Bill Nolan was recruited to Richmond from the Brighton Juniors Football Club, and he made his senior debut with the Tigers, wearing the No. 7 Yellow and Black guernsey, in the opening round of the 1914 season, against St Kilda at the Junction Oval.
Nolan had an instant impact at VFL level, playing 17 games all-up that season, and a further 13 in 1915, before heading to Egypt and then France to serve his country in what originally was known as the “Great War”.
He was a strongly-built ruckman, who knew how to apply tough (but fair) physical pressure to opponents.
‘Barney’, as he was affectionately known, was a great protector of his smaller teammates, who always walked taller when he was around.
A tram driver in Melbourne, he reached the rank of Sergeant in the Australian Imperial Force (as it was known back then).
But on July 23, 1916 tragedy struck, when Nolan died of wounds he received at Fleurbaix in France.
His death shocked the football world, as he was not only regarded as a top player with Richmond, but a man of wonderful character.
The ‘Richmond Guardian’ correspondent, H.R., subsequently paid a moving tribute to Nolan (as recorded in Jim Main and David Allen’s book, “Fallen: The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War”) . . .
“Big, brave Bill Nolan is reported to have been killed in action. It does not need any superfluous words here to paint his splendid qualities. He was 25 years of age (27, actually), but as I knew him first, only a few years ago, he was just a big, shy, innocent boy. It was after his last season with a junior team, and he had signed on to play with Richmond.
“He would stand around at times and listen to the talk, but it was seldom that Bill ever put an extra word in. But he was by no means unsociable. Once launched into conversation, he could tell, in his own quiet way, some droll stories, and no man that ever had him for a friend ever wished for a better one.
“His career as a League footballer was spread over only two years, but right from the beginning, he was phenomenally successful. In his very first game he showed persistency and pluck that are essentials in a follower, and it was seen that he was going to be a tremendous help to the Richmond side.
“As the games went on he continued to demonstrate his abilities and before the season had gone very far was one of the fixtures on the Richmond board. He played in every game (sic). In the following year he was better than ever, and he was considered one of the best followers in the League.
“There is little doubt that with no war and with football going on as usual, Nolan, with the experience that he gained would have been the champion of them all this season. But when the war broke out Bill Nolan heard the call. He played in most of the football games last year, getting special leave from camp to do so towards the end, and soon after that came, he sailed for the front.
“Nolan soon won his way in the ranks and was made a sergeant. But in Egypt his abilities and popularity with the men won him further recognition, and he was in command of a section.
“Before me, as I write, are letters from Richmond boys who served with Nolan in Egypt. In them are such tributes that few men have ever had.
“Every member of the Richmond football team had a respect for Nolan. So did every supporter of the team. So did the supporters of the other side. The smaller players admired the splendid physical strength of the hefty young giant, and turned to him naturally as their protector. They knew that Bill Nolan would never see a big man bump a little man without himself giving one back.
“But he was a pre-eminently fair player. As fair a footballer as ever went on the field. He was so fair that it affected his game, and often the voice of the crowd has called, 'Too fair, Bill Nolan.' That was his characteristic.
“Those brave boys under him in the training camp on the burning desert in Egypt found out the same qualities in him -- and they loved him for them.
“Physically, Nolan was a grand specimen of the Australian. Well over six feet in his socks, built in proportion, with blue eyes laughing out from his fresh-complexioned face, he looked every inch a leader, and men turned intuitively for him to command. He has played his part and in the Heaven that is all our hopes it is such real men as he will find their best reward.”
Sergeant William Nolan is buried at the Boulogne Eastern Cemetry, Pas de Calais, France.
