George Sellars : Rugby Player

Dolphin · Jun 16, 2009

This is one of a series of posts to mark the international Rugby players who died during The Great War. If anyone has further information on the men concerned, I’d be most grateful if it could be added to the thread.

Gareth

Sellars, George Maurice Victor played for New Zealand

Internationals: 2 : 1913 A+ US+

George Sellars was born on 16 April 1886, in Auckland, the son of Edward and Henrietta Sellars.

Played as a Hooker for: Napier Street School Auckland, Ponsonby, NZ Maoris, Auckland, North Island

Profession: Shipwright

Remarks: All Black tour to North America 1913. He played 15 matches for the All Blacks, including 2 Internationals.

War service: 26923, Private, 1st Battalion, Auckland Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, NZ Division, NZEF. He departed New Zealand on the transport Devon on 25 September 1916.

He was killed in action while carrying a wounded comrade on 7 June 1917, at Messines, and is commemorated on the Messines Ridge (NZ) Memorial, Mesen, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

liverpool annie · Jun 16, 2009

SELLARS, Private George M, killed in action, is the third son of Captain E Sellars and grandson of the late Capt Daniel Sellars of Tauranga. He was born in Auckland and attended the Napier Street School before being apprenticed to Mr. G T Nichol, shipwright, Auckland, in whose employ he remained until he enlisted.

AUCKLAND WEEKLY NEWS 05.07.1917

Sellars boarded the troop ship ss 'Devon' on 25th September 1916, bound for Liverpool, England, where he would have carried on with more training at the New Zealand 'Sling' camp in Bulford. After that was finished he travelled to France to join with the 1st Battalion, Auckland Regiment and make ready for the advance on the small German-held town of Messines in Belgium.
George Maurice Victor Sellars was killed during the battle of Messines on June 7, 1917, while carrying a wounded comrade to safety. He was the first of three All Blacks to lose their lives in a fortnight during the offense and defence of Messines; 1913 wing forward Reginald Taylor was killed on June 20, while Jim McNeece, a forward in the 1913 and 1914 teams, died of wounds one day later. The same day as Sellars was killed, another 1913 All Black, James Baird, died of wounds received at Messines.
George's body was never recovered, but his name is recorded on the memorial at Messines, erected to bear witness to New Zealand's share in the Battle. Erected by the New Zealand Government, it is a white stone obelisk surrounded by a small terrace and garden in a woodland setting. It stands on the south-western outskirts of the village of Messines. 128 New Zealand casualties are buried in the cemetery.
Click to expand...

http://www.nixonpictures.co.nz/All_Blacks_WWI_George_Sellars.html

liverpool annie · Nov 7, 2009

George Maurice Victor Sellars b. 16 April 1886 in Auckland d. 7 June 1917 in Messines, Belgium

George Sellars was a member of the first official New Zealand Maori team, in 1910; an All Black in 1913, when he toured North America; a regular in the Auckland front row from 1909 through to 1915, when he joined the army and went to war; and one of 13 All Blacks who died in action during that conflict. He was the first of three Ponsonby All Blacks to be killed in action; Dave Gallaher was also killed in the First World War while Bill Carson was a victim of the second.

A renowned tough guy, recognised as a hard man in a time when all forwards were expected to have plenty of steel in them, Sellars was born in Auckland on April 16, 1886. A shipwright, he had established himself in the Ponsonby seniors as a 20-year-old, in 1906, but such was the competition for Auckland places that he was not to break into the team until 1909. Once Sellars cracked the side he was a first-choice selection.

He played in the great 1909 Ponsonby side, one of five men in the pack who had been, or would be, All Blacks. His consistently strong performances for his club and province caught the eye of the All Black selectors in 1913, no national team having been selected since 1910. A member of the side to North America, he played against Australia at home before leaving. On tour he was one of the leading players, and one of the busiest, appearing in 14 of the 16 matches.

The All Blacks backs were supplied with a torrent of ball throughout the tour which they turned to good advantage, the team scoring 156 tries. All 23 players made it onto the scoresheet at some stage with Sellars finishing near the bottom, only managing two tries. Despite the odd-length halves (30 or 35 minutes were the norm), dirt fields and tightly-blown balls, which told against good goal-kicking, the All Blacks won every match with plenty in hand.

A sure selection but unavailable for the 1914 tour to Australia, Sellars continued to turn out for Auckland until he enlisted and went overseas in 1915. He played 29 times in all for his province, in addition to gaining higher honours with North Island in 1912, and further New Zealand Maori selections in 1912 and 1914.

George Maurice Victor Sellars was killed at Messines, Belgium, on June 7, 1917, while carrying a wounded comrade. He was the first of three All Blacks to lose their lives in a fortnight during that particular battle; 1913 wing forward Reginald Taylor was killed on June 20, while Jim McNeece, a forward in the 1913 and 1914 teams, died of wounds one day later. The same day as Sellars was killed, another 1913 All Black, James Baird, died of wounds in France.
Click to expand...

Ponsonby Districts Rugby Football Club.

liverpool annie · Nov 7, 2009

In Memory of
Private GEORGE MAURICE VICTOR SELLARS

26923, 1st Bn., Auckland Regiment, N.Z.E.F.
who died age 31
on 07 June 1917
Son of Edward and Henrietta Maud Sellars, of 2, Pole St., Ponsonby, Auckland.

Remembered with honour
MESSINES RIDGE (N.Z.) MEMORIAL

http://www.archives.govt.nz/digitalarchive/archives:17521

Log in or Sign up

George Sellars : Rugby Player

Dolphin New Member

Attached Files:

Sellars G M V.jpg

liverpool annie New Member

liverpool annie New Member

Attached Files:

Sellars.jpg

liverpool annie New Member

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

George Sellars : Rugby Player

Thread Tools

Dolphin New Member

Attached Files:

Sellars G M V.jpg

liverpool annie New Member

liverpool annie New Member

Attached Files:

Sellars.jpg

liverpool annie New Member

Share This Page

Useful Searches