Bruce Sloss

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Bruce Sloss
Personal information
Birth January 21, 1889, East Malvern
Recruited from
Height and weight 180 cm / 76 kg
Death January 4, 1917 (aged 27),
Armentières, France
Playing career¹
Debut May 4, 1907,
Essendon vs. Melbourne, at
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Team(s) Essendon (1907-08)
  • 3 games, 0 goals

South Melbourne (1910-14)

  • 81 games, 44 goals

Total - 84 Games, 44 Goals
¹ Statistics to end of 1914 season
Career highlights

Bruce Moses Farquhar Sloss (January 21, 1889 - January 4, 1917) was an Australian rules footballer who played as a follower with Essendon and South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and with Brighton in the Victorian Football Association (VFA).

Contents

[edit] Early life

Bruce Sloss, the youngest son of John and Christina Sloss, was born in East Malvern on 21 January 1889.[1]

As he grew up he was a keen footballer and cricketer, and he taught Bible classes at the Malvern Presbyterian Church — where his name appears on its Roll of Honour.[2] He was handsome, stood tall, and had a wonderful tenor voice.[3]

[edit] Essendon

When just 18, Sloss was invited to train with Essendon. He played his first match in round 2 of the 1907 season against Melbourne.[4] He played one more senior match for Essendon that year, against Geelong, in round 8; and he played his third and last senior game for Essendon in round 2 of the 1908 season.[5]

[edit] Brighton

Having realized that he would not gain regular selection with Essendon, he left Essendon after that second round match and went to the VFA Club, Brighton.[6]

He played for Brighton for the remainder of the 1908 season, the entire 1909 season, and the first half of the 1910 season.

In 1909, he played for the VFA team that was beaten by 19 points by the South Australian Football League (SAFL), 7.8 (50) to 4.7 (31).[7] He was one of the best on the ground for the VFA team.[3]

[edit] South Melbourne

South Melbourne took some time to obtain a VFL clearance permit for him to play with them.[3]

He was not able to play his first match for South Melbourne until the round 10 match of the 1907 season against Richmond.[8]

Playing as a follower, he was tallish for his era and somewhat lightly framed; he was, however, renowned for his speed and agility, and for his high marking ability, and the accuracy of his long kicking.[3]

By the next season (1911), he was so well established as a champion that he won the Champion of the Season award.[9] He played a number of representative games for Victoria, including playing for Victoria in the 1914 A.N.F.C. Carnival in Sydney.

In his last VFL match, the 1914 Grand Final against Carlton — which Carlton won 6.9 (45) to an innacurate South Melbourne's 4.15 (39)[10] — Sloss ran himself into the ground, and nearly won the game off his own boot; and, despite South Melbourne losing, many considered Sloss to be the best player on the ground.[3]

The eminent sporting journalist Jack Worrall — the former Australian Test cricketer and Fitzroy footballer, and the former Carlton coach and incumbent Essendon coach — writing in The Australasian, had this to say of Sloss's performance:

Sloss had no superior on the ground, his glorious efforts in the last quarter stamping him as a great footballer. He possesses all the qualities, but is apt to attempt the impossible on occasions. He marked, kicked, and ran like a champion, and almost pulled the match out of the fire by his brilliant efforts.[3]

[edit] Engineer

Sloss was employed as a maintenance engineer at a jam factory. He invented (and patented) a method for cutting melons into cubes that involved revolving circular wheels (instead of fixed knife blades) which prevented the fruit being reduced to a pulp. An article in The Recorder reported that his invention had "revolutionised the jam-making industry".[11]

[edit] Soldier

Sloss enlisted in 1915, and was trained as a machine-gun officer. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 17 January, 1916, and was assigned to the 10th Machine Gun Company, First A.I.F. (the unit in which his oldest brother Roy also served). The Unit arrived in England in July 1916. Whilst the Unit was in camp (on 3 September), Sloss was promoted to Lieutenant.

[edit] Soldier and footballer

On Saturday October 28, 1916, an Australian Rules football match was held between two teams of Australian servicemen in aid of the British and French Red Cross at Queen's Club, West Kensington.

Sloss was the captain of the victorious Third Australian Divisional Team which beat the Australian Training Units team 6.16 (52) to 4.12 (36) (see [1]).

[edit] Death and burial

Sloss died instantly, behind the lines near Armentières, when a German shell landed near him, exploded and showered him with white-hot shrapnel on 4 January 1917. He was 27. He is buried at the Cité Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentières, in Northern France.

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ He was the youngest of eight: Roy, who served in the First A.I.F. and was wounded in France, Biddy, Jock (John Stewart Sloss), who fought in France, James, who served at Gallipoli, spent three years as a prisoner of the Turks, and was awarded a Meritorious Service Medal (Honours and awards: James Mackenzie Sloss), Christina, Cookie, Hector, and Bruce. (Main & Allen, (2002), p.179. First World War Nominal Roll (Sloper, Frederick Charles — Sly, Eric Alfred)
  2. ^ Main & Allen, (2002), p.179.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Main & Allen, D., (2002), p.180.
  4. ^ Maplestone, (1996), p.450; AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): Essendon Football Club 1907.
  5. ^ Maplestone, (1996), p.451; AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): Essendon Football Club 1908.
  6. ^ The Brighton Football Club, along with the Northcote Football Club, were admitted to the VFA in 1908, to compensate for the defection of the Richmond Football Club and the Melbourne University Football Club to the VFL at the end of the 1907 season.
  7. ^ Full Points Footy: Intercolonial And Interstate Match Results 1899 to 1914
  8. ^ AFL Player Statistics (Round by Round): South Melbourne Football Club 1910.
  9. ^ Ross, (1996), p.78.
  10. ^ Blueseum: Grand Final, 1914.
  11. ^ Main & Allen, (2002), pp.180-181.

[edit] References

  • Main, J. & Allen, D., "Sloss, Bruce", pp.179-183 in Main, J. & Allen, D., Fallen — The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War, Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002. ISBN 1-740-95010-0
  • Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872-1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-959-17402-8
  • Ross, J. (ed), 100 Years of Australian Football 1897-1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported, Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. ISBN 0-670-86814-0

[edit] External links