William Downie (3 December 1909 – 11 September 1943) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray and St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Family The son of Thomas Michael Downie (1862-1919),Deaths: Downie, The Argus, (Thursday, 22 May 1919), p. 1. and Elizabeth Downie (1866-1931), née Webster,Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria: Deaths Registration no.12709/1931. William Sheppard Downie was born at Raywood, Victoria on 3 December 1909.Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria: Births Registration no.5836/1909. He married Margaret Maud Gibson (1902-1986), a nurse at the Deniliquin Hospital,"Nurses: Examination Passes: General: Country Dubbo District Hospital", The Sydney Morning Herald, (Friday, 12 December 1930), p. 9."P.O.W. dies of Illness, The (South Deniliquin) Pastoral Times, (Tuesday, 20 March 1945), p. 1. in Melbourne, on 3 November 1934.Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria: Marriages Registration no.12152/1934. They had three children.

Football He played as a ruckman. Footscray (VFL) Recruited from Eaglehawk, Downie and made his VFL debut against North Melbourne at the Western Oval, on 11 May 1929. During the match against Carlton, at Princes Park, on 13 July 1929 Downie was reported for (a) elbowing Carlton's Ansell Clarke, and (b) "unseemly conduct" for the gestures he made responding to a spectator's heckling. The VFL Tribunal met on 18 July 1925, and found him guilty on both charges. He was suspended for eight weeks for elbowing Clarke;Which meant that he was not eligible to play again until round 2 of the 1930 season. and, although found guilty, was only "reprimanded" on the charge of unseemly conduct, rather than receiving an additional suspension."League Tribunal: Downie (Footscray) Disqualified for Eight Weeks", The Age, (Friday, 19 July 1929), p. 6. He went on to play 54 games for Footscray over four seasons (1929-1932).

St Kilda (VFL) Cleared from Footscray to St Kilda in April 1933,"League Club Notes: Footscray clear R. Fisher and W. Downie to St. Kilda", The Age, ((Wednesday, 19 April 1933), p. 7. he played in 15 senior games for St Kilda during the 1933 season, including one (against North Melbourne, at the Junction Oval, on 27 May 1933) within which he continued to play on despite suffering a broken thumb."15 defeat 18: Remarkable Football: St. Kilda's Ten Casualties: Players Seriously Injured", The Argus, (Monday, 29 May 1933), p.9.

Deniliquin (EFL) Downie was captain-coach of the Deniliquin Football Club in the Echuca Football League in 1934 and 1935."Football Coach: W. Downie Appointed: Seventeen Applicants for Position", The (Deniliquin) Independent, (Friday, 23 March 1934), p. 3. Deniliquin won the Echuca Football League premiership in both years: 1934, and 1935.

Northcote (VFA) In May 1936, he was cleared from Deniliquin back to St Kilda,"Downie's Transfer Approved", The (Deniliquin) Independent, (Tuesday, 5 May 1936), p. 1. and, then, from St Kilda to Northcote in the Victorian Football Association (VFA)."Permits Granted: Big List of Players", The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Thursday, 7 May 1936), p. 37. He went on to play in 64 matches for Northcote over 4 seasons (1936—1939).The VFA Project. He was a member of Northcote's 1936 VFA premiership side. In 1938, Downie won both Northcote's best and fairest award, and the VFA's best and fairest award, the Recorder Cup.

On Saturday, 29th May 1938, playing at centre half forward, Downie kicked 12 goals, 8 behinds for Northcote against Coburg.

Military service He served with the 2/105 General Transport Company, in the Second Australian Imperial Force, in World War II."Bill Downie Still Leads Them To Victory", The (South Deniliquin) Pastoral Times, (Saturday, 3 January 1942), p. 2. He was captured in Java in 1942;"663 Victorians in latest list of Missing", The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, Friday, 24 July 1942), p. 16."Victorian Army Casualties: Previous Lists Varied: Overseas: Prisoner of War", The Age, (Wednesday, 6 October 1943), p. 4. and, as a prisoner of war, he worked on the Burma Railway.Service Record.

Death He died of illness ("tropical ulcers") on 11 September 1943 whilst working on the Burma Railway,Deaths: On Active Service: Downie, The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Saturday, 17 March 1945), p. 22."Army Casualties: Overseas: Previously Reported Prisoner of War, Now Reported Died of Illness While Prisoner of War", The (Melbourne) Sun News-Pictorial, (Thursday, 12 April 1945), p. 12. and his remains were (later) transferred to the Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in 1946.Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

See also List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service VFA - Recorder Cup

Footnotes

References Main, J. & Allen, D., "Downie, Bill", pp. 236–237 in Main, J. & Allen, D., Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War, Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002. Australian War World War II Nominal Roll: Private William Downie (VX38839), at Department of Veterans' Affairs. Australian War World War II Service Record: Private William Downie (VX38839), at National Archives of Australia. Second World War POWs and Missing Persons: Private William Downie (VX38839), at Australian War Memorial. Japanese prisoner-of-war record: Private William Downie (VX38839), at National Archives of Australia. Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Private William Downie (VX38839), at Australian War Memorial. Private William Downie (VX38839), at Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

External links

Bill Downie, at The VFA Project