The full list of Richmond players who fought for Australia in World War 1 and World War 2, is:
World War 1
ARBREW, John Luke: enlisted 21/1/1916; discharged 26/12/1920; rank of Air Mechanic
BANNISTER, Horace Powell: enlisted 18/6/1918; discharged 24/12/1918; Private
BIRTLES, Arthur Albert Rowden: enlisted 7/7/1915; discharged 28/7/1919; Private
BRISTOW, John Mountsteven: enlisted 19/8/1914; discharged 30/3/1919; Lieutenant; received Military Cross
BURCHILL, James Freeman: enlisted 25/10/1918; discharged 24/12/1918; Private
CARTER, Ernest: enlisted 27/10/1916; discharged 24/12/1919; T/Sergeant
CORFIELD, Joseph Michael: enlisted 17/11/1914; discharged 5/2/1916; Private
CORFIELD, Joseph Michael: enlisted 14/2/1916; discharged 13/8/1919; Private
DANKS, Arthur Beethoven: enlisted 12/8/1915; discharged 2/8/1919; Driver
DERRICK, Edward John: enlisted 17/10/1916; discharged 9/4/1918; Private
EASON, Alexander: enlisted 5/9/1916; discharged 8/9/1919; Private
ELLIN, Percy: enlisted 19/10/1916; discharged 25/10/1917; Private
FELL, Claude Allen: enlisted 15/7/1915; discharged 9/8/1915; Private
FELL, Claud Allen: enlisted 9/9/1918; discharged 3/2/1920; Farrier Sergeant
FISHER, Edward Edgar: 20/8/1914; discharged 22/8/1918; Warrant Officer; received Meritorious Service Medal
FOX, Arthur Henry: enlisted 17/8/1914; discharged 31/8/1916; Lance Corporal
GIBSON, Stormouth George Henry: enlisted 17/8/1914; discharged 31/8/1916; Lance Corporal
GODFREY, Bruce Maitland: enlisted 29/4/1916; discharged 5/9/1919; Corporal
GRIFFITHS, David: enlisted 7/8/1916; discharged 10/6/1919; Sapper
HARRISON, Arthur Charles: enlisted 21/6/1915; Lance Corporal; Killed In Action
HAYES, Douglas Leo: enlisted 5/7/1915; discharged 28/7/1919; Driver
HOOD, Edmund Gerald Martin: enlisted 18/3/1918; discharged 24/12/1918; Air Mechanic
HUGGARD, James Francis: enlisted 19/7/1915; discharged 3/4/1919; Lance Corporal; received Military Medal
HUGHES, Francis Vane: enlisted 7/7/1915; discharged 15/12/1919; QM Sergeant; received Meritorious Service Medal
IRWIN, Leslie George: enlisted 5/1/1915; discharged 9/8/1919; QM Sergeant; received Military Medal
JAMES, John: enlisted 24/2/1916; discharged 18/7/1919; Lieutenant; received Military Cross and Bar
KEGGIN, Edward: enlisted 18/9/1911; discharged 30/7/1919; Petty Officer
KIERNAN, Basil Stanley: enlisted 30/7/1918; discharged 15/1/1919; Private
KIRKPATRICK, Lyster Adam: enlisted 17/1/1916; discharged 27/4/1916; Sapper
LEE, Edward Leslie: enlisted 7/3/1916; discharged 8/6/1917; Private; Killed In Action
LYNCH, William David: enlisted 29/3/1915; discharged 23/8/1919; Driver
MacGREGOR, John Murray: enlisted 26/6/1915; discharged 4/2/1920; Staff Sergeant
MAXFIELD, James: enlisted 11/2/1916; discharged 19/9/1919; Private
MAY, Frederick: enlisted 5/3/1917; discharged 24/4/1917; Acting Lieutenant
MAYNARD, Henry Verney: enlisted 19/1/1915; discharged 21/5/1919; Lieutenant
