Rupert Balfe: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=SeptemberMay 20152024}}

| birth_place = [[Brunswick, Victoria|Brunswick]], [[Australia]]

| originalteam = [[Brunswick Football Club|Brunswick]] ([[Victorian Football LeagueAssociation|VFA]])

| debutdate = 15 May{{start date|1909|5|15|df=y}}

'''Joseph Rupert Balfe''' (9 March 1890 – 25 April 1915) was an [[Australian rules football]]er and soldier who was killed during the [[landing at Anzac Cove]].<ref>{{Ref AFL Encyc|10th|38}}</ref><ref group="note">Despite various suggestions given over time, related to particular individuals, it is clear that because at least six former VFL footballers were killed during the chaos of the landing at Anzac Cove — RupertCove—Rupert Balfe (University), [[Alan Cordner]] (Geelong and Collingwood), [[Claude Crowl]] (St Kilda), [[Charlie Fincher]] (South Melbourne), [[Fen McDonald]] (Carlton and Melbourne), and [[Joe Pearce (footballer)|Joe Pearce]] (Melbourne) — it—it can never be definitively argued that one of these men was "the first VFL footballer killed in the First World War".</ref>

The son of Matthew Balfe (later mayor of Brunswick) and Sarah Knott, Rupert Balfe was born in Brunswick in 1890. Balfe attended [[Princes Hill State School]] before earning a [[scholarship]] to attend Thomas Palmer's University High School, in Grattan Street, Carlton.<ref>Palmer's institution, University High School, was a private school; and has no connection of any sort with the later State school, [[University High School, Melbourne]] which commenced teaching in 1910: see, for instance, advertisement at [https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/73764646 ''The Footscray Independent'', (Saturday, 3 March 1894), p. 2]; also: [http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/palmer-thomas-7950 Clements, M.A., "Palmer, Thomas (1858–1927)", in Serle, G. (ed), ''Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11 1891-19391891–1939 (Nes-Smi)'', Melbourne University Press, (Carlton), 1988].</ref>

Balfe enlisted on 2 September 1914 as a Second Lieutenant with the [[6th Battalion (Australia)|6th Battalion]] in the [[First Australian Imperial Force]] (AIF). He diedwas onkilled by a bursting shell whilst [[ANZACLanding Dayat Anzac Cove|landing]] at [[Gallipoli]], [[Ottoman Turkey]], at the age of 25.<ref>{{cite book |lastlast1=Main |firstfirst1=Jim |last2=Allen |first2=David |title=Fallen —: The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War |year=2002 |pages=14–16 |publication-date=2002 |location=Melbourne |publisher= Crown Content |isbn=978-1-74095-010-7}}</ref> He was one of many players from [[VFL/AFL players who died in active service|the VFL during World War I]] who lost their lives.<ref>{{cite book |authorlast=Cullen, |first=Barbara |title=Harder than football : league players at war |year=2015 |page=24 |publication-date=2015 |location=Richmond, Victoria |publisher=Slattery Media Group |isbn=978-0-9923791-4-8}}</ref>

Balfe had a strong friendship with [[Robert Menzies]], who was studying Lawlaw at Melbourne University. Menzies went on to become the [[Prime Minister of Australia]] from 1939–19411939 to 1941, 1949–1966. Menzies wrote a poem for the late Balfe which appeared in several local newspapers on 16 July 1915.

'''In Memoriam Lieut. J. R. Balfe, Killed in Action, Gallipoli, July 1915'''<ref name="menzies">{{cite web | url = http://www.menziesvirtualmuseum.org.au/1910s/1915.html | title = MVM 1915 | publisher = Menzies Virtual Museum | accessdateaccess-date = 2010-07-31 | archivedatearchive-date = 2003-02-18 | url-status = live | archiveurlarchive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030218004159/http://www.menziesvirtualmuseum.org.au/1910s/1915.html }}</ref>

* [[List of Victorian Football League players who died inon active service]]

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[[Category:SportspeopleAustralian rules footballers from Melbourne]]