View source for Jack Walker (Australian footballer, born 1892)

{{short description|Australian rules footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox AFL biography
| name = Jack Walker
| image = [[File:Jack_Walker_(footballer).jpeg|200px]]
| fullname = John Preston Walker
| birth_date = {{birth date|1892|5|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Brighton, Victoria|North Brighton, Victoria]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1916|7|27|1892|5|16|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Pozières]], [[France]]
| originalteam = Dandenong and Melbourne Grammar
| height = 184&nbsp;cm| weight = 68&nbsp;kg
| position =
| statsend = 1911
| years1 = 1910–11
| club1 = {{AFL StK}}
| games_goals1 = 4 (2)
| careerhighlights =
}}
'''John Preston Walker''' (16 May 1892 – 27 July 1916) was an [[Australian rules football]]er who played with [[St Kilda Football Club|St Kilda]] in the [[Australian Football League|Victorian Football League]]. He was killed while on active service in France during [[World War I]].
==Family==
The son of William Henry Walker (1860–1949), and Florance Maud Walker, née Williams,<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article7938341 Marriages: Walker—Williams, ''The Argus'', (Saturday, 27 August 1887), p1.]</ref> John Preston Walker was born at [[Brighton, Victoria|North Brighton, Victoria]] on 16 May 1892.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article199338597 Births: Walker, ''The Age'', (Monday, 30 May 1892), p.1.]</ref>
==Education==
He was educated at the [[Melbourne Grammar School]]. He played in the school's First XVIII in 1908 and 1909.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article150668103 Public Schools' Cricket: Melbourne Grammar School v. Geelong Grammar School, ''The Geelong Advertiser'', (Monday, 15 November 1909), p.6.]</ref> He was captain of the school's First XI in 1908.<ref>[https://www.saints.com.au/news/261372/from-saint-to-soldier Ryan, Michael, "From Saint to Soldier: Moorabbin boy John P. "Jack" Walker paid the ultimate price for our freedom", ''saints.com.au'', 24 April 2018.]</ref>
At the combined public schools sport meeting held at the [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]] on 3 May 1906, Walker tied for first place in the Under-14 High jump, with a leap of 4&nbsp;ft 5in (135&nbsp;cm), which broke the existing record.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139183854 'Old Boy', "College Sports", (Saturday, 12 May 1906), p.23.]</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242577139 The School World, ''The Herald'', (Thursday, 9 May 1907), p4.]</ref>
==Cricket==
A batsman/wicketkeeper, he played one District Cricket match for the St Kilda Cricket Club's First XI in the 1909–1910 season (1 innings 0 runs; 2 stumpings), and eight matches for the East Melbourne Cricket Club's First XI in the 1911–1912, 1912–1913, and 1913–1914 seasons (6 catches, 3 stumpings; 9 innings, 178 runs, highest score 61 runs).<ref>[http://premier.cricketvictoria.com.au/files/3/files/player-register-career-stats/player%20reg%20s-z%202018-19-aca-0124.pdf ''Register of V.C.A. 1st XI Pennant, District & Premier Cricketers: 1889-90 to 2018-19 S to Z''], ''Cricket Victoria''.</ref><ref>''[http://premier.cricketvictoria.com.au/files/3/files/player-register-career-stats/vca%201st%20xi%20career%20records%201889-90%20to%202018-19%20s-z.pdf VCA 1st XI CAREER RECORDS 1889-90 to 2018-19], ''Cricket Victoria'.</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article241496777 Here and There, ''The Herald'', (Thursday, 4 April 1912), p.2.]</ref>
==Football==
===St Kilda (VFL)===
He played in four First XVIII matches with St Kilda. His first match was in the final round of the 1910 season, [[1910 VFL season#Round 18|against Carlton on 3 September 1910]] in which St Klda 5.6 (36) defeated Carlton 2.12 (24) – it was St Kilda's only win for the season.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10457566 Club Notes, ''The Argus'', (Friday, 2 September 1910), p.5.]</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article241969779 Football: The League: St. Kilda v. Carlton, ''The Herald'', (Saturday, 3 September 1910), p6.]</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10458242 St. Kilda's First Win, ''The Argus'', (Monday, 5 September 1910), p.5.]</ref>
He also played three games in the 1911 season.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196203779 St. Kilda (10.6) Beat Geelong (6.14), ''The Age'', (Monday, 1 May 1911), p.9.]</ref>
===Dandenong Football Club (DBDA)===
After leaving St Kilda, he played with the Dandenong Football Club in the Dandenong and Berwick District Association in 1913 and 1914.<ref>Potter (2015).</ref>
==Military service==
He enlisted in the First AIF on 4 January 1915, and left Australia on 14 April 1915 on the HMAT ''Wiltshire''.<ref>[https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A04186/ HMAT ''Wiltshire'' (A18)], photograph (Accession number AO4186) in the collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.]</ref> He served with the [[8th Battalion (Australia)|8th Australian Infantry Battalion]] in Gallipoli and France, and was promoted to Sergeant on 2 May 1916.