MINOGUE, Daniel Thomas: enlisted 16/3/1916; discharged 27/6/1919; Corporal
MOORE, Edward Vernon: enlisted 29/9/1914; discharged 16/1/1919; Lance Corporal
MORGAN, Frederick Harold: enlisted 5/8/1915; discharged 18/4/1918; Staff Sergeant
MORRIS, Melville Arthur Leslie: enlisted 30/4/1917; discharged 29/3/1920; Gunner
MURRAY, Alexander James: enlisted 19/9/1916; discharged 6/10/1916; Corporal
McCASKILL, Robert James: enlisted 8/11/1916; discharged 4/10/1919; Sergeant
McDONALD, James Alexander: enlisted 26/7/1915; discharged 26/7/1918; Private
McLEAR, George: enlisted 4/6/1915; discharged 20/7/1916; Bombadier
NOLAN, William: enlisted 20/7/1915; discharged 23/7/1916; Sergeant
PARKINSON, Walter George: enlisted 17/11/1914; discharged 4/8/1919; Lieutenant; received Military Medal
POLLOCK, Henry Clyde: enlisted 27/4/1917; discharged 14/3/1920; Lance Corporal
PRICE, Richard Lewis: enlisted 18/8/1914; discharged 3/9/1919; Lieutenant
PRICE, Sydney Alexander: enlisted 16/6/1915; discharged 11/8/1919; Corporal
ROBINSON, Arch: enlisted 17/8/1914; discharged 19/2/1919; Corporal
ROSS, George Edward: enlisted 9/7/1918; discharged 24/12/1918; Air Mechanic
RUDD, William Victor James: enlisted 17/8/1914; discharged 17/9/1915: Private
RYAN, Ignatius Emmett Francis: enlisted 11/12/1914; discharged 4/7/1919; Lieutenant
SALVADO, Alexander Panteleon: enlisted 10/1/1916; discharged 1/6/1918; Sapper
SCOTT, Robert William: enlisted 8/5/1916; discharged 16/1/1918; Private
SHEEHAN, John Joseph: enlisted 12/7/1915; discharged 6/11/1916; Sergeant
STOKESBURY, Albert Hamilton: enlisted 7/9/1915; discharged 23/12/1915; Private
STOTT, Wilfred: enlisted 22/9/1914; discharged 8/3/1919; Staff Sergeant
THORPE, William Francis: enlisted 18/9/1915; discharged 24/9/1915; Private
THORPE, William Francis: enlisted 26/2/1916; discharged 1/5/1916; Private
THORPE, William Francis: enlisted 26/10/1916; discharged 4/2/1917; Private
THORPE, William Francis: enlisted 24/12/1917; discharged 7/3/1918; Private
THORPE, William Francis: enlisted 3/5/1918; discharged 10/6/1918; Private
THORPE, William Francis: enlisted 24/6/1918; discharged 25/6/1918; Private
THORPE, William Francis: enlisted 8/7/1918; discharged 15/11/1918; Private
THRELFALL, George Sylvester: enlisted 23/8/1918; discharged 24/12/1918; Private
TWOMEY, Francis Peterick: enlisted 15/9/1914; discharged 16/11/1916; Sergeant
VALENTINE, George Heinrich: enlisted 20/11/1917; discharged 17/8/1919; Air Mechanic
WEATHERILL, Henry Francis: enlisted 21/7/1915; discharged 7/7/1919; Private
WEEKS, Horace Leslie: enlisted 1/2/1916; discharged 2/1/1920; Corporal
WOOTTON, Stanley Eli: enlisted 17/9/1915; discharged 18/10/1919; Lieutenant
World War 2
ALBISTON, Kenneth Ian
ARBREW, John Luke
AUSTEN, Colin Edward
BAGGOTT, John Henry
BATES, George William Henry
BAXTER, David James
BENTON, William Joseph
BICE, Percy John
BOUCH, Alan Douglas
