George Brock (footballer) explained

George Brock
Fullname:Halcombe George Brock
Birth Date:3 April 1919
Birth Place:Casterton, Victoria
Death Place:near the You Yangs, Victoria
Originalteam:Port Adelaide
Height:189 cm
Weight:92 kg
Guernsey:15
Statsend:1941
Years1:1937, 1939–1940
Games Goals1:24 (26)
Years2:1941
Games Goals2:4 (3)
Careerhighlights:
  • premiership player (1939)

Halcombe George Brock (3 April 1919 – 2 August 1941) was an Australian rules football ruckman who played 24 senior games with Port Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), and 4 senior games with the North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He died as the result of an air collision during a RAAF training exercise on Saturday, 2 August 1941.

Family

The son of Denzil William Brock,[1] and Maude Josephine Brock, née Koch,[2] of "Fairleigh", Merino, Western Victoria,[3] he was born on 3 April 1919.[4]

Footballer

Exeter Football Club

Recruited from the Exeter Football Club in the South Australian Amateur Football League (SAAFL), he played one senior game for Port Adelaide in 1937.[5]

He returned to Exeter for the 1938 season, winning selection in the SAAFL's State team for the Australian Amateur Football Carnival in Launceston.[6] In the match against New South Wales, Brock was the best on ground.[7]

Port Adelaide

He returned to Port Adelaide and played for them in the 1939 and 1940 seasons.[8]

North Melbourne

He sustained serious head injuries in a car crash, in Adelaide, on Saturday night, 26 September 1940 (the evening of the S.A. Grand Final between Sturt and South Adelaide)[9] – which explains the remarks made about Brock's first appearance for North Melbourne, against Hawthorn, on 5 July 1941: "Recently injured, [Brock] played with one side of his head plastered",[10] and "[Brock] was playing at a disadvantage through a recent head injury".[11]

Following his enlistment in the RAAF on 6 January 1941, and his subsequent relocation to the RAAF Flying Training School in Victoria,[12] [13] Brock was granted a permit to play with North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) on Saturday morning, 5 July 1941.[14] He played in his first match for North Melbourne that afternoon; and then played on each of the next three Saturdays (i.e., 4 senior games in all).[15] [16] [17] [18]

Death

He was killed in an aircraft accident near the You Yangs, on 2 August 1941, during a RAAF training exercise in World War II,[19] when two training aircraft, flying in formation, collided with one another.[20] [21]

Brock had been chosen to play for North Melbourne against Richmond on Saturday 2 August 1941.[22] However, because he was unable to get leave from the RAAF,[23] he had to withdraw from the team at the last minute – and he died on that very morning (when he would have, otherwise, already been on his way to the Arden Street Oval).

Coroner's inquest

At the coroner's inquest, conducted by Mr Tingate, P.M. on 19 August 1941, evidence was given that the conditions on the day were far from satisfactory – very gusty and, as a consequence, there were many air pockets – and that Brock was a passenger in one of three aircraft flying in a V formation.

At one stage of the training exercise, the trainee pilot (Maurice McGuire 401137)[24] of Brock's aircraft "signalled to the other pilots to change positions in the V formation, and the plane on the left of the V dropped underneath to take up a new position". Brock's plane hit an air pocket, the pilot (McGuire) "felt a bump, and his plane dropped on to the one beneath" – "[McGuire's] controls failed to respond, and the machine spun down out of control".[25]

The trainee pilot of the other aircraft, Colin Fallon (407785),[26] lost control of his craft immediately after the planes collided. Both he and his passenger, John Distin Hill (407792),[27] successfully bailed out.[28] However, despite being instructed to bail out by the pilot McGuire (who successfully escaped the aircraft), his passenger Brock did not jump. McGuire stated that "Brock must have felt the crash and known what happened, but still did not jump".[29]

Coroner's verdict

The coroner's finding was one of accidental death.[30]

Funeral

His funeral was held on Monday, 4 August 1941, at the Springvale Crematorium. His remains were cremated.

Tribute

"NORTH MELBOURNE – The team will wear black armbands [in their match against Carlton tomorrow] as a mark of respect to the memory of Leading Aircraftsman H.G. Brock, who was killed in an air accident last Saturday." – The Age, 8 August 1941.[31]

"North and Carlton players stood in silence before the match for George Brock, ex-North player and South Australian airman, who was killed in an air collision last Saturday." – The Sporting Globe, 9 August 1941.[32]

"In a brief and dignified ceremony before the [Grand Final between Norwood and Sturt on 4 October 1941], the big crowd stood in silence for a minute to honor [the eight] League players who have died on active service in the present war, The chairman of the League (Major E. Millhouse)[33] told spectators that … they were L.K. Rudd (Port Adelaide),[34] D. Waite (West Torrens),[35] D.L. Carlos (Glenelg),[36] H.G. Brock (Port Adelaide),[37] A. Exley (Glenelg),[38] H.R. Farrant (North Adelaide),[39] L. Leahy (Norwood),[40] and J. Wade (Port Adelaide).[41] " – The Chronicle, 9 October 1941.[42]