==Death==
He was killed (instantly) in action during the [[Battle of Pozières]] on 27 July 1916.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1631157 Died on Active Service: Walker, ''The Argus'', (Friday, 1 September 1916), p.1.]</ref><ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1630864 Casualties in France, ''The Argus'', (Monday, 4 September 1916), p.8.]</ref> Buried that evening in a shell-hole, he has no known grave.<ref>[https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1054137/document/5641818.PDF Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau files, 1914-18 War: 1DRL/0428: 1825 Sergeant John Preston Walker], in the collection of the ''Australian War Museum''.</ref>
He is commemorated at the [[Villers–Bretonneux Australian National Memorial]], and at the ''Melbourne Grammar School Honour Roll''.<ref>[http://monumentaustralia.org.au/display/110760-melbourne-grammar-school-honour-roll Melbourne Grammar School Honour Roll, ''Monument Australia''.]</ref>
On Monday, 28 August 1916, the Dandenong Town Hall flag was flown at half mast;<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66190539 ''The South Bourke and Mornington Journal'', (Thursday, 31 August 1916), p.3.]</ref> and, on Saturday, 2 September 1916, in their match against the ''Navy Office'', the ''Dendenong Patriotics'' players wore armbands out of respect for the late Sergeant Jack Walker, recently killed in France.<ref>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66190576 Football, ''The South Bourke and Mornington Journal'', (Thursday, 7 September 1916), p.2.]</ref>
==See also==
* [[List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service]]
==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
* Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
* [https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1067392/large/5369415.JPG World War One Embarkation Roll: Private John Preston Walker (1825)], in the collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.
* [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C968244 John Preston Walker (1825)], photograph (accession number DA085250) in the collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.
* [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C968243 John Preston Walker (1825)], photograph (accession number DA08249) in the collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.
* [https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ViewPDF.aspx?B=3004960&D=D World War One Service Record: Sergeant John Preston Walker (1825)], ''National Archives of Australia''.
* [https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1068941/large/5364086.JPG World War One Nominal Roll: Private John Preston Walker (1825)], in the collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.
* [https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1669131 Roll of Honour: Sergeant John Preston Walker (1825), ''Australian War Memorial''.]
* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1627559 Australian Casualties: 206th and 207th List Issued: Killed in Action: Victoria, ''The Argus'', (Thursday, 7 September 1916), p.4.]
* [https://dandenong.starcommunity.com.au/journal/2015-04-27/star-destroyed-by-war/ Potter, J., "Star Destroyed by War", ''Star Journal'', 26 April 2015.]
==External links==
* {{AFL Tables | J/Jack_Walker1 }}
* {{AustralianFootball|ref=Jack%2BWalker/2772}}
* [https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1452775/walker,-john-preston/ Sergeant John Preston Walker (1825)], ''Commonwealth War Graves Commission''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Jack}}
[[Category:1892 births]]
[[Category:1916 deaths]]
[[Category:People educated at Melbourne Grammar School]]
[[Category:Australian rules footballers from Melbourne]]
[[Category:St Kilda Football Club players]]
[[Category:Dandenong Football Club players]]
[[Category:Australian military personnel killed in World War I]]
[[Category:People from Brighton, Victoria]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Melbourne]]