BOURKE, Francis Michael
BRETT, Stanley Herbert
BROADSTOCK, Jon Harman
BROMAN, Albert Ryno
BROOKS, Keith William
BURKE, Cyril Ignatius
CAHILL, Lawrence William Denmon
CARTWRIGHT, Stuart Albert
CLARK, George Leslie
COLLINSON, Edward John
COLLS, Kevin John
CONNORS, Matthew Thomas
COOK, Frederick George
COOK, Keith Eric
COSGROVE, William Nicholas Pax (Killed In Action)
COTTER, John Francis
CRANE, John Edward
CRAPPER, Thomas Frederick
CURRIE, John Francis Robert
DAVEY, Patrick Joseph
DEAGAN, Kevin
DICKSON, Norman Mons
DOCKENDORFF, Sydney Christopher
DOHERTY, Noel Wilson
DURHAM, Ronald James
EAMES, Jack
EDMONDS, Horace Stephens
EDWARDS, Edward Albert
EVANS, Francis Maxwell
FARMER, Horace Charles
FINCHER, John Alexander
FITZPATRICK, James Neilson
FRASER, Donald William James
GARVIE, William Henry (Killed In Action)
GILES, Leonard George
GISLINGHAM, Robert Arthur
GODFREY, Bruce Maitland
GODING, Frederick Arthur
GRANT, Geoffrey Norman
HANLEY, Edward
HARRIS, Donald William James
HARRIS, Stanley William
HAY, Robert Arthur
HINSON, Joseph Ford
HISLOP, David Gordon
HODGES, Albert Mosely
HOOD, Maxwell William
HOWARD, Francis Joseph
HUGHES, Francis
HULL, Ian Goodman
HUNT, Raymond Gilbert
JAMES, Albert Thomas
JONES, Leslie William
JORDON, Clarence Charles Lewis
JUDKINS, Stanley Lucas
KEGGIN, Edward
KEMP, Arthur Lionel
KENNEY, Vincent Paul
KIGHT, Francis James
LEWIS, Allan James
MacBETH, Roderick John
MARTIN, Norman Desmond
MAYNARD, Henry Verney
MORGAN, Frederick Harold
MORRIS, James William McLaren
MURRAY, Norman Selwyn
McCASKILL, Robert James
McCORMACK, Basil Milton
McCORMICK, John Alexander
McDONALD, Alan Joseph
McEWAN, Thomas Henry
McILVEEN, Robert
McLEAR, George
NAGLE, Phillip Daniel
NELSON, George Anthony
NOTT, Cyril Edwin Henry
NUTTER, Alan John
OAKLEY, Alan Spencer
O’BRIEN, Cyril James
O’CONNELL, Maurice Michael
OGDEN, Stanley Gordon
OGILVIE, Leslie George Colin
O’NEILL, Edward Kevin
PANNAM, Albert Constantine
PARKINSON, Walter George
PATTON, William Leslie
POLLOCK, Henry Clyde
PRICE, Richard Lewis
QUINN, Jack Alban
QUINN, Royston Duggan
RAE, Keith Stanley
RANDALL, Brian Thomas
RIPPER, William Dudley
ROSS, Albert Noel
ROSS, Raymond Robert
RUDOLPH, George Ernest
RUSSELL, Walter Ivan
RYAN, Stanislaus
SCHMIDT, Louis William
SCOTT, Robert
SCRIVEN, Raymond Kirk
SHERMAN, Peter Seaton
SIER, Kenneth Vincent
SMEATON, George Frederick
SMITH, Laird Morton
STAINSBY, Leslie Arthur
STAMMERS, Frederick Nolan
STEELE, Raymond Charles
STEWART, Robert Lee
STREET, Charles Ackroyd
STYLES, Gordon Graham
SULLIVAN, John Desmond
SYMONS, John Sutton
TAYLOR, Laurence William
TOMLINS, Stanley Crawford George
VANDERSLUYS, Stanley Ernest
WALDREN, Bernard
WALLIKER, Robert Arthur
WATSON, Clive Thomas Edward
WESTERN, Albert
WHITE, William Ernest
WHITEHEAD, Joseph Reginald
WIGGINS, Robert
WILSON, Robert John
YATES, Stanley Lancelot
ZSCHECH, Eric Leslie
*Researched, collated and assembled by Alby Irwin.
