Spencer Walklate

Spencer Walklate (11 January 1918 – 3 April 1945) was an Australian rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s and a special operations serviceman who died in the Second World War.

Spencer Walklate
Spencer Walklate.1943
Personal information
Full nameSpencer Henry Walklate
Born(1918-01-11)11 January 1918
Maclean, New South Wales, Australia
Died3 April 1945(1945-04-03) (aged 27)
Papua New Guinea
Playing information
Weight15 st 0 lb (95 kg)
PositionProp, Second-row
Club
Years Team Pld T G FG P
1942–44 St. George 15 2 3 0 12
Source: [1]

Playing career

Spencer "Sam" Walklate was born in Maclean, New South Wales and came to the St. George club in 1942 during WWII. A policeman at Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Walklate was a big strapping front row forward who made an immediate impact at the club with his fearless attack and defence. He played his last game for the Saints on 8 April 1944 after suffering a knee injury.[2][3]

War service

Walklate had enlisted in the Australian Army at the end of the 1943 season and joined an elite special-ops group sent to New Guinea, which was under Japanese occupation at the time.

Death

Listed as missing in action in mid-1945, he is believed to have been tortured and executed by the Japanese during the mission on 13 April 1945.[4] His remains were not discovered until 2013, on Kairiru Island; the remains were buried the following year at Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery.[5]

His name is included on the WW2 Honour Roll at RSL Memorial at Bondi Junction, New South Wales. Spencer Walklate's brother, Eric Mervyn Walklate, was also killed in World War II.[6]

References
  1. "Spencer Walklate - Career Stats & Summary - Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org.
  2. Tigers Triumphant. SMH 9/4/1944 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/168758178?searchTerm=%22spencer%20walklate%22&searchLimits=l-decade=194%7C%7C%7Cl-year=1944
  3. Whitiker/Hudson. Encyclopedia of Rugby League Players, 1995 edition
  4. WW2 Nominal Roll (http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=A&veteranId=291907)
  5. Nolan, Anna (15 June 2014). "Two Australian World War II soldiers laid to rest in Papua New Guinea". ABC News. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  6. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96499156?searchTerm=%22spencer%20walklate%22&searchLimits=
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