 1923

 

[35Daicos]

In case we needed any further proof on this one (which we didn't!), this obituary explicitly lists him as "A St Kilda footballer, MCC cricketer, Kooyong tennis regular, terrible driver and bachelor uncle with the Crawford Pacific Hotel at Lady Lorne".

Yep, I had already added that to my post just up the page a bit!

 

[Gibbsy]

Tidying up a list of recent deaths. I reckon John Bingley's accepted birth date is out by a year.

His funeral listing has it at 1940, and so does the death notice placed by the funeral home.






The family-placed death notice didn't list a birth date. I think it's hard to argue with the above... thoughts?

 

[35Daicos]

Working through more of the 'new' names on the possibly living list; researching Barry Griffiths. We don't have a full name at this point. Some searching of Trove in the earliest references of him (pre-1950 while he was trialling for Hawthorn) reveal that he was from Ashburton and played for Eastern Suburban Churches.

View attachment 1911053

Is this his permit - as B Griffith, without the s on the endView attachment 1911104

Looks like permit to Oakleigh in 1953 but still no full name or middle initial
(though permit has typo of his first name initial D)
View attachment 1911116View attachment 1911115



This 1953 article says he was 22 years of age - which would put his DOB ~1931 , which is different to what wiki has which is 1929
View attachment 1911122



In 1954 he left Oakleigh to Albury.
It says he is 24 years old 1954 which makes his dob ~1930, which is still different to his wiki 1929 dob. Still no middle name
Certainly played a couple of games in Albury in 1954 and then in 1955 (did he move up there for that I wonder Gibbsy or 35Daicos because if so, he might be in an electoral roll of Albury around 1954-55)

Playing two seasons at least with Albury - perhaps their historian (if they have one) may be aware of if he is still alive, and what is full name is
View attachment 1911127


Now, I may be really jumping the gun here - but is this the same Barry Griffiths in 1959 for Acton Football Club.View attachment 1911139View attachment 1911140

View attachment 1911054

I couldn't find a transfer listing to scope out middle name / initials, so I thought I'd have a poke through the electoral rolls on Ancestry and see what was the best lead.

From the below, I'm pretty confident that Barry Joseph Griffiths is our man. He certainly moved around a bit, but it all seems to match up with originating in Ashburton. His 1963 residence in Oakleigh is only 5km away, and his 1967 residence in Syndal only 7km away. He then moves to South Barwon near Geelong by 1972, a little further north to Highton in 1977 (not seen in this image) and moves further south-east by 1980 where he was living in Drysdale.

View attachment 1911055

As Ryerson hasn't turned up anything for Barry Joseph Griffiths, I'm inclined to believe he is still with us.

I think Barry McIntosh Griffiths is a big chance to be the Hawthorn player. He was living in the right sort of area back then (at Glen Iris, with his family), and most importantly was at Albury (with his wife Kathleen Alice) a few years later:

 

[Oliver G]

Thanks mate.

I've actually just seen that Australian Football has a DOB (15 June 1913) and DOD (28 September 1984) for Jim McDonald, which lines up with the research notes I have in the table.

Which is great! Another one ticked off! I'm not sure if I simply missed that or it was discovered by Oliver G through other means, as it hasn't been synthesised on Wikipedia yet.

As he's a one-game player, there is a good chance it was discovered by Andrew Gigacz while researching his upcoming book "The One And Only — Stories of V/AFL players whose first game was their last".

I'll make a note to check his records to see if he's uncovered any changes with other 1 game players the next time I see him.

 

[WhiteHartLane23]

Thanks mate.

I've actually just seen that Australian Football has a DOB (15 June 1913) and DOD (28 September 1984) for Jim McDonald, which lines up with the research notes I have in the table.

Which is great! Another one ticked off! I'm not sure if I simply missed that or it was discovered by Oliver G through other means, as it hasn't been synthesised on Wikipedia yet.

Supermercado - Demonwiki has incorrect DOB for Jim McDonald - accurate details for the player are those on australianfootball.com

 

[Gibbsy]

As he's a one-game player, there is a good chance it was discovered by Andrew Gigacz while researching his upcoming book "The One And Only — Stories of V/AFL players whose first game was their last".

I'll make a note to check his records to see if he's uncovered any changes with other 1 game players the next time I see him.