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130221512 Familiar Figures: 23. Mr. Denzil W. Brock, Soldier of Fortune, The (Adelaide) News, Monday, 20 October 1930), p.4
  2. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/93868548 Deaths: Brock, The (Adelaide) Chronicle, (Thursday, 3 April 1952), p.34.
  3. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/152657434 List of Valuations of the Shire of Glenelg for the Year ending 1918–19: South Riding, The Casterton News and the Merino and Sandford Record, (Monday, 25 November 1918), p.6.
  4. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1455663 Births: Brock, The Argus, (Thursday, 10 April 1919), p.1.
  5. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131893131 Colmer, R., "Effective System Gives Port Lead at Alberton", The (Adelaide) News, (Saturday, 4 September 1937), p.2.
  6. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/35604543 Amateurs Leave for Launceston, The (Adelaide) Advertiser, (Friday, 12 August 1938), p.18
  7. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/35605545 S.A. Victory at Football Carnival, The (Adelaide) Advertiser, (Tuesday, 16 August 1938), p.12.
  8. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131884886 Heard in the Clubrooms, The (Adelaide) News, (Thursday, 23 March 1939), p.21.
  9. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/74455755 Footballer Injured, The Advertiser, (Monday, 30 September 1940), p.15.
  10. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/181707597 Football Flashes from the Grounds, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 5 July 1941), p.3.
  11. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/224831914 Western Australians Prominent, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 12 July 1941), p.39.
  12. Web site: RAAF Nominal Roll: Halcombe George Brock (407779). . 15 October 2017 . 16 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171016070814/http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?ServiceId=R&VeteranId=1012734 . dead .
  13. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131431847 More Sportsmen Rally to the Colors, The (Adelaide) News, (Tuesday, 21 January 1941), p.6.
  14. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8190479 Taylor, P., "League Four Defined", The Argus, Monday, 7 July 1941), p.8.
  15. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205176375 North's Big Recruit, The Age, (Friday, 4 July 1941), p.3.
  16. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8189984 Taylor, Percy, "Football Changes: Interstate Stars Chosen", The Argus, (Friday, 4 July 1941), p.8.
  17. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/181708724 Men who play the game, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 23 July 1941), p.10.
  18. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205176383/19386027 The Teams, The Age, (Friday, 4 July 1941), p.3.
  19. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/55836415 S.A. Airman Killed in Crash, The (Adelaide) Mail, (Saturday, 2 August 1941), p.1.
  20. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/193766579 Planes Collide: S.A. Airman Killed: Three Others Parachute to Earth, The (Grafton) Daily Examiner, (Monday, 4 August 1941), p.3.
  21. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8196460 Funeral of Airman, The Argus, (Tuesday, 5 August 1941), p.3.
  22. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205174923/19386286 The Teams, The Age, (Friday, 1 August 1941), p.2.
  23. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/224829955 Footballer Dies in Air Crash, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 9 August 1941), p.6.
  24. http://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=1010761&c=WW2#R World War II Service Record: Sergeant Maurice McGuire (401137)
  25. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131519628 Plane in Air Pocket Fell on Another: S.A. Man Trapped, The (Adelaide) News, (Tuesday, 19 August 1941), p.3.
  26. http://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=1012736&c=WW2#R World War II Service Record: Flight Sergeant Colin Fallon (407785)
  27. http://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=1050971&c=WW2 World War II Service Record: Flight Lieutenant John Distin Hill (407792)
  28. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/83131957 RAAF Planes Collide, The (Perth) Daily News, Saturday, 2 August 1941), p.1.
  29. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131519628 The News, 19 August 1941, p.3.
  30. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205179259 Accidental Death, The Age, (Wednesday, 20 August 1941), p.7.
  31. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/205176640 Rover Killed in Action, The Age, (Friday, 8 August 1941), p.5.
  32. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/181710257 Football Flashes from All Grounds, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 9 August 1941), p.3.
  33. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/187347314 Death of Sir Eric Millhouse, The Age, (Monday, 27 February 1950), p.2
  34. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1700461 Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Lieutenant Lloyd Kitchner Rudd (SX2923).
  35. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1694250 Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Corporal Donald Godfrey Waite (SX6640).
  36. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1703124 Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Don Lionel Carlos (28456).
  37. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1702588 Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Leading Aircraftman Halcombe George Brock (407779).
  38. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1708679 Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Private Albert Ira Exley (WX3798).
  39. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1711436 Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Lance Corporal: Henry Raymond Farrant (SX2224).
  40. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1686879 Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Private Leo Stanislaus Leahy (SX7545).
  41. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1694948 Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Private John Samuel Wade (VX8242).
  42. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/92409852 Norwood Wins, The (Adelaide) Chronicle, (Thursday, 9 October 1941), p.17.

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