George Challis (Australian rules footballer)

George David Challis (9 February 1891 – 15 July 1916) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1910s.

George Challis
Challis during his Carlton career
Personal information
Full name George David Challis
Date of birth 9 February 1891
Place of birth Cleveland, Tasmania
Date of death 15 July 1916(1916-07-15) (aged 25)
Place of death Armentières, France
Original team(s) Launceston
Height 177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 79 kg (174 lb)
Position(s) Wingman
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1912–15 Carlton 70 (16)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1915.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of Michael Charles Challis (1865-1928),[1][2] and Margaret Challis (1868-1943), née McGregor,[3][4] George David Challis was born at Cleveland in the Northern Midlands of Tasmania on 9 February 1891.

He is the great-great-uncle of Levi Casboult.

Education

He attended Launceston Church Grammar School.

Football

Challis was a Tasmanian and started his career at Launceston, where he was a premiership player in 1909 and regular NTFA representative at the State Championships. He also represented Tasmania at the 1911 Adelaide Carnival, participating in their famous win over Western Australia. During this time he played mainly as a half forward or rover but when he was lured to Carlton in 1912 he soon established himself as a wingman. It was in that position that he starred in Carlton's 1915 premiership team.

He almost missed out on the chance to win a premiership as he had attempted to join the army at the beginning of the season, only to be refused because his toes overlapped.

Hall of Fame

The Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame was established in 2005; and among all of those who had played football in Tasmania over more than a century, Challis was one of the 130 former players chosen to be in the initial list of inductees.[5]

Military service

A teacher by profession, and a committed Esperantist,[6] he was eventually signed up and served with the 58th Infantry Battalion on the Western Front.

Death

Challis, by then a Sergeant, was killed in action, on 15 July 1916,[7] when a heavy-calibre German artillery shell dropped into his trench in Armentières, France.[8]

He is buried at the Rue-du-Bois Military Cemetery, in Pétillon, near Fleurbaix, in France.[9]

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See also

Footnotes
  1. Personal, The (Launceston) Examiner, (Thursday, 22 March 1928), p.6.
  2. Sudden Death: Mr. Michael Charles Challis, The Mercury, (Thursday, 22 March 1928), p.6.
  3. Marriages, Challis—M'Gregor, The Colonist, (Saturday, 7 December 1899), p.1.
  4. Deaths: Challis, The Mercury, (Monday, 8 November 1943), p.8.
  5. George Challis, Player Inductee, The Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame.
  6. About People, The Age, (Monday, 4 September 1916), p.6.
  7. A double Casualty List (Nos. 202 and 203) was issued by the Defence department on 31 August 1916: Australian Casualties: Two Lists Issued: 264 Deaths: Killed in Action: Victoria: "Challis, Sgt. G.D., Cleveland, Tas., 15/7/16", The Argus, (Friday, 1 September 1916), p.8.
  8. Deaths: Challis, The (Launceston) Daily Telegraph, (Saturday, 2 September 1916), p.1; In Memoriam: On Active Service: Challis, The Argus, (Monday, 15 July 1918), p.1.
  9. Sergeant George David Challis (2595), Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

References
  • Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
  • Main, J. & Allen, D., "Challis, George", pp.33-36 in Main, J. & Allen, D., Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War, Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002. ISBN 1-74095-010-0
  • McMullin, R., "Bluebloods Through the Ages", The Age, 24 August 2012.
  • McMullin, R., "True Love, War, and Football", australianfootball.com.
  • World War One Nominal Roll: Sergeant George David Challis (2595), Australian War Memorial.
  • World War One Embarkation Roll: Sergeant George David Challis (2595), Australian War Memorial.
  • World War One Allotment File: Sergeant George David Challis (2595), National Archives of Australia.
  • World War One Service Record: Sergeant George David Challis (2595), National Archives of Australia.
  • World War One Roll of Honour: Sergeant George David Challis (2595), Australian War Memorial.
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