Can you tell him there's at least one person who has been patiently waiting to buy a copy as soon as it comes out! I was hoping it hadn't been canned. Of the excerpts I've read so far, it's been wonderfully illuminating

 

[Gibbsy]

Any changes that this board agrees on will need a separate post explaining the summary. It's easier to Rodgers to then just search for it, and then work his back from then.

Ideally from the last 6 months or so I think we began implementing it

Sure thing. I've gone back about a year or so; better to be safe than sorry. I was making note of the missed 2023 deaths as well, but I think WhiteHartLane23 had already submitted them to Rodgers of his own accord.

Note that I have included both DOD and DOB here as occasionally there have been updates to both. I haven't included half-completed ones where we have new birth years but not exact dates. Only the fully ticked off cases.

• Keith Patrick Thomas McNaughton - DOB 20 August 1921, DOD 1 June 2000
• George Arthur Allen - DOB 20 April 1928, DOD 20 October 1995
• John Martin Coghlan - DOB 27 November 1946, DOD 21 November 2016
• Adam Sinclair Inglis - DOB 14 July 1929, DOD 21 July 2023
• Gerald Leslie Brennan - DOB 26 June 1938, DOD 19 December 2022
• Malcolm John "Mal" Smith - DOB 5 February 1934, DOD 19 August 2006
• Mauro Paul Robert "Bob" Svonirich - DOB 14 April 1950, DOD 27 May 2021
• Richard Henry "Dick" Jones - DOB 5 June 1926, DOD 16 January 2013
• William Frederick "Billy" Green - DOB 1 January 1910, DOD 28 March 1995
• Tommy Ryan [born Thomas Herbert Arrowsmith] - DOB 12 August 1873, DOD 29 August 1948
• William Francis Roy "Billy" Leahy - DOB 7 March 1911, DOD 3 March 1978
• Raymond Leslie "Ray" Jones - DOB 17 February 1924, DOD 1 October 2007
• James William "Jim" McDonald - DOB 24 June 1916, DOD 28 September 1984
• Jonathan "Jack" Crawford Solomon - DOB 15 June 1928, DOD 14 July 2011
• John Alfred Bingley - DOB 10 November 1940, DOD 14 January 2024

 

[Oliver G]

Can you tell him there's at least one person who has been patiently waiting to buy a copy as soon as it comes out! I was hoping it hadn't been canned. Of the excerpts I've read so far, it's been wonderfully illuminating

Will do, it's still very much in the pipeline as he often tells me something new he's uncovered about one of the players but the project has taken a bit of a backseat due to work commitments with other books.

 

[the croucher]

As he's a one-game player, there is a good chance it was discovered by Andrew Gigacz while researching his upcoming book "The One And Only — Stories of V/AFL players whose first game was their last".

I'll make a note to check his records to see if he's uncovered any changes with other 1 game players the next time I see him.

Just an aside to make sure he is up to date with all the research of recent years...
There are a fair number of those "one game" players" who never made it onto the field at all.

In April it'll be 10 years since Jon Ralph wrote an inaccurate story about Andy Demetriou (South Melbourne) being the only one !
I've tried a number of times to get him, or the Herald Sun sports editors, to publish an update, but no luck so far.

 

[rbartlett]

Tidying up a list of recent deaths. I reckon John Bingley's accepted birth date is out by a year.

His funeral listing has it at 1940, and so does the death notice placed by the funeral home.

View attachment 1911207

View attachment 1911208


The family-placed death notice didn't list a birth date. I think it's hard to argue with the above... thoughts?

Summary: John Bingley's dob is now 10 November 1940

 

[Gibbsy]

Updated list with our new finds at the bottom. I don't plan on updating this daily, but while we are working through them at such pace (and I have the enthusiam!) I thought it best to keep it fairly tidy.

I'm also going to split out the possibly living players from the confirmed dead and missing DOD players, especially once I expand the possibly living list to include those born 90+ years ago per Wikipedia policy.

Final thing I've done is try and compact the table a bit so it doesn't look so tall. Unfortunately the styling on BF is very limited.

