James Joachim Nicholas MiD (17 November 1890 – 20 September 1917) was an Australian rules footballer who played with

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

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 ...

. He was killed in action, in Belgium, during World War I.

Family

The son of William John Nicholas, and Sarah Nicholas, née Joachim, James Joachim Nicholas was born at

Picola, Victoria Picola is a town in northern Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Shire of Moira local government area, from the state capital, Melbourne. At the , Picola had a population of 334. Picola Post Office opened on 24 August 1878 and ...

on 17 November 1890.

Education

He was educated at

Brighton Grammar School , motto_translation = Let us keep pursuing better things , city = Brighton , state = Victoria , zipcode = 3186 , country = Australia , coordinates ...

. In 1906, aged 15, he passed the matriculation examination. He studied medicine at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...

, graduating as Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.) in 1911, and as Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) in 1913.

Medicine

Following his graduation, and before his military service, he practised medicine jointly with Dr. Richard Horace Gibbs in

Colac, Victoria Colac is a small city in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac. History For thousands of years clans of the Gulidjan people occupied the region ...

Football

A regular player for the University's Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA) team, he played one VFL match for the University team, as a last minute inclusion in a team badly depleted in numbers, in the round 12 match, against Richmond Football Club, at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...

, on 8 July 1911.

Military service

He served in the Australian Medical Corps during the First World War but was killed in action at the

Menin Road Ridge The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, sometimes called "Battle of the Menin Road", was the third British general attack of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle took place from 20 to 25 September 1917, in the Ypres Salien ...

, aged 26, on 20 September 1917,For Freedom's Cause: Killed in Action: Lieut.-Colonel J.J. Nicholas, ''The Bendigonian'', (Thursday, 4 October 1917), p.22Roll of Honor: Victorian List: Killed in Action: "Lieut.-Col. J.J. Nicholas, Echuca East, 20/9/17", ''The Weekly Times'', (Saturday, 27 October 1917), p.31.
/ref> while serving at the Passchendaele front.

Footnotes

Sources

* Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: James Joachim Nicholas.

World War One Service Record: Lieutenant Colonel James Joachim Nicholas, ''National Archives of Australia''.

World War One Nominal Roll: Lieutenant Colonel James Joachim Nicholas, ''Australian War Memorial''.

World War One Embarkation Roll: Captain James Joachim Nicholas, ''Australian War Memorial''.

External links

*
Lieutenant Colonel James Joachim Nicholas (photograph): ''Australian War Memorial''.

Captain James Joachim Nicholas (photograph): ''Australian War Memorial''.

The AIF Project: James Joachim Nicholas, ''UNSW Canberra''.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Jim 1890 births 1917 deaths People educated at Brighton Grammar School Australian military personnel killed in World War I Australian rules footballers from New South Wales University Football Club players