Jim Knight (footballer)

James Bell Knight (3 January 1918 – 11 October 1943) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong and Carlton in the VFL.

Jim Knight
Personal information
Full name James Bell Knight
Date of birth (1918-01-03)3 January 1918
Place of birth Geelong, Victoria
Date of death 11 October 1943(1943-10-11) (aged 25)
Place of death off Goodenough Island, Territory of New Guinea
Original team(s) Presbyterian Guild
Height 173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Weight 73 kg (161 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1939–1941 Geelong 42 (54)
1942–1943 Carlton 15 0(7)
Total 57 (61)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1943.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of Archie Cecil Clarence Knight (1896–1965), and Margaret May Knight (1892–1960), née Paterson, James Bell Knight was born on 3 January 1918.

Football

Geelong

Knight was Geelong's best and fairest player in 1941.

Carlton

He joined Carlton in 1942 after Geelong withdrew from the competition due to the war and spent two seasons with the club.[1]

Military service

While playing at Carlton he received military training; and, in 1943, he joined the RAAF, and served in Papua New Guinea, fighting against the Japanese.

He was killed on 11 October 1943 when the bombs aboard his Douglas Boston bomber (A28-26) exploded after the aircraft crashed during take-off from Goodenough Island in Papua New Guinea. The other two crew members survived the accident.[2][3][4]

Remembered

The runner up in the Geelong Best and Fairest now wins the Jim Knight Memorial Trophy.

See also

Footnotes
  1. Sportsmen's Honor Roll, The Weekly Times, (Wednesday, 20 October 1943), p. 20.
  2. Deaths: On Active Service, The Argus, (Friday, 15 October 1943), p. 2.
  3. Australian Roll of Honor, The Age, (Tuesday, 26 October 1943), p. 4; R.A.A. F. Casualties: Australia and Australian Territories: Killed Aircraft Accident, The Argus, (Monday, 1 November 1943), p. 5.
  4. De Bolfo, Tony, "The Great Fallen: Jim Knight", carltonfc.com, 21 April 2015.

References
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