Missing dates of death for V/AFL footballers as at 23 February 2024

Player name	Full name	D.O.B.	Career	Notes
Harry Brown	Harold Francis Brown	[?] [?] 1902	StK 1927	⬥ Thought by AFL to be Henry John Brown, DOB 16 Oct 1903 (unlikely) ⬥ Played for Caulfield and Hawksburn prior to StK ⬥ H. Brown transferred StK > Camberwell ⬥ H. F. Brown (same guy?) went C'well > Coll. District ⬥ Interment date is 17 Mar 1975; DOD possibly 13 Mar 1975 ⬥ This puts DOB some time between 13 Mar and 31 Dec 1902 ⬥ This feels like it can be ticked off if we can source birth/death certs
Otto Buck	Samuel Otto John Buck	15 Nov 1876	Carl 1897	⬥ Last confirmed existence in Mildura, 1917 (electoral roll) ⬥ Extensive notes on Ancestry here but no DOD ⬥ Did not die in 1946 as some trees claim (different Samuel Buck)
Jack Cliff	Jack Louis Cliff	23 May 1919	StK 1940–42	⬥ Played for West Broken Hill prior to StK ⬥ AFL/SR says: became a 'gangster', killed in unmarked grave ⬥ Last confirmed existence in Elwood, 1980 (electoral roll)
Frank Corby	Eugene Francis Corby	24 Dec 1924	Coll 1948	⬥ Lawrence William Corby was Frank's brother, not a pseudonym ⬥ Previous Coll FC contact with family did not reveal DOD
Fred Coulsell	Frederick Rowland Coulsell	17 Dec 1905	NM 1927 Ess 1931	⬥ Ancestry tree shows DOD of 16 Jun 1997 at Beenleigh, QLD ⬥ This is a solid lead, but we need confirmation
Bobby Craig	Robert Ritchie Craig	29 Mar 1882	Melb 1902	⬥ Born in Williamstown (Aus), moved to Scotland by 1901 (census) ⬥ Departed Liverpool for Argentina in 1913, married in Scotland in 1914 ⬥ Brother Andrew buried in Dromana (Aus) in 1982
Bill Hearn	Roger Musgrove Hearn	4 Mar 1914	Rich 1935	⬥ Initially thought by AFL to be Roy William Hearn (unlikely) ⬥ Played for Minyip from 1937–39 as Roger ("Bill") Hearn ⬥ AFL/SR says: enlisted in WW2 as William Hearn, strong links to Ballarat, death year of 1974 touted in some Ancestry trees ⬥ DOB appears to be 4 Mar 1914 and not 4 Mar 1913 as once thought ⬥ DOD found on Ancestry for a Roger "Distance" Hearn of 2 Nov 1949; siblings and other clues give indication that source is close to family ⬥ Waiting to hear back from owner of potentially crucial family tree
Charlie Jenkins	William Charles Jenkins	21 Aug 1874	Fitz 1898	⬥ Thought by AFL to be Charles Herbert Jenkins, DOB 17 Jun 1878, cousin of Ern Jenkins (unlikely) ⬥ Jenkins often called himself Charles William instead of William Charles ⬥ He transferred to Fitzroy in 1894 ⬥ Ancestry tree shows DOD of 1 Jun 1956 ⬥ Seems like we have it figured out, looks like we are waiting to confirm a la Fred Coulsell?
Edmund Kirwin	Edmund Kirwin	31 Mar 1876	StK 1898	⬥ Kirwin's brother Maurice died in 1960 ⬥ Kirwin was an established cricketer for St Kilda CC; CricketArchive records list an Edward Kirwan (diff spelling both names), DOB 1872, DOD 20 Feb 1929 ⬥ Michael Kirwen (again, diff spelling) listed as brother of Maurice, died in 1952, but no mention of Edmund, despite the fact they were also brothers
Tom Lee	Thomas Francis Lee	11 Dec 1874	Coll 1897–98	⬥ Lee's mother Elizabeth appears to have died on the day of his birth ⬥ There are no death notices for any of his relatives that have died ⬥ Ancestry tress and death notices suggest he died before 1915, possibly before 1904
George Lockwood	George Lockwood	6 Dec 1872	Geel 1899–1901 Coll 1902–04	⬥ AFL/SR says: possible death year of 1946(unlikely) ⬥ A George Hislop Lockwood died overseas in war in 1917 (inconclusive) ⬥ Lockwood lived until at least 1944 according to death notice of relative ⬥ Lockwood's twin Teddy died in 1953 ⬥ The Lockwood lineage looks as so
Joe Marchant	[?]	[?] c. 1884	StK 1904	⬥ Thought by AFL to be John Albert Marchant, DOB 11 Sep 1884 in NSW (unlikely) ⬥ No transfer details; "The Encyclopedia" lists him as Joseph Marchant
Jack McKenzie	John James McKenzie	19 Aug 1908	Ess 1929	⬥ Son of John Joseph 'Dookie' McKenzie (1881–1946) ⬥ Married Lorna Davis Ireland in 1933, divorced in 1939 ⬥ Listed as deceased in father Dookie's death notice, so McKenzie's death is presumed between Jul 1939 and Mar 1946
