Norm Le Brun

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Norm Le Brun

| image = Norm Le Brun 1934.jpg

| caption = Le Brun in 1934

| fullname = Norman Stanley Le Brun

| birth_date = {{birth date|1908|4|22|df=y}}

| birth_place = Richmond, Victoria

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1944|11|15|1908|4|22|df=y}}

| death_place = Aitape, New Guinea

| originalteam = Richmond Seconds

| height = 171 cm

| weight = 76 kg

| position =

| guernsey = SM. 13
Ess. 13
Col. 1933: 33, 1934: 18
Car. 18

| statsend = 1935

| years1 = 1929

| club1 = South Melbourne (VFL)

| games_goals1 = {{0}}3 {{0}}(2)

| years2 = 1930

| club2 = Sandhurst (BFL)

| games_goals2 =

| years3 = 1931–1932

| club3 = Essendon (VFL)

| games_goals3 = 23 {{0}}(4)

| years4 = 1933–1934

| club4 = Collingwood (VFL)

| games_goals4 = 19 (23)

| years5 = 1935

| club5 = Carlton (VFL)

| games_goals5 = {{0}}5 {{0}}(2)

| games_goalstotal = 50 (31)

| careerhighlights =

}}

Norman Stanley Le Brun (22 April 1908 – 15 November 1944) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne, Essendon, Collingwood and Carlton in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He was one of the few players to play with four different VFL clubs.

Family

The son of Francis Thomas Willimet Le Brun (1876–1952),[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page19722871 Deaths: Lebrun, The Age, (Wednesday, 1 October 1952), p.9.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page19729815 In Memoriam: Le Brun, The Age, (Tuesday, 29 September 1953), p.11.][http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23257810 Missing Friends, The Argus, (Friday, 24 July 1953), p.11.] and Mary Jane Le Brun (1875–1955), née West, Norman Stanley Le Brun was born in Richmond, Victoria on 22 April 1908.[https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1069207/large/5613420.JPG Roll of Honour Circular: Trooper Norman Stanley LeBrun (VX76818), Collection of the Australian War Memorial.]

Football

=South Melbourne (VFL)=

Granted a clearance from Richmond,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article164964095 The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Saturday, 11 May 1929), p.2.] he played 3 senior games for South Melbourne in 1929.

=Sandhurst (BFL)=

Cleared from South Melbourne in April 1930 to Sandhurst Football Club in the Bendigo Football League,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article202255685 Exchange of Players, The Age, (Wednesday, 16 April 1930), p.16.] Le Brun won the inaugural Bendigo Football League best and fairest award, the Fred Wood Medal in 1930.{{cite web |title=Bendigo – Best & Fairest |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/4192188# |publisher=The Argus |access-date=3 March 2021 |pages=13 |date=15 September 1930}}

=Essendon (VFL)=

Cleared from Sandhurst to Essendon Football Club in May 1931,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page18965996 Football, The Age, (Saturday, 2 May 1931), p.14.]

=Collingwood (VFL)=

Cleared from Essendon to Collingwood Football Club in April 1933,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article204892305 Club Notes: Essendon Select Two Recruits, The Age, (Friday, 29 April 1933), p.6.] he played 19 senior games over two seasons (1933–1934).

=Carlton (VFL)=

Cleared from Collingwood to Carlton in April 1935,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12232531 League Clearances, The Argus, (Thursday, 25 April 1935), p.11.] he played in five senior matches.

=Griffith Football Club (LDFA)=

In 1936 he was appointed captain-coach of the Griffith Football Club in the Leeton District Football Association.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article156143049 Australian Rules Football, The Murrimbidgee Irrigator, (Tuesday, 5 May 1936), p.2.]

=South Warrnambool (HFL)=

In 1937 he was appointed captain-coach of the South Warrnambool Football Club in the Hampden Football League.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article225718848 Football and Cricket in County Centres, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 1 May 1937), p.75.]

