Sport
2 May, 2025
Oscar's Deep Dive - Sport and War
Last week was ANZAC Day and I thought I would talk about sport played during war and some other interesting links.
Sport and War
One of the most famous sporting moments during wartime happened on December 24, 1914, during World War I, when soldiers from England, Germany, France, and Belgium agreed to a temporary truce.
They met in 'no man's land' to play a game of soccer, celebrate Christmas together, and exchange gifts. For a short time, enemies became friends, sharing laughter and goodwill. But by the end of Christmas Day, the fighting sadly started again.
Australian troops at Gallipoli played a game of cricket at Shell Green as part of a distraction before the big withdrawal.
The Australian War Memorial has a photo of the game, as well as other stories about Australian troops playing sport during the war.
Many Australian sportspeople also served in war. According to the Australian War Memorial’s website, 104 men who were playing in the Victorian Football League (VFL) when World War I started were killed during the war.
The Australian Rugby League (ARL) says there were around 500 players and officials from Sydney and Newcastle who served in World War I too.
Sir (Ernest) Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, who became famous for looking after Australian prisoners of war in Burma, played rugby union for the Wallabies in 1934 and was reportedly buried wearing his Wallabies jumper when he passed away in 1993.
Cricket star Tibby Cotter, Australia’s first genuine fast bowler, was a member of the Australian Light Horse and was sadly shot and killed during the charge of Beersheba in Palestine in 1917.
Keith Miller is known as one of the most well-rounded and likeable sportspeople in Australia’s history. He was an up-and-coming young cricketer when, at 22-years-old, he was drafted into the RAAF and went off to World War II, where he became a fighter pilot.
There are some really good stories on the Australian War Memorial website about sport and war and its where I found the information for my story this week.
Lest we forget all the men and women that served for our country.
