Wally Chalmers
| Wally Chalmers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Walter Henry Chalmers | ||
| Date of birth | 16 September 1890 | ||
| Place of birth | Carlton, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 17 November 1966 (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | Brighton, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Carlton District | ||
| Height | 163 cm (5 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Wing | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1911–1918 | Essendon | 73 (11) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1918. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Walter Henry Chalmers (16 September 1890 – 17 November 1966) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Recruited from Carlton District, Chalmers was a wingman and debuted for Essendon in the 1911 season. He played in that year's premiership side and in another premiership side the following year. His career was interrupted by the First World War but he returned to Essendon in 1918 for one final season.
Personal life
[edit]Wally Chalmers was the second of three sons[1] of prominent Australian stage actors George Chalmers (1854–1937)[2] and Katie Towers (1870–1946).[3] George Chalmers was the stage name of George Weeks[4] and Chalmers was born Walter Henry Weeks in Carlton, Victoria on 16 September 1890. He married Harriet Stuart Schilling (1889–1961) in 1914.
VFL career
[edit]Wally Chalmers came to Essendon from the Carlton seconds, and commenced his career in the Victorian Football League (VFL) in 1911. Under the captaincy of David Smith and coaching tenure of Jack Worrall,[5] Chalmers played on the wing, and within the space of his first season, he came to be recognised as the best wingman in the entire league.[6] Essendon finished the season as minor premiers and met Collingwood in the 1911 VFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Chalmers retained his position as a wingman for the game as Essendon defeated Collingwood by a goal, making Chalmers a premiership player in his first ever season at the senior level.
In 1911, Chalmers also represented the VFL in matches against sides from the Ballarat Football League and the Bendigo Football League.
In 1912, Chalmers, this time under the captaincy of Allan Belcher,[5] became a dual premiership player when Essendon defeated South Melbourne in the 1912 VFL Grand Final. Chalmers had once more played a premiership on the wing. He continued his career at Essendon through to 1915, after which Essendon withdrew from the competition due to World War I. When the club re-entered the VFL in 1918,[7] Chalmers continued playing for Essendon, switching his No. 7 guernsey for No. 2, although he would only play a further 6 games before his career at the senior level concluded.[8]
Statistics
[edit]| Season | Team | No. | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Essendon | 7 | 19 | 2 |
| 1912 | Essendon | 7 | 16 | 1 |
| 1913 | Essendon | 7 | 16 | 1 |
| 1914 | Essendon | 7 | 15 | 6 |
| 1915 | Essendon | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 1918 | Essendon | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| Career totals | 73 | 11 | ||
Notes
[edit]- ^ "LIEUT. GEORGE CHALMERS". Winner. No. 143. Victoria, Australia. 18 April 1917. p. 8.
- ^ "STAGE FIGURE PASSES OVER AT 83". The Sun. No. 8663. New South Wales, Australia. 9 October 1937. p. 2.
- ^ "Australian Actress Katie Towers Dead". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. XI, no. 137. New South Wales, Australia. 30 August 1946. p. 10.
- ^ "Old players meet at funeral of actress, 75". The Daily Telegraph. Vol. VII, no. 42. New South Wales, Australia. 1 September 1946. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Essendon Football Club - Club Honours". essendonfc.com.au. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "Essendon Football Club profile". essendonfc.com.au. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "Essendon Football Club - Club History". essendonfc.com.au. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ Wally Chalmers's playing statistics from AFL Tables
References
[edit]- Wally Chalmers's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
- Essendon Football Club profile