Halcombe George Brock (3 April 1919 – 2 August 1941) was an Australian rules football ruckman who played 24 senior games with Port Adelaide Football Club in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), and 4 senior games with the North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He died as the result of an air collision during a RAAF training exercise on Saturday, 2 August 1941.
Family The son of Denzil William Brock,Familiar Figures: 23. Mr. Denzil W. Brock, Soldier of Fortune, The (Adelaide) News, Monday, 20 October 1930), p.4; Death of Mr. D.W. Brock, The (Adelaide) News, (Wednesday, 10 June 1936), p.7; Funeral Notices: Brock, The Advertiser, (Friday, 12 June 1936), p.7. and Maude Josephine Brock, née Koch,Deaths: Brock, The (Adelaide) Chronicle, (Thursday, 3 April 1952), p.34. of "Fairleigh", Merino, Western Victoria,List of Valuations of the Shire of Glenelg for the Year ending 1918–19: South Riding, The Casterton News and the Merino and Sandford Record, (Monday, 25 November 1918), p.6. he was born on 3 April 1919.Births: Brock, The Argus, (Thursday, 10 April 1919), p.1.
Footballer Exeter Football Club Recruited from the Exeter Football Club in the South Australian Amateur Football League (SAAFL), he played one senior game for Port Adelaide in 1937.Colmer, R., "Effective System Gives Port Lead at Alberton", The (Adelaide) News, (Saturday, 4 September 1937), p.2.
He returned to Exeter for the 1938 season, winning selection in the SAAFL's State team for the Australian Amateur Football Carnival in Launceston.Amateurs Leave for Launceston, The (Adelaide) Advertiser, (Friday, 12 August 1938), p.18. In the match against New South Wales, Brock was the best on ground.S.A. Victory at Football Carnival, The (Adelaide) Advertiser, (Tuesday, 16 August 1938), p.12.
Port Adelaide He returned to Port Adelaide and played for them in the 1939 and 1940 seasons.Heard in the Clubrooms, The (Adelaide) News, (Thursday, 23 March 1939), p.21.
North Melbourne He sustained serious head injuries in a car crash, in Adelaide, on Saturday night, 26 September 1940 (the evening of the S.A. Grand Final between Sturt and South Adelaide)Footballer Injured, The Advertiser, (Monday, 30 September 1940), p.15. – which explains the remarks made about Brock's first appearance for North Melbourne, against Hawthorn, on 5 July 1941: "Recently injured, [Brock] played with one side of his head plastered",Football Flashes from the Grounds, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 5 July 1941), p.3. and "[Brock] was playing at a disadvantage through a recent head injury".Western Australians Prominent, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 12 July 1941), p.39.
Following his enlistment in the RAAF on 6 January 1941, and his subsequent relocation to the RAAF Flying Training School in Victoria,More Sportsmen Rally to the Colors, The (Adelaide) News, (Tuesday, 21 January 1941), p.6. Brock was granted a permit to play with North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) on Saturday morning, 5 July 1941.Taylor, P., "League Four Defined", The Argus, Monday, 7 July 1941), p.8. He played in his first match for North Melbourne that afternoon; and then played on each of the next three Saturdays (i.e., 4 senior games in all).North's Big Recruit, The Age, (Friday, 4 July 1941), p.3.Taylor, Percy, "Football Changes: Interstate Stars Chosen", The Argus, (Friday, 4 July 1941), p.8.Men who play the game, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 23 July 1941), p.10.The Teams, The Age, (Friday, 4 July 1941), p.3.
Death He was killed in an aircraft accident near the You Yangs, on 2 August 1941, during a RAAF training exercise in World War II,S.A. Airman Killed in Crash, The (Adelaide) Mail, (Saturday, 2 August 1941), p.1. when two training aircraft, flying in formation, collided with one another.Planes Collide: S.A. Airman Killed: Three Others Parachute to Earth, The (Grafton) Daily Examiner, (Monday, 4 August 1941), p.3.Funeral of Airman, The Argus, (Tuesday, 5 August 1941), p.3.
Brock had been chosen to play for North Melbourne against Richmond on Saturday 2 August 1941.The Teams, The Age, (Friday, 1 August 1941), p.2. However, because he was unable to get leave from the RAAF,Footballer Dies in Air Crash, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 9 August 1941), p.6. he had to withdraw from the team at the last minute – and he died on that very morning (when he would have, otherwise, already been on his way to the Arden Street Oval).
