John Robert Walter Redman (10 July 1914 – 5 July 1945) was an Australian rugby league player who played of the 1930s and an

RAAF The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...

officer who was killed in the Pacific theatre of

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Background

John Robert Walter Redman was born at

Canterbury, New South Wales Canterbury is a suburb of western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Canterbury is located south-west of the Sydney central business district in the City of Canterbury-Bankstown. The former City of Canterbury (New South Wales ...

in 1914, and played rugby league from a young age.

Playing career

He debuted in first grade for

University A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

in 1933 and played 10 games for the club between 1933 and 1934. After completing his studies, he joined Balmain in 1935 and went on to become one of the best lock-forwards in Sydney rugby league until his last season in 1940. Redman was selected for NSW City Firsts, playing in one representative game in 1939.

Military career and death

He joined the

in 1941 and did not play rugby league again. He rose to squadron leader and was shot down over

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

on 5 July 1945, five days before his 31st birthday.Sydney Morning Herald : 10 July 1945, page 8 "Jack Redman Killed"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Redman, Jack 1914 births 1945 deaths Australian military personnel killed in World War II Australian rugby league players Balmain Tigers players City New South Wales rugby league team players Royal Australian Air Force officers Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Rugby league locks Rugby league players from Canterbury-Bankstown Sydney University rugby league team players 20th-century Australian sportsmen