Alf Neeson	Alfred Carl Frank Neeson	15 Jun 1914	Fitz 1935–36 Haw 1936–38	⬥ DOB thought in early research to be 5 June 1914 due to war records (proven false via Vic BDM) ⬥ Joined Army in early 1935 and discharged later that year ⬥ Was arrested in 1939 for stealing a car, changed his name at some point around this time to Alfred Briggs ⬥ Married Ivy McRae/Seale in 1940 as Alfred M. Briggs ⬥ Potentially interchanging use of Briggs/Neeson names, was in WA goldfields region in late 1940s ⬥ Former wife Ivy died in 1974 ⬥ Further evidence suggesting Alf swapped between Briggs & Neeson throughout his life ⬥ AFL/SR says: suggest Alf used Alfred Milton Briggs as a full name; Alfred and Ivy on Kalgoorlie electoral roll in 1949 ⬥ Further SR research; no Briggs in Kalgoorlie cemetery ⬥ Alma Seale (sister of Ivy Briggs)'s daughter Winifred moved to Frankston before 1980 ⬥ Winifred contacted Rhett in Nov 2017 but only vague memories of Alf ⬥ SR: No response from New Norcia Monastery (lead from Winifred) ⬥ Genealogist with history of researching Alf says he married at least once, possibly twice more after Ivy, and Milton Kenneth Briggs is possibly an adopted son
Mick O'Hagan	Michael Joseph O'Hagan	22 Jan 1878	StK 1897	⬥ Michael Joseph O'Hagan studied pharmacy at Melb Uni in 1895; mentioned in court case in 1908 as being from Nathalia ⬥ His sister, Mary Terese, died in 1970 aged 90; death notice lists Mick as deceased ⬥ Some questioning over whether Michael Joseph is our man given lack of quality of early St Kilda player records ⬥ Given contemporaries and schooling, confident that he is the right man
George Prismall	George Henry Prismall	10 Mar 1915	Ess 1935	⬥ Served in British Merchant Navy during WWII ⬥ Mother was Gladys Prismall (1893–1980), who didn't marry ⬥ His sister, Phyllis Catherine, died in 2014 ⬥ Last existence, living in Earls Court (Aussie hotspot) circa 1947–48
Sam Reid	Samuel Alexander Reid	17 Jun 1872	Carl 1897	⬥ Parents were likely James Reid and Ann Eliza Reid (nee Ralston) ⬥ Probably not the Samuel Reid 50 Samuel Reid Age 34 Ht 188cm Wt 85kg Pos. Def Career Season Last 5 D 12.4 3star K 6.5 3star HB 5.9 4star M 3.1 3star T 3.0 5star MG 176.3 3star No current season stats available D 12.6 4star K 4.0 2star HB 8.6 5star M 3.4 4star T 4.6 5star that died in 1949 and may have lived in Japan (different parents to those listed on Blueseum)
Arch Robinson	Archibald Robinson	9 Jul 1890	Rich 1911	⬥ Served in AIF in WWI; Army records suggest born in 1888, not 1890 ⬥ Divorced Edith Robinson Whitehead in 1921 ⬥ Was often misnamed as Robertson
Ray Ross	Raymond Paul Ross	2 May 1900	Ess 1921	⬥ Ross is not Rich/StK player Raymond Roberts Ross from similar era ⬥ Potential that Raymond Paul Ross changed his name to Raymond Paul Elliott and died in 1980 (same mother) ⬥ More ruling out of other people (aka Raymond Roberts Ross) ⬥ Permit for an R. Ross going from Ess > NM in Rd 4, 1922 ⬥ Raymond Paul Ross was not a jeweller listed in 1921 (different guy)
Jim Smith	James William Smith	11 Feb 1887	SM 1906	⬥ Listed as from Marylebone (Geelong Juniors) in "The Encyclopedia" ⬥ Born to John Smith and Mary Williams ⬥ Likely ruled out James Smith, DOB 1887, DOD 1963 in Geelong ⬥ Returned to Geelong Junior Association in 1907 ⬥ Possibly captain of East Geelong from 1910–1919 ⬥ J Smith is cleared from East Geel to Eastern District in 1923
Alby Williams	Albert Joseph Williams	3 Aug 1916	NM 1943	⬥ Married Doris Vivienne Williams (nee Jackman) in 1940 ⬥ When Doris passed away in 1964, Alby was still listed as alive in her death notice
Bill Woods	William Cross Woods	[?] [?] 1881	Geel 1909	⬥ Thought by AFL to be William Henry Woods, DOB 31 Aug 1890 (unlikely) ⬥ Then believed to be William Woods, born 1890 in Portarlington, enlisted in First AIF in 1915 and returned to Aus in 1919 ⬥ Potential cremation date 6 July 1972 in Springvale (unlikely to be our man) ⬥ Initial scepticism from AFL/SR; mention of brother called Ike ⬥ Potential match of William Cross Woods (1881–1959) ⬥ Third son of Emma and Isaac Woods (potentially William's parents) died in 1891 ⬥ Discovery of alternate surname Burgess which seemed to be used interchangeably with Woods ⬥ DOD of William Cross Woods listed as 3 Aug 1959 in Geelong ⬥ Info on William's son Isaac ⬥ Detailed family tree of William Cross Woods, refuting AFL/SR likely incorrect beliefs that he was still William Henry Woods ⬥ AFL/SR still pushing back on William Cross ⬥ Burial info on Woods' potential wife Adeline Alice ⬥ Suggestion for AFL to purchase Woods' mother's death certificate to glean more information ⬥ This one feels very close and gettable

