Tommy Corrigan

The son of Thomas Joseph Corrigan, a barber, and Amelia Louisa "Millie" Corrigan (1881–1953), née McIntosh, he was born in North Melbourne on 24 February 1903; a younger brother, Don, was born two years later. His mother was protective of her children, and his father was a difficult man.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10711509 Ill-Treated Wife's Resolve, The Argus, (Friday, 8 January 1909), p.6.] After his father's death (c.1909), his mother went into business for herself, and supported herself and her children running a "shoe uppers factory".Main and Allen (2002), p.228.

He attended a local school, and displayed early talent at both cricket and football.In 1916, he was declared the cricket champion of Napier Street State School ([http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65673084 Extracts from Fitzroy Cricket Club to the Members, Fitzroy City Press, (Saturday, 16 September 1916), p.2]).

He married Alice Grimshaw (1907–1981). They had one child, a daughter, Betty (b.1932). Betty married Bill Robertson, and both her sons, Tom's grandsons, Leigh Robertson (born 21 May 1950) and Glenn Robertson (born 1 November 1952) played for Fitzroy. Leigh played 76 senior games from 1969 to 1974, and Glenn played 50 senior games from 1972 to 1976.

He played football at school, and then for various district junior sides.

Having played well in both of Fitzroy's pre-season practice matches,[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page417867 Football: Practice Matches, The Argus, (Monday, 24 April 1922), p.10]; [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page417998 Football: Practice Matches, The Argus, (Monday, 1 May 1922), p.3.] Corrigan (aged 19) was selected to play in the centre, against St Kilda, in the first round match at the Junction Oval on 6 May 1922. In his first season, he played in twelve of the sixteen senior home-and-away matches, four matches against West Australian teams on Fitzroy's West Australian tour in August 1922,The touring team played four matches: a one-point win over West Perth ([http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article41695472 "Onlooker", "Fitzroy Beat West Perth", Western Mail, (Thursday, 17 August 1922), p.26]), an eleven-point win over East Fremantle ([http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58033919 Fitzroy Defeats East Fremantle, (Perth) Sunday Times, (Sunday, 20 August 1922), p.1]), a sixteen-point loss to a combined West Australian team ([http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58033942 Fitzroy Meet a Better Team, (Perth) Sunday Times, (Sunday 20 August 1922), p.1]), and a 20-point loss to Kalgoorlie ([http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article34238630 Goldfields Beat Fitzroy, (Kalgoorlie) Western Argus, (Tuesday, 22 August 1922), p.4]). and in three finals, including Fitzroy's 1922 premiership side.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1848888 Today's Sport: Football: The Grand Final, The Argus, (Saturday, 14 October 1922), p.29]; [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1849037 Football: Fitzroy First: A Dazzling Six Minutes: Collingwood's Game Effort, The Argus, (Monday 16 October 1922), p.3]; [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=W4gTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8MwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7411%2C1474521 "Pivot", "Fitzroy Premiers: Keen, Strong Game, Maroon's Third Quarter", The Age, (Monday, 16 October 1922), p.11.]

He was Fitzroy's first-choice centre man for his entire career.

He played 16 senior games in 1923, including the Grand Final against Essendon (postponed until 18 October 1923 because of the condition of the MCG),[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1993142 Football: Grand Final Tomorrow, The Argus, (Friday, 19 October 1923), p.4.] which Fitzroy lost by 17 points.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page426024 Football: Essendon Premiers, The Argus, (Monday, 22 October 1923), p.16.] He played 17 senior games in 1924, including three "round robin" final games, 17 senior games in 1925 (he received one best on the ground vote in the 1925 Brownlow medal),At that time only one player per match received a vote. It seems most likely that he was voted best on the ground for his performance against Hawthorn, in the round 10 match ([http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2139190 Hawthorn in the Doldrums, The Argus, (Monday, 13 July 1925), p.16]; [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uxIRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_NcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=992%2C1243258 Fitzroy's Tall Score, The Age, (Monday, 13 July 1925), p.7]) 16 senior games in 1926, 15 senior games in 1927, and 11 games in 1928, his final season with Fitzroy.

Because he was injured during his last match for Fitzroy, playing in the centre, in Fitzroy's 16.9 (105) to 12.9 (81) victory over Geelong, at the Brunswick Street Oval, on 18 August 1928 (he split the web between two of the fingers in his left hand, and had badly bruised kidneys from being kneed in the back by Geelong ruckman Garnet Lamb, and was forced to leave the field before the end of the match)[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3939617 Football: Players Injured, The Argus, (Monday, 20 August 1928), p.6]; [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WtdVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9NcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2662%2C5162377 Player Seriously Injured, The Age, (Monday, 20 August 1928), p.6.] he was unable to play the last match of the 1928 season against South Melbourne a week later.

He left Fitzroy after the 1928 season and went on to play with Northcote.* [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4013376 Football: Association: Permits Granted (T. Corrigan, Fitzroy to Northcote), The Argus, (Thursday, 13 June 1929), p.17.]

He played for Northcote for five seasons. He missed Northcote's 1929 Grand-Final victory, due to a leg injury. However, he did play in Northcote's two Grand-Final losses against Oakleigh in 1930 and 1931, and in Northcote's to grand-Final Victories in 1932 and 1933 against Coburg.

He played his last senior match for Northcote, playing in the centre, against Coburg, on Saturday 7 October 1933, in the Grand-Final.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11698957 "Onlooker", "Association: Grand Final: Northcote or Coburg?", The Argus, (Friday 6 October 1933) p.14.] Northcote won 11.20 (86) to 9.16 (70), with Corrigan one of Northcote's best players; and, immediately the match was over, he announced his retirement.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page523261 "Onlooker", "Association: Premier Team Acclaimed, The Argus, (Monday 9 October 1933) p.14.]

