Bill Spokes

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Bill Spokes
Personal information
Full name William Ambrose Spokes
Date of birth (1912-11-13)13 November 1912
Place of birth Essendon, Victoria
Date of death 31 October 1985(1985-10-31) (aged 72)
Place of death Northcote, Victoria
Original team(s) Preston (VFA)
Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight 87 kg (192 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1930-32 Fitzroy Districts (SDL)
1933-34 Preston (VFA)   9 (2)
1934-35 Brunswick (VFA) 22 (0)
1936-37 Fitzroy Districts (SDL)
1938 Preston (VFA) 10 (2)
1939-40 Williamstown (VFA) 29 (15)
1941 Preston (VFA)   3 (1)
1943–44 Fitzroy (VFL)   5 (3)
1945 Preston (VFA)   1 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1945.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

William Ambrose Spokes (13 November 1912 – 31 October 1985) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League (VFL), and with Preston, Brunswick, and Williamstown in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).[1]

Family[edit]

The son of Alfred George Parsonage (1885-1919),[2] and Edith Carol Parsonage (1889–1968), née Arrowsmith, William Ambrose Parsonage was born at Essendon, Victoria on 13 November 1912.[3] From the time of his (widowed) mother's marriage to William Frederick Spokes (1893-1966) in 1920 he assumed the family name of Spokes.

He married Dorothy Jean Warren (1914-1974) in 1935.[4] They had two children.

Football[edit]

His somewhat complex career as an Australian rules footballer lasted, at least, for 16 seasons (1930 to 1945).

He was playing for North Fitzroy[5] in the Sub-District League in 1930 and 1931.[6][7] He played in one game for Collingwood Seconds in 1932,[8][9][10][11][12] and then returned to North Fitzroy.[13] He was cleared from "Collingwood" to Preston, by the VFL Second Eighteens, on 23 May 1933;[14] and from "North Fitzroy" to Preston, by the VFL Permit Committee, on 24 May 1933.[15]

He played in 9 games for Preston in 1933 and 1934; and, on 5 June 1934, he was cleared from Preston to Brunswick.[16] He played in 22 games for Brunswick in 1934 and 1935.

In 1936 and 1937 he was captain-coach of Fitzroy Districts.[17] On 13 April 1938 he was cleared from Fitzroy District (which had disbanded) to Preston.[18][19] He played 10 games for Preston in 1938; and, then, on 19 April 1939, was cleared from Preston to "Richmond Amateurs",[20] only to be cleared from Preston to Williamstown on 15 June 1939.[21] He played 29 games (15 goals) for Williamstown in 1939 and 1940, including the winning 1939 Grand Final team and the losing 1940 Preliminary Final.

In April 1941, he was cleared from Williamstown to Geelong;[22] and, then in May 1941, from Williamstown to Preston.[23] He played in three matches for Preston in 1941.[24]

Due the various pressures of World War II, there was no VFA competition in 1942, 1943, or 1944. On 14 April 1945, in the first round of the 1945 VFA season, he played for Preston, against Northcote, at the Preston City Oval.[25] Four days later, the VFL granted him a clearance to Fitzroy from Preston,[26] and Fitzroy listed him as an "old player" in its final training list for 1945.[27] He played in the Fitzroy Seconds for the entire 1945 VFL season, including Fitzroy's 9.3 (57) to 9.16 (70) Grand Final loss to Footscray.[28][29][30]

Boxing[edit]

He was also a middleweight/Light heavyweight boxer of some note.[31][32][33] Including bouts while he was serving with the RAAF,[34][35] Stokes fought in 19 professional bouts between 1933 and 1944, with 9 wins (3 by OK), 6 losses (2 by KO), and 4 draws.[36]

Military service[edit]

He served in the RAAF from January 1944 to July 1946;[37] and, while doing so, he also continued to play football,[38] as well as competing as a boxer.