Possibly living (born pre-1930) V/AFL footballers as at 23 February 2024

Player name	Full name	D.O.B.	Career	Notes
Angus Abbey	Angus Maxwell Abbey	15 Nov 1925	Foot 1949–54
Jack Atkinson	[?]	23 Jun 1928	Rich 1950
Lindsay Baglin	[?]	2 Mar 1929	Foot 1947 NM 1949
Des Bell	Desmond Clyde Bell	23 May 1923	Melb 1946–48	⬥ Alive in Aug 2022
Ivan Clues	Ivan Noel Clues	10 May 1929	Coll 1951
Greg Dean	[?]	14 Oct 1928	StK 1949–50
Norm Edwards	[?]	23 Oct 1928	Foot 1950–51
Arthur Fitt	[?]	12 Feb 1928	Fitz 1950
Nick Gelavis	Nikolas Gelavis	15 Jun 1929	SM 1953–54 Foot 1954
Brian Gilmore	Brian R. Gilmore	1 Dec 1929	Ess 1950–53 StK 1955
Max Glass	Maxwell Herbert Glass	2 Oct 1925	SM 1945	⬥ Last confirmed existence in Jan 1999 (possibly near Coffs Harbour) ⬥ Living in Rye, 1980 (electoral roll), has a son also named Maxwell (John)
Eddie Goodger	Edmund James Goodger	10 Mar 1929	Fitz 1949–58
Gordon Green	Gordon Stanley Green	31 May 1925	NM 1942	⬥ Alive in Jul 2018
Barry Griffiths	Barry McIntosh Griffiths	12 Jul 1929	Haw 1950–52	⬥ Originally from Canterbury ⬥ Lived in Ashburton, played for East. Suburban Churches ⬥ Possibly thought to be Barry Joseph Griffiths (unlikely) ⬥ Listed in 1953 article as 22 y.o., conflicts with 1929 DOB ⬥ Transferred from Oakleigh to Albury in 1954 ⬥ Played with Acton in Canberra in 1959 ⬥ Strong match for Barry McIntosh re: locations etc.
Doug Guy	[?]	21 Nov 1929	Carl 1950–53
Pat Harrington	[?]	18 Mar 1929	SM 1954
Ray Hutchins	[?]	23 Mar 1929	Melb 1950–51
Les Jarry	[?]	28 Sep 1928	SM 1948–49
Charlie King	Charles King	31 Jul 1926	Geel 1949
Andy Larkins	[?]	30 Oct 1928	Geel 1950
Greg Lourey	[?]	1 Aug 1927	Melb 1948; 1950 Fitz 1951–52
Jack MacDonald	Jack R. MacDonald	16 May 1927	Haw 1951–53	⬥ Originally from Carey Grammar / Camberwell ⬥ Also played for Creswick and Glen Iris ⬥ Coached at Powelltown
Jim Miller	James Henry Miller	30 May 1919	Foot 1938–48	⬥ Alive in Jun 2023
Tom Miller	[?]	3 Jul 1928	Foot 1947–50
Wally Nash	[?]	10 Jun 1929	Haw 1953–54
Frank Pattison	Francis Xavier Pattison	29 Sep 1928	StK 1951
Fred Payne	Frederick Ronald Payne	4 Feb 1927	Ess 1949–53	⬥ Alive in Feb 2024
Harry Paynter	[?]	17 Sep 1927	Coll 1950
Jim Rattray	[?]	22 Aug 1929	Haw 1949–52
Bill Redmond	William George Arthur Redmond	29 May 1927	Carl 1947–48
Cliff Riley	Clifford David Riley	2 Feb 1927	StK 1951–52
Don Scott	Donald Rex Scott	5 Nov 1929	SM 1950–54
Jack Storey	John Ivan Storey	1 Jul 1929	Foot 1948–49
Jack Taylor	[?]	9 May 1924	Haw 1945	⬥ Originally from Melbourne High School ⬥ Lived in Ashburton, played for Glen Ormond
Bob Templeton	[?]	25 Oct 1927	Foot 1947–49; 1953
Jack Thomson	[?]	22 Jan 1929	Melb 1949–53
Ron Warren	[?]	5 Oct 1928	Geel 1949
Kevin Webb	[?]	2 Oct 1928	Rich 1949 Melb 1951
Brian Williamson	[?]	9 Dec 1928	NM 1947

