The death of Boxer Milne
×
Left ▼
The belated news of the death of Herbert ("Boxer") Milne at sea came as a great shock to thousands of football followers in Melbourne, who were unaware of his illness. Returning from a trip to England in the Moldavia, he died near Colombo on December 29, and was buried at sea. He was aged 46 years.
It is horrible to realise that the war is still claiming its victims. In physique he was tall, spare, wiry, and muscular, and, especially when playing with Fitzroy, was a great follower of untiring energy, whose one object was the ball. Milne was one of those players who may be termed a student of the game, as when on the field he was cognisant of all the moves, and knew the strength and weakness of the opposition as well as that of his own team.
At the interval he was always the man to give those in authority the necessary information why Fitzroy was being beaten, advice that frequently turned prospective defeat into victory. He was an ornament to the game in every way, and though Fitzroy has produced many footballers who, by their exemplary conduct on the field, have been shining examples of how the game should be played, none have deserved the honour more than Boxer Milne.
He also played football with South Melbourne, and was for 24 years an employee of the Vacuum Oil Company.
Passing of great footballer (by W. S. ‘Jumbo’ Sharland, The Sporting Globe)
With a feeling of sadness, football enthusiasts of Victoria and other states learnt of the death of Herbert ("Boxer") Milne', the grand Fitzroy and South Melbourne footballer of pre-war days. Boxer, who was very popular, died on his way home to Australia. The burial was at sea, just outside of Colombo. He was 46 years of age.
Reference to the career of this great athlete is most deserved because he was a top notch footballer. At the age of 17 Boxer joined with Fitzroy in 1902. He played slashing football with the Maroons until 1910. With Bill Walker and Percy Trotter he formed a famous ruck combination that troubled and defeated most rucks in the League. In 1904 and 1905 Fitzroy won the premiership. Boxer was chosen in 1908 as a follower and half-back for the Victorian team that won the first Australian Carnival on the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In 1907 Milne was considered the best man in the Fitzroy colors.
He played good football for South Melbourne in 1911 and 1912.
With the outbreak of war Milne went overseas and was a member of the Army Medical Corps. While abroad he suffered from Ill-health, and came back a different man. Since then he had never been very well, but he bore up stoically. For years he was an employee of the Vacuum Oil Company. His death removes another of the famous Fitzroy players. Jack Cooper was killed in action, and Tom Heeney died a few years ago.
Footnotes
Title: Football: Obituaries
Author: Jack Worrall
Publisher: The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic: 1864-1946)
Date: Saturday 17 January 1931, p.41
Web: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141416976
Title: Boxer Milne: Passing of a great footballer
Author: W.S. Sharland
Publisher: The Sporting Globe (Melbourne, Vic: 1922-1954)
Date: Saturday 17 January 1931, p.1
Comments
This article does not contain any comments.
Login to leave a comment.