Death[edit]

He died at Northcote, Victoria on 31 October 1985.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Holmesby & Main (2014), p. 839.
  2. ^ Deaths: Parsonage, The Age, (Thursday, 24 April 1919), p. 1.
  3. ^ Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Births Registration no.29451/1912.
  4. ^ Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria Marriages Registration no.4235/1935.
  5. ^ As of 1936, the same club was known as the Fitzroy District Football Club, in the Sub-District League: (Third Eighteens, The Argus, (Thursday, 27 February 1936), p. 11; V.J.F.L. Teams, The Argus, (Tuesday, 24 March 1936), p. 14).
  6. ^ Sub-District League, The Box Hill Reporter, (Friday, 22 August 1930), p. 6.
  7. ^ Sub-District League: Second Grade, The Argus, (Monday, 29 July 1931), p. 5.
  8. ^ Reserves/VFL Players R-Z, Collingwood Forever.
  9. ^ Nine Clubs will stage Practice Games, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Saturday, 26 March 1933), p. 19.
  10. ^ Collingwood's Four Teams, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Saturday, 26 March 1933), p. 19.
  11. ^ League Seconds, The Argus, (Monday, 9 May 1932), p. 12.
  12. ^ Second Eighteens, The Age, (Monday, 9 May 1932), p. 12.
  13. ^ "W. Spokes' return from Collingwood Seconds has added strength to North Fitzroy's following division, a place that has been weak this season" (News & Notes from Field and Training Room, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 8 June 1932), p. 9).
  14. ^ Second Eighteens' Transfers, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Wednesday, 24 May 1933), p. 12.
  15. ^ League Clearances, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Thursday, 25 May 1933), p. 14.
  16. ^ C.P., "Preston refuses McEachern a clearance to Fitzroy", The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Wednesday, 6 June 1934), p. 23.
  17. ^ The VFA Project.
  18. ^ Permits Granted, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Thursday, 14 April 1938), p. 45.
  19. ^ Sub-District Permits, The Argus, (Thursday, 14 April 1938), p. 20.
  20. ^ Switch of Players, The Age, (Thursday, 20 April 1939), p. 6.
  21. ^ Lively V.F.A. Discussion, The Argus, (Thursday, 15 June 1939), p. 24.
  22. ^ W. Spokes for Geelong, The Age, (Wednesday, 16 April 1941), p. 12.
  23. ^ League Players for Association, The Argus, (Thursday, 8 May 1941), p. 12.
  24. ^ He was, in fact, selected five times but only played three times (The VFA Project).
  25. ^ Association Teams: Preston v. Northcote, The Argus, (Friday, 13 April 1945), p. 13.
  26. ^ Football: Many Permits Granted, The Age, (Thursday, 19 April 1945), p. 5.
  27. ^ League Football: Fitzroy has Talent, The Age. (Wednesday, 18 April 1945), p. 5.
  28. ^ League Seconds, The Age, (Friday, 27 April 1945), p. 5.
  29. ^ League Seconds Grand Final, The Argus, (Friday, 21 September 1945), p. 12.
  30. ^ 2nds Premiership to Footscray, The Herald, (Saturday, 22 September 1945), p. 11.
  31. ^ Boxing, The Argus, (Tuesday, 12 December 1933), p. 12.
  32. ^ Boxers showered with money, The Argus, (Monday, 25 October 1937), p. 26.
  33. ^ Williams, Merv., "The Boxing Game as I see It", The Sporting Globe (Wednesday, 19 October 1938), p. 14.
  34. ^ R.A.A.F. Boxers at Stadium, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Thursday, 2 December 1943), p.11.
  35. ^ Advertisement, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 7 October 1944), p.4. Champion woodchopper Jack O'Toole was also the undefeated Victoria Police Heavyweight Boxing Champion from 1942 to 1955; see: Arnold, J. (2012) "O’Toole, John (Jack) (1917–1983)", in Nolan, M. (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 18: 1981-1990, L-Z, Carlton: Melbourne University Press.
  36. ^ Bill Stokes, at BoxRec.
  37. ^ Nominal Roll.
  38. ^ For instance, Millard, P.J., "Unbeated RAAF teams in big game at St. Kilda, The (Melbourne) Herald), (Thursday, 1 June 1944), p. 12, and RAAF Grand Final at Collingwood, The (Melbourne) Herald), (Saturday, 8 September 1945), p. 11.

References[edit]

  • Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  • World War Two Nominal Roll: Corporal William Ambrose Spokes (146707), Department of Veterans' Affairs.

External links[edit]

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