It was a very tight, tough, and spiteful match, particularly in the last quarter where many players completely lost control of themselves, with much ankle-kicking as players passed one another, and many punches thrown in retaliation; all in all, fourteen charges were laid against eight players, including Corrigan and George Rudolph of Coburg, who were reported for striking each other in the last quarter by field-umpire McKinnon.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11699920 Rough Football: Eight Players Charged in Association Final: Fourteen Complaints Preferred, The Argus, (Monday 9 October 1933), p.9.]This was the first time that he had been reported in his five seasons playing in the VFA with Northcote. Also, and in his seven seasons, and 107 senior games with Fitzroy, he had only been reported once: in the very tough drawn match against Essendon, played at a very muddy Windy Hill on 2 July 1927, he was reported for "charging" Essendon's Frank Maher, but the tribunal, meeting on 7 July, found Corrigan not guilty (accepting that the contact between the two players was inevitable, given the extremely muddy condition of the playing surface), and dismissed the charge outright ([http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3865428 Football: League Tribunal, The Argus, (Friday, 8 July 1927), p.4]; [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ldZVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8NcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7063%2C797298 Football: League tribunal, The Age, (Friday, 8 July 1927), p.6]).

At the tribunal hearing on 17 October 1933, Corrigan was suspended for six matches.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7f1hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=lJUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7107%2C4400774 Football: Rough Play Charges: V.F.A. Grand Final Incidents: Duncan, Hart, Rudolph, Corrigan and Bray Disqualified, The Age, (Wednesday, 18 October 1933), p.9.]

On 20 June 1934, Corrigan was granted re-registration with Northcote by the VFA Permit and Umpire Committee.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10948535 Re-registration Granted, The Argus, (Thursday, 21 June 1934), p.16.] There is no record of Corrigan playing any further senior games for Northcote; so, it would seem that Corrigan's re-registration was far more to do with him regaining his lost reputation, than with any desire on his part to continue playing.

In the 1920s, after leaving school, Corrigan had attended a secretarial college and studied shorthand and typing (Main and Allen (2002), p. 229). In 1934, once his football career was over, he found employment as the Registrar of Public Assistance with the Northcote City Council (at his enlistment he described himself as "Officer for Sustenance for the City of Northcote").He gave evidence in this capacity in a court case in 1935 ([http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11745645 Sustenance Worker Fined £60: Income Not Disclosed, The Argus, (Saturday, 6 July 1935), p.21.]). He was renowned for his kindness and compassion for the poor and the unemployed, in the midst of the depression, in one of the most badly affected areas of Melbourne. He was still working in this position when he enlisted in the RAAF.

He enlisted in the RAAF on 16 Jun 1941, and served as a Sergeant in the R.A.A.F during World War II, at 1 Recruit Centre, Russell Street, Melbourne. Even though he was mainly based in Melbourne, he had flown with the RAAF to New Guinea on a number of occasions; this qualified as overseas service, which made his widow, Alice, eligible for a War Widow's pension.Main and Allen (2002), p.227.

Still a robustly fit man, he died at the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, under extremely controversial circumstances, whilst on active service in Melbourne on 9 January 1943. In early January 1943, he was unwell, and he reported to the RAAF doctor who misdiagnosed influenza; finally, a week later, on 9 January 1943, when he was so ill that he could not get out of bed, his wife called in their family doctor, who immediately called an ambulance. The ambulance officers (astonishingly) demanded that he walk from his bed to the ambulance. He died within 30 minutes of his admission to the military hospital: of peritonitis caused by a burst appendix. A subsequent official RAAF court of inquiry into the circumstances of his death, laid the blame for his death on the RAAF doctor's misdiagnosis (see Main, J. & Allen, 2002, pp. 227–229 passim).Unlike almost every other individual listed at List of Victorian Football League players who died on active service, Corrigan's "Service Record", which, amongst other things, would contain all of the details of the inquiry, has not yet been released to the public (as at 1 January 2012) [http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=4594185].

After a funeral with full military honours, attended by many famous footballers, he was buried at the Springvale War Cemetery, Melbourne, Victoria, on Tuesday 12 January 1943[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page621399 Funeral Notices: Corrigan, The Argus, (Tuesday, 12 January 1943), p.9.] (his Northcote teammate Pastor Doug Nicholls, who attended, was not allowed to give a eulogy, because it was a military funeral).

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

{{Reflist}}

• Main, J. & Allen, D., "Corrigan, Tom", pp. 227–229 in Main, J. & Allen, D., Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War, Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002.
• [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11330629 Deaths: On Active Service: Corrigan, The Argus, (Tuesday, 12 January 1943), p.2.]
• [http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11332856 RAAF Casualties: Australia and Australian Territories: Died of Illness (Corrigan, T.J., Northcote), The Argus, (Friday, 5 February 1943), p.4.]

• {{AFL Tables|ref=T/Tommy_Corrigan.html}}
• [http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=889929 World War II Nominal Roll: Thomas Joseph Corrigan (41239)]
• [http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/roll_of_honour/person.asp?p=553823 Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Thomas Joseph Corrigan (41239)]

{{1922 Fitzroy premiership players}}

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Category:1903 births

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Category:Fitzroy Football Club players

Category:Fitzroy Football Club premiership players

Category:Northcote Football Club players

Category:Australian military personnel killed in World War II

Category:Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II

Category:Australian rules footballers from Melbourne

Category:Deaths from peritonitis

Category:Royal Australian Air Force airmen

Category:VFL/AFL premiership players

Category:Military personnel from Melbourne

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Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen