Jack Shelton Explained

Jack Shelton
Fullname:John Thomas Shelton
Birth Date:24 January 1905
Birth Place:Avenel, Victoria
Death Place:Tobruk, Libya
Originalteam:Avenel
Height:180 cm
Weight:80 kg
Statsend:1930
Years1:1926, 1928–29
Games Goals1:28 (4)
Years2:1930
Games Goals2:7 (2)
Games Goalstotal:35 (6)

John Thomas Shelton (24 January 1905 – 1 May 1941) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda and South Melbourne. He was killed in action in Tobruk in 1941.

"Jack A. Shelton"

As a VFL footballer, he was sometimes known as "J. A. Shelton" (rather than "J. T. Shelton"), with the "A" most likely a reference to Avenel, in order to distinguish him from the other "Jack Shelton", one John Frederick "Jack" Shelton, a prolific goalkicker, who had been recruited from Koo Wee Rup in 1926 (and was playing for St Kilda at the same time).[1]

Family

The son of Richard John and Jane Elizabeth Shelton (née Skinner), he was born at Avenel, Victoria, on 24 January 1905. As a young lad of 7, Jack's father had been saved from drowning in swollen Hughes Creek, Avanel, by a young Ned Kelly, aged 10.[2] [3]

Jack married Winifred "Freda" Emma Planck Gadd (1905–1988) on 26 March 1932.[4] The cousin of Melbourne footballer Bill Shelton, he was the father of John Shelton (born 13 August 1933),[5] and Hawthorn's Bill Shelton (born 13 July 1936), and the uncle of Essendon's Ian "Bluey" Shelton.

Education

He was educated at Brighton Grammar School as a boarder, and he later attended Dookie Agricultural College.

Footballer

Although he began as a forward and rover,[6] throughout his later senior football career he played as an either a backman or in the ruck. He was a tough player who played hard and fair.

St Kilda

He received his clearance to play for St Kilda on 28 April 1926.[7] He played eleven senior games for St Kilda in his first season, playing his first game, on the half-forward flank,[8] against Hawthorn at the Junction Oval on 5 June 1926.

He returned to Avenel for the 1927 season; and, rejoined play with St Kilda in mid-1928, resuming his senior career in the eighth round match against Essendon, in the first ruck, at Windy Hill, on 4 June 1928.[9] Shelton played very well in his first game back in the VFL, and St Kilda won by 9 points.[10] He played eleven senior matches for St Kilda in 1928 (rounds 8 to 18 inclusive) and six in 1929, with his last match against Richmond, at the Punt Road Oval on 13 July 1929 (round eleven).[11] [12]

South Melbourne

He received his clearance to play for South Melbourne on 11 June 1930.[13] He played his first match for South Melbourne, as a back-pocket ruckman, against Hawthorn on 14 June 1930 (round seven).[14] South Melbourne thrashed Hawthorn 17.11 (119) to 9.10 (64), in its first win for the 1930 season.

He played the next two matches (rounds eight and nine), and the last four matches of the season, retiring after playing against North Melbourne at the Lake Oval on 13 September 1930.[15] He was one of the best players in a team that soundly beat North Melbourne 15.19 (109) to 4.14 (38), having kicked 9.6 (60) to 1.1 (7) in the last quarter.[16]

Avenel

He received his clearance to play for Avenel on 3 June 1931.[17] In 1934, in a match against Nagambie, he broke a collarbone.[18]

At the time of his enlistment in the second AIF, in mid-1940, he was still playing football for Avenel, and was the captain of the Avenel team.[19]

Soldier

Both his eldest brother, Private Richard John Shelton (1895–1967),[20] and his second-oldest brother, Sergeant Leslie Norman Shelton (1897–1933),[21] had served in the First AIF (they both enlisted on 19 September 1914, with Leslie producing letters of permission from his mother and father).

On 23 July 1940, Jack left his farm, "Mittagong", at Avenel and enlisted in the Second AIF aged 35.

After training at Wangaratta, he was promoted to Lieutenant, joined the 2/24th Battalion, and was sent to the Middle East, and then Northern Africa, with the 9th Division.

He was killed in action, at Tobruk, on 1 May 1941.

Remembered

His name appears on the Roll of Honour (panel 52) at the Australian War memorial. He has no known grave, and is commemorated at the Alamein Memorial, in Egypt.

Honours and awards

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Main and Allen, (2002), pp.335–336.
  2. http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Such-is-life-for-the-legend-that-is-Ned-Kelly/2004/12/10/1102625530637.html Schwartz, L., "Such is life for the legend that is Ned Kelly", The Age,11 December 2004.
  3. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/16/1032054751911.html Rennie, A. & Szego, J., "Ned Kelly saved our drowning dad ... the softer side of old bucket head", Sydney Morning Herald, 1 August 2001.
  4. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4449717 Marriages: Shelton—Gadd, The Argus, (Saturday, 30 April 1932), p.17.
  5. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4755641 Births,The Argus, (Wednesday, 16 August 1933), p.1.
  6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3744331 Football: Club Notes: St. Kilda, The Argus, (Friday, 9 April 1926), p.5.
  7. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3748005 Football: Permit Applications: Permits Granted (J. Shelton, Avenel to St. Kilda), The Argus, (Thursday, 29 April 1926), p.18
  8. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3786390 St. Kilda v. Hawthorn, The Argus, (Friday 4 June 1926), p.5.
  9. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3940383 Football: The Teams: Essendon v. St. Kilda,The Argus, (Monday 4 June 1928), p.6
  10. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page463921 Football: St. Kilda Defeats Essendon,The Argus, (Tuesday 6 June 1928), p.6.
  11. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4020898 Football: The Teams: Richmond v. St. Kilda, The Argus, (Friday, 12 July 1929), p.15.
  12. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4021518 Poor Game: Richmond Scrambles Home, The Argus, (Monday, 15 July 1929), p.15.
  13. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4093008 Football: League Permits Granted: Barnes and Shelton Transfer (J, Shelton, St. Kilda to South Melbourne), The Argus, (Thursday, 12 June 1926), p.14
  14. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4093122 Football: Club Notes: South Melbourne v. Hawthorn, The Argus, (Friday, 13 June 1930), p.15.
  15. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4191208 Matches and Teams: South. Melb. v. North Melb., (Friday, 12 September 1930), p.11.
  16. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xo8TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xpYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6630%2C1284860 Visitors Overwhelmed, The Age, (Monday, 15 September 1930), p.6.
  17. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4390152 Football: League Permits (J. Shelton, South Melbourne to Avenel), The Argus, (Thursday, 4 June 1931), p.10.
  18. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64726310 Football: Waranga-North-Eastern Association, Alexandra and Yea Standard and Yarck, Gobur, Thornton, Taggerty and Acheron Express, (Friday, 27 July 1934), p.2.
  19. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8177779 Avenel Man Killed, The Argus, (Thursday, 22 May 1941), p.5.
  20. http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=8082133 Australian World War I Service Record: Richard John Shelton (446).
  21. http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=8082130 Australian World War I Service Record: Leslie Norman Shelton (2473).

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