=Wangaratta (OMFA)=

In 1938 he was appointed as playing-coach of the Wangaratta Football Club in the Ovens & Murray Football Association.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244594929 Barclay, B., "Rippon for Essendon", The Herald, (Wednesday, 6 April 1938), p.28.] Having coached the side to the Association's premiership in 1938, he was re-appointed in 1939.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article205988279 From Forward's Notebook, The Age, (Wednesday 5 April 1939), p.8.]

=Ganmain (SWDFL)=

In 1940 he was appointed as playing-coach of the Ganmain Football Club in the South West District Football League[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article156077637 Australian Rules, The Murrumbidgee Irrigator, (Tuesday, 14 May 1940), p.2.] and coached them to a premiership.{{cite web |title=1940 – Ganmain celebrate premiership victory |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/144324885 |publisher=Daily Advertiser (Wagga Wagga, NSW) |access-date=29 December 2022 |pages=3 |date=17 October 1940}}

Military service

Employed as a bricklayer at the time, he enlisted as a commando in the Second AIF on 26 February 1942, a week after the Bombing of Darwin.Note that all of his official military records (Nominal Roll, etc.) record his family name as "LeBrun" (or "Lebrun") – rather than "Le Brun", whilst the Australian War Memorial records his family name as "Le Brun".

He was killed in action, when shot by a Japanese sniper, on 15 November 1944, in New Guinea during the Aitape–Wewak campaign.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11373587 Army Casualties: Victoria: Australia and the Islands: Killed in Action, The Argus, (Wednesday, 6 December 1944), p.6.]

::… In the Aitape sector, too, is the Le Brun Feature, a steep hill on the Danmap River, and known now simply as Le Brun.
It is named after the first Australian killed in the area, Norman Le Brun, trooper in a cavalry commando squadron, and former well-known Victorian footballer. The Herald, 5 May 1945.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article249166429 Leonard, R.B., "R.B. Leonard Tells How . . . They Gave It a Name, The Herald, (Saturday, 5 May 1945), -.9/]

He is buried at the Lae War Cemetery.[https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2156025/lebrun,-norman-stanley Trooper Norman Stanley Lebrun (VX76818), Commonwealth War Graves Commission.]

Footnotes

References

Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
Main, J. & Allen, D., "Le Brun, Norm", pp. 288–290 in Main, J. & Allen, D., Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War, Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002.
[http://nominal-rolls.dva.gov.au/veteran?id=482316&c=WW2#R Second World War Nominal Roll: Trooper Norman Stanley LeBrun (VX76818), Department of Veterans' Affairs.]
[https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ViewPDF.aspx?B=6064516&D=D Second World War Service Record: Trooper Norman Stanley LeBrun (VX76818), National Archives of Australia.]

External links

{{AFL Tables | N/Norm_Le_Brun }}
{{AustralianFootball|ref=norm%2Ble%2Bbrun/5070}}
[http://www.boylesfootballphotos.net.au/Norm+Le+Brun Norm Le Brun], at Boyles Football Photos.
[http://www.blueseum.org/Norm+Le+Brun Norm Le Brun], at Blueseum.
[https://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/players/norm-le-brun Norm Le Brun], at Collingwood Forever.
[https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1688667 Roll of Honour: Trooper Norman Stanley LeBrun (VX76818), Australian War Memorial.]
[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224919677 The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 11 October 1930), p.36.] Photograph: 1930 Sandhurst Football Team
[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article223838810 The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 26 May 1934), p.37.] Photograph: 1934 Collingwood Football Team
[https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/254977824/ 1938 Ovens & Murray FL Premiers: Wangaratta FC team photo]
[https://kbonreflection.wordpress.com/tag/ovens-and-murray-football-league/page/3/#jp-carousel-5934/ 1938 Ovens & Murray FL Premiers: Wangaratta FC team photo]
[https://kbonreflection.wordpress.com/2017/04/27/the-sad-demise-of-trooper-le-brun/ The sad demise of Trooper Le Brun] at On Reflection