Coroner's inquest At the coroner's inquest, conducted by Mr Tingate, P.M. on 19 August 1941, evidence was given that the conditions on the day were far from satisfactory – very gusty and, as a consequence, there were many air pockets – and that Brock was a passenger in one of three aircraft flying in a V formation.
At one stage of the training exercise, the trainee pilot (Maurice McGuire 401137)World War II Service Record: Sergeant Maurice McGuire (401137); Australian National Archives: Service Record: Maurice McGuire (401137); Australian National Archives: Service Record: Maurice McGuire (401137).. of Brock's aircraft "signalled to the other pilots to change positions in the V formation, and the plane on the left of the V dropped underneath to take up a new position". Brock's plane hit an air pocket, the pilot (McGuire) "felt a bump, and his plane dropped on to the one beneath" – "[McGuire's] controls failed to respond, and the machine spun down out of control".Plane in Air Pocket Fell on Another: S.A. Man Trapped, The (Adelaide) News, (Tuesday, 19 August 1941), p.3.
The trainee pilot of the other aircraft, Colin Fallon (407785),World War II Service Record: Flight Sergeant Colin Fallon (407785); Australian National Archives: Service Record: Colin Fallon (407785); Australian National Archives: Service Record: Colin Fallon (407785); lost control of his craft immediately after the planes collided. Both he and his passenger, John Distin Hill (407792),World War II Service Record: Flight Lieutenant John Distin Hill (407792);Australian National Archives: Service Record: John Distin Hill (407792). successfully bailed out.RAAF Planes Collide, The (Perth) Daily News, Saturday, 2 August 1941), p.1. However, despite being instructed to bail out by the pilot McGuire (who successfully escaped the aircraft), his passenger Brock did not jump. McGuire stated that "Brock must have felt the crash and known what happened, but still did not jump".The News, 19 August 1941, p.3.
Coroner's verdict The coroner's finding was one of accidental death.Accidental Death, The Age, (Wednesday, 20 August 1941), p.7.
Funeral His funeral was held on Monday, 4 August 1941, at the Springvale Crematorium. His remains were cremated.
Tribute "NORTH MELBOURNE – The team will wear black armbands [in their match against Carlton tomorrow] as a mark of respect to the memory of Leading Aircraftsman H.G. Brock, who was killed in an air accident last Saturday." – The Age, 8 August 1941.Rover Killed in Action, The Age, (Friday, 8 August 1941), p.5. "North and Carlton players stood in silence before the match for George Brock, ex-North player and South Australian airman, who was killed in an air collision last Saturday." – The Sporting Globe, 9 August 1941.Football Flashes from All Grounds, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 9 August 1941), p.3. "In a brief and dignified ceremony before the [Grand Final between Norwood and Sturt on 4 October 1941], the big crowd stood in silence for a minute to honor [the eight] League players who have died on active service in the present war, The chairman of the League (Major E. Millhouse)Death of Sir Eric Millhouse, The Age, (Monday, 27 February 1950), p.2; Many Tributes to Sir Eric Millhouse, The (Adelaide) Advertiser, Monday, 27 February 1950), p.3. told spectators that … they were L.K. Rudd (Port Adelaide),Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Lieutenant Lloyd Kitchner Rudd (SX2923). D. Waite (West Torrens),Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Corporal Donald Godfrey Waite (SX6640). D.L. Carlos (Glenelg),Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Don Lionel Carlos (28456). H.G. Brock (Port Adelaide),Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Leading Aircraftman Halcombe George Brock (407779). A. Exley (Glenelg),Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Private Albert Ira Exley (WX3798). H.R. Farrant (North Adelaide),Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Lance Corporal: Henry Raymond Farrant (SX2224). L. Leahy (Norwood),Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Private Leo Stanislaus Leahy (SX7545). and J. Wade (Port Adelaide).Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Private John Samuel Wade (VX8242)." – The Chronicle, 9 October 1941.Norwood Wins, The (Adelaide) Chronicle, (Thursday, 9 October 1941), p.17.
See also List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service
Footnotes
References Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
Australian War Memorial: Roll of Honour: Leading Aircraftman Halcombe George Brock (407779). World War II Service Record: Leading Aircraftman Halcombe George Brock (407779). Remembering our ANZACS, North Melbourne Football Club, 25 April 2017. Commonwealth War Graves Commission: War Dead Record: Leading Aircraftman Halcombe George Brock (407779).