Charlie Perry (Australian rules footballer)

Charles Julius Perry (20 October 1888 – 4 January 1961) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Norwood in the SAFL, and a Methodist Chaplain who served in the First AIF.

Charlie Perry
Personal information
Full name Charles Julius Perry
Date of birth (1888-10-20)20 October 1888
Place of birth Terowie, South Australia
Date of death 4 January 1961(1961-01-04) (aged 72)
Place of death North Adelaide, South Australia
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1909–1915, 1920 Norwood 57 (15)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1920.
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of Isaiah Perry (1854-1911),[1] and Caroline Marie Paulina Perry (1869-1956), née Roediger,[2][3] Charles Julius Perry was born in Terowie, South Australia on 20 October 1888. His brother, Sir Frank Tennyson Perry (1887-1965) was a South Australian industrialist and member of parliament.[4]

He married Florence Muriel Day (1985-1973) on 16 September 1920.[5]

Football

Perry, commonly known as "Redwing" due to his red hair, appeared in 58 games for Norwood and would have played more had World War I not interrupted his career. A Methodist minister, Perry finished equal first in a three way tie for the 1915 Magarey Medal count before having to settle for second after the umpires conferred to split the leaders as per the rules at the time. He was however posthumously awarded a retrospective Medal in 1998.[6]

Military Service
The Australian Training Units Team

Enlisting on 1 March 1916, he served in Europe as a chaplain during World War I,[7][8] and was involved in the AIF exhibition match which was played in London in 1916, captaining the Combined Training Units team.[9]

On 24 January 1919, Lieutenant-Colonel H. D. K. Macartney, the Officer Commanding of the 3rd Australian Divisional Artillery recommended that Perry be awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire:

"During the period Sept.17th to Decr.31st 1918, Chaplain-Major PERRY has been Chaplain to the 8th Aust.F.A.Brigade [viz., Australian Field Artillery Brigade]. His duties have always been carried out in a thoroughly cheerful and tactful manner, and throughout the rapid advance, leading up to the cessation of hostilities, his gallant bearing and unselfish devotion to duty, generally under adverse conditions, have materially assisted the administration of this Unit. He has been a splendid example to both Officers and men. [Signed] H.D.K. Macartney, Lieut-Colonel. Commander, 3rd. Aust. Div. Artillery.".[10]

There is no indication within the records at the Australian War Memorial as to whether the Officer of the Order of the British Empire was ever awarded to Perry as Macartney had recommended.

After the war he returned to Norwood but only played briefly before retiring in 1920.

He continued to serve in the Methodist clergy and, also, served as vice-chairman of the Norwood Football Club.[11]

See also
  • "Pioneer Exhibition Game" in London (1916)

Footnotes
  1. Deaths: Perry, The (Adelaide) Register, (Friday, 1 December 1911), p.6; Personal, The (Adelaide) Advertiser, (Friday, 1 December 1911), p.8.
  2. Re Unveiling of Tablet at Loos Church, The (Gawler) Bunyip, (Friday 11 March 1949), p.3.
  3. Marriages: Perry—Roediger, The (Adelaide) Express and Telegraph, (Tuesday, 14 October 1884), p.2.
  4. Susan Marsden, 'Perry, Sir Frank Tennyson (1887–1965)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition, ISSN 1833-7538, published by Australian National University
  5. Marriages: Perry—Day, The (Adelaide) Chronicle, (Saturday, 23 October 1920), p.29.
  6. Last week in the SANFL...
  7. 4th Military District: Chaplains' Department, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No.99, (Saturday, 28 August 1915), p.1681.
  8. First World War Embarkation Roll
  9. Australian Football.com profile
  10. Honours and awards (Recommendations: First World War): Recommendation for Charles Julius Perry to be awarded a (sic) Order of the British Empire
  11. "ATHLETIC MAN PLEASES GOD MOST". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 16 May 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 9 January 2011 – via National Library of Australia.

References
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.