Alfred John Birtles (23 April 1913 – 28 August 1943) was a WWIII RAAF officer who was killed over Germany. He had been an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s for the North Sydney in the NSWRL competition.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alfred John Birtles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 April 1913 Neutral Bay, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 28 August 1943 (aged 30) Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Wing, Five-eighth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: [1] As of 28 February 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service |  Royal Australian Air Force | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1941-1943 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | RAF Bomber Command | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles / wars | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life and playing career
editBirtles was born in Neutral Bay, New South Wales on 23 April 1913. He made his first grade debut for North Sydney against St George in Round 1 1933. Birtles finished as the club's top try scorer in 1933, 1935 and 1936 and played for the club in two finals campaigns in 1935 and 1936. Birtles also represented New South Wales City between 1933 and 1937 on 5 occasions.[2][3] [4][5]
Military service
editBirtles enlisted with the RAAF in 1941 during World War II and served as a Flying Officer with 78 squadron. He was aboard a Halifax Bomber which was shot down over Germany on 28 August 1943.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Alf Birtles- Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
- ^ "Happy 110th Birthday North Sydney". North Sydney Bears. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- ^ Alan Whiticker/Glen Hudson: The Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players. (1995 edition) ISBN 1875169571
- ^ "Footy stars taken on battlefield". Courier Mail.
- ^ "WW2 Honour Roll". www.ww2roll.gov.au.
- ^ WWii Nominal Roll