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

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

Football

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Geelong

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

Carlton

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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

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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

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

See also

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Footnotes

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References

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