Beres Reilly

Beresford Stanley "Beres" Reilly (17 September 1914 – 23 July 1943) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the North Melbourne Football Club, Melbourne Football Club and St Kilda Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Beres Reilly
Personal information
Full name	Beresford Stanley Reilly
Date of birth	(1914-09-17)17 September 1914
Place of birth	South Melbourne, Victoria
Date of death	23 July 1943(1943-07-23) (aged 28)
Place of death	Ierapetra, Crete
Original team(s)	Sixth Scouts
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	71 kg (157 lb)
Position(s)	Wing / Rover
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1935–1936	North Melbourne	08 (2)
1937	Melbourne	03 (1)
1938	St Kilda	02 (0)
Total		13 (3)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1938.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The third of the five children of William John Reilly (1882–1964),^[1] and Winifred Frances Reilly (1886–1964), née Knopp,^[2] Beresford Stanley Reilly was born at South Melbourne, Victoria on 17 September 1914.

He married Mary Margaret Purves on 4 January 1941.^[3]

Football

Representing a Victorian schoolboys team, he tried out for the Footscray Football Club. He wasn't given a game and as such moved on to North Melbourne.

Military service

He was a good friend of Keith Truscott, who was also killed in World War II. Serving as a Pilot Officer in the RAAF, Reilly was killed when his Martin Baltimore aircraft crashed over Crete. All 4 on board died in the crash.^[4][5][6][7]

See also

• List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service

Notes

1. Deaths: Reilly, The Age, (Tuesday, 2 June 1964), p.20.
2. Deaths: Reilly, The Age, (Tuesday, 16 June 1964), p.16.
3. All-White Ensemble Worn by Bride: Reilly—Purves, The Argus, (Monday, 6 January 1941), p.6.
4. RAAF Casualties: Overseas: Previously Missing, Now Presumed Dead: Reilly, The Argus, (Monday, 27 March 1944), p.5.
5. "Beresford Stanley Reilly". rafcommands.com. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
6. Deaths: Reilly, The Argus, (Tuesday, 16 May 1944), p.2.
7. In Memoriam: Roll of Honour – On Active Service: Reilly, The Argus, (Tuesday, 23 July 1946), p.15.

References

• Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
• Main, J. & Allen, D., "Reilly, Beresford", pp. 323–326 in Main, J. & Allen, D., Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War, Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002. ISBN 1-74095-010-0
• World War Two Nominal Roll: Pilot Officer Beresford Stanley Reilly (401583), Department of Veterans' Affairs.
• World War Two Service Record: Pilot Officer Beresford Stanley Reilly (401583), National Archives of Australia.
• World War Two Casualty/Repatriation Record: Pilot Officer Beresford Stanley Reilly (401583), National Archives of Australia.
• Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Pilot Officer Beresford Stanley Reilly (401583).

External links

• Beres Reilly's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Beres Reilly at AustralianFootball.com
• Beres Reilly, at Demonwiki