Hedley Tomkins | Demonwiki (original) (raw)

DOB: 11 June <1885>
Died: 6 February <1965>

Debut: Round 1, 1906 against at Princes Park
Last Game: Round 18, 1913 against at

From: Fitzroy/Leopold/Preston

Number: 11 (1912), 17 (1913)

Honours
Victorian state player - <1913>

Games: 71 (75 total)
Goals: 25
Career Statistics

Tomkins joined at 15-years-old, but after four senior games in <1904> they released him for being too small even as a rover. Crossing to Melbourne via a year at Leopold, he played one season before leaving for Preston in the .

He returned to the VFL in <1910> and by <1912> was being hailed as one of the best rovers in the competition. He only missed Victorian state selection that year because he was unable to make the game due to business commitments. He instead played in a game representing the league against a side from Ballarat.

Tomkins stayed with the Redlegs until the end of <1913>, a year he won a newspaper award for Player of the Year. Transferred west by his employer, Tomkins joined East Perth for <1914> and played five times for Western Australia that season. During <1915> he also coached the side.

Enlisting in the Army in August of that year, he left for Europe at the conclusion of the season to serve with the 28th Battalion in France. Tomkins was injured on duty and received five wounds on the ankle, five in the abdomen, two on his right arm and a piece of shrapnel in the left. He had eight operations and lost his leg as a result of the injuries. He was unable to travel back to Australia for six months afterwards.

He became a football journalist after returning to Australia.

Lists

Players who served during war

Media
Argus - 27/04/1906, 28/04/1910
Football Record - R15 1912
Herald - 18/11/1916
Weekly Times - 25/11/1916
Sporting Globe - 21/05/1932

Links
Demonwiki image gallery
VFA Project profile
War record
Wikipedia profile