William Nicholas Pax Cosgrove (11 November 1918 – 11 August 1943) was an Australian rules footballer who played with
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a ...
in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). I ...
(VFL). He served in the
RAAF
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
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, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, and was killed in action in 1943 when his plane crashed.
Family
The son of John Nereus Cosgrove (1867-1925), and Madelaine Mary Stephanie Cosgrove (1884-1933), née Tracey, William Nicholas Pax Cosgrove was born on 11 November 1918,
Armistice Day
Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, Fran ...
—he was named "Pax" (Latin for peace) in recognition of that fact. He married Dorothy May McLean (1920-) in 1940.
Cosgrove's nephew,
Peter Cosgrove
General Sir Peter John Cosgrove, (born 28 July 1947) is a retired senior Australian Army officer who served as the 26th governor-general of Australia, in office from 2014 to 2019.
A graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Cosgrove f ...
Governor-General of Australia
The governor-general of Australia is the representative of the monarch, currently King Charles III, in Australia.
Military service
He was killed in action on 11 August 1943. While flying between Vivigani and
Bola
Bola may refer to:
People
* Bola (name), a surname and given name
* Darrell Fitton, electronic musician from Manchester, England, AKA "Bola" and "Jello"
Geography
* Bola (volcano), a volcano on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea
* B ...
in the
Territory of New Guinea
The Territory of New Guinea was an Australian-administered United Nations trust territory on the island of New Guinea from 1914 until 1975. In 1949, the Territory and the Territory of Papua were established in an administrative union by the nam ...
Solomon Sea
The Solomon Sea is a sea located within the Pacific Ocean. It lies between Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Many major battles were fought there during World War II.
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of ...
off
Goodenough Island
Goodenough Island in the Solomon Sea, also known as Nidula Island, is the westernmost of the three large islands of the D'Entrecasteaux Islands in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It lies to the east of mainland New Guinea and southwe ...
, killing him and Flight Sergeant Bernard Le Griffon.
See also
*
List of Victorian Football League players who died in active service
Since the inception of the Victorian Football League in 1897, many of its players have served in the armed services, including the Anglo–Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War (in which Melbourne's Geoff Collins served as a fig ...