Herbert "Boxer" Milne (8 February 1884 – 20 December 1930) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fitzroy Football Club and South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1900s.

Herbert Milne
Milne in 1907
Personal information
Full name Herbert Eric Day Milne
Nickname(s) Boxer
Date of birth 8 February 1884
Place of birth Benalla, Victoria
Date of death 20 December 1930(1930-12-20) (aged 46)
Place of death Colombo, Sri Lanka
Height 183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight 76 kg (168 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1902–1910 Fitzroy 122 (69)
1911–1912 South Melbourne 031 (14)
Total 153 (83)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
1908 Victoria 3 (1)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1912.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 1908.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

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The son of John Milne (1855-1921),[1][2][3][4] and Mary Lavinia Milne, née Landorf,[5][6] Herbert Milne was born at Benalla, Victoria on 8 February 1884.

One of his two brothers, Hector Norman Milne (1880-1960), who played two seasons (1899-1900) with Richmond and two seasons with North Melbourne (1902-1903) in the VFA, enlisted in the First AIF (Service no.953) and lost an eye from a bayonet wound whilst serving.[7][8][9][10]

Football

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Fitzroy

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A follower, Milne had a distinguished career at Fitzroy where he won best and fairest awards in both 1908 and 1910. As part of a strong Fitzroy side he played in four successive Grand Finals, winning back to back flags in 1904 and 1905. He was also a Victorian interstate representative and appeared in the Australasian Championship, which took place at Melbourne in 1908.[11][12]

South Melbourne

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Milne crossed to South Melbourne in 1911.

"After an internal political dispute in the summer of [late] 1910, Milne was one of ten Fitzroy players to leave for other clubs." — Donald (2005), p.59.

In 1912, he played in their Grand Final loss to Essendon. He suffered a knee injury in this game and retired as a result.

Military service

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Milne enlisted in the First AIF in July 1915,[13] and served overseas with the 14th Field Ambulance.[14] In late 1917 suffered serious wounds when hit by machine gun bullets in his left thigh.[15]

Death

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An employee of the Vacuum Oil Company, he died at sea near Colombo, Sri Lanka when returning to Australia on the P & O's S.S. Moldavia,[16] from a business trip to England.[17] He was buried at sea, near Columbo.[18][19]

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Deaths: Milne, The Age, (Monday, 25 April 1921), p.1.
  2. ^ Deaths: Milne, The Argus, (Tuesday, 26 April 1921), p.1.
  3. ^ Personal, The Zeehan and Dundas Herald, (Thursday, 28 April 1921), p.2.
  4. ^ Comrade John Milne Dead: The Passing of a Good Laborite, The (Melbourne) Labor Call, (Thursday, 28 April 1921), p.3.
  5. ^ Marriages: Milne—Landorf, The Illustrated Australian News, (Wednesday, 24 December 1879), p.206.
  6. ^ Death Notices: Milne, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Tuesday, 28 January 1936), p.20.
  7. ^ Hector Milne, at The VFA Project.
  8. ^ "Milne, _NM03", at The VFA Project.
  9. ^ North Melbourne v. Richmond: A Good Game Marred by Bad Umpiring, The North Melbourne Courier and West Melbourne Advertiser, (Friday, 6 June 1902), p.3.
  10. ^ Footballers in Action: Hector Milne, The Winner, (Wednesday, 6 December 1916), p.8.
  11. ^ Donald (2005), pp.58–59.
  12. ^ Footballers in Action: Boxer Milne, The Winner, (Wednesday, 6 December 1916), p.8.
  13. ^ Old Footballer Enlists, The (Melbourne) Herald, (Monday, 19 July 1915), p.6.
  14. ^ Nominal Roll.
  15. ^ "PRIVATE HERBERT MILNE". The Ballarat Courier. Vol. VII. Victoria, Australia. 1 November 1917. p. 4.
  16. ^ ss Moldavia (1922—1938), pandosnco.co.uk.
  17. ^ Sharland, W.S., "'Boxer' Milne: Passing of a Great Footballer", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 10 January 1931), p.1.
  18. ^ Died at Sea: Passenger for Melbourne, The (Adelaide) News, (Tuesday, 30 December 1930), p.1.
  19. ^ Deaths: Milne, The (Melbourne) Herald, Tuesday, 6 January 1931), p.15.

References

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