There are a further...

• 24 players born in 1930
• 31 players born in 1931
• 22 players born in 1932
• 49 players born in 1933
• 44 players born in 1934

Recently confirmed DODs and/or DOBs (since 20 February 2024)

Player name	Full name	D.O.B.	D.O.D.	Career	Notes
Ray Jones	Raymond Leslie Jones	17 Feb 1924	1 Oct 2007	Geel 1950	Confirmation post
Billy Leahy	William Francis Roy Leahy	7 Mar 1911	3 Mar 1978	Foot 1934–36	Confirmation post
Jim McDonald	James William McDonald	15 Jun 1913	28 Sep 1984	Melb 1942	Confirmation post
Jack Solomon	Jonathan Crawford	15 Jun 1928	14 Jul 2011	StK 1948–52	Confirmation post

---

Missing DOBs V/AFL footballers as at 22 February 2024

Player name	Full name	D.O.B.	D.O.D.	Career	Notes
Stewart Anderson	Glen Stewart Anderson	1910	7 Aug 1962	StK 1933–35 NM 1937–38
Harry Brown	Harold Francis Brown	1902	[?]	StK 1927	See DOD list
Dick Casey	Richard James Casey	c. 1881	16 Apr 1919	SM 1905–12
Morrie Davidson	Maurice Davidson	1904	11 Jul 1970	NM 1930
Bill Hennington	William Hennington	c. 1891	11 Jul 1964	SM 1914
Jim Schellnack	James Schellnack	c. 1880	24 May 1968	SM 1904

 

[Bandit55]

I think Barry McIntosh Griffiths is a big chance to be the Hawthorn player. He was living in the right sort of area back then (at Glen Iris, with his family), and most importantly was at Albury (with his wife Kathleen Alice) a few years later:
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According to this article Barry Griffith(s) joined Acton from Hawthorn district in 1959. The Canberra Times refers to him as both Griffith and Griffiths:

Australian Football Trials To Continue - The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) - 10 Apr 1959

 

[Gibbsy]

Arthur Fitt looks to be Arthur Aloysius Fitt Junior, also known as Don Fitt.





I initially thought this could have been him:



But that would have been much too easy. It seems he and his father had identical names.



Given nothing else on Ancestry, one must presume he's still alive.

I should say that although it might feel redundant researching people and then finding out they are still alive, it's still a net gain to have their full name on file, as that is something that the league is not always necessarily across.