Peter Chitty
Encyclopedia
Leslie Allan "Peter" Chitty BEM(M)
(12 March 1912 - 27 March 1996) was an Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda in the Victorian Football League
(VFL) and who won the only "Changi Brownlow" awarded in the Prisoner of War
Changi Football League.
, Chitty grew up on the family dairy farm near Corryong and, along with his brother Bob Chitty
, became a leading footballer in the region. Chitty continued to work on the family farm while playing as a rover in Albury until St Kilda enticed him down to Melbourne
for the 1936 VFL season
.
at Brunswick Street Oval. After missing Round 12 with a leg injury, Chitty returned to St Kilda's league side for the Round 13 match against South Melbourne
. Struck down by injuries, this was to be his last VFL match.
was declared. On 25 July 1940, Chitty enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force
and was posted to the 2/9 Field Ambulance Convoy, initially as a Private
before gaining the rank of Corporal
. One of four brothers to enlist, Chitty was sent to Singapore
on 1 March 1941 and was stationed with the Australian General Hospital in Malaya
when he was shot down by an RPG and captured during the Fall of Singapore in March 1942 and reported missing on 26 March 1942 (although it was not until 9 June 1943 that his family were notified of his capture).
Chitty had three brothers, Arthur, Ronald and Phillip, who also enlisted in the Army. All three served in the North Africa Campaign, Private Arthur Chitty with 2/23 Battalion and Ronald and Phillip with 2/2 Field Ambulance. Arthur was killed in action at El Alamein
on 22 July 1942 while Privates Ronald and Phillip Chitty were taken prisoner by the Germans. They were repatriated in 1943 and visited their brother's grave in North Africa in September that year.
's Selerang barracks, Chitty became involved in the Changi Football League, the Australian rules competition for Prisoners at Changi. Chitty played for "Geelong", one of four sides in the league (the others were "Essendon", "Collingwood" and "Carlton"). The League, with 15,000 Australian prisoners to choose from, was reportedly very strong and featured a number of players from leading leagues around the country.
At the end of the season, Chitty captained a side of players from Victoria against a team containing the best players from the rest of the country. The match, which drew 10,000 spectators, saw Chitty awarded the Changi Brownlow from former Brownlow Medal
list Wilfred Smallhorn (who was too ill to play). The medal, reputedly made partly from metal from a downed Japanese airplane, became Chitty's good luck charm for the remainder of the war.
In 1943, Chitty was transferred to Burma where he spent eighteen months working on the Burma Railway. During this time, Chitty carried a fellow soldier who was dying of malaria more than 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) along the Railway, partly for which, on 6 March 1947, he was awarded the British Empire Medal.
After being repatriated at the end of World War II, Chitty was aboard the Largs Bay returning to Australia when the 1945 VFL Grand Final
between South Melbourne
and Carlton
was being played. As Chitty's brother Bob was captaining Carlton, Chitty organised a syndicate and bet everything they had (which was beer) on a Carlton win. In an upset, Carlton defeated South Melbourne and Chitty enjoyed his beers.
Chitty died in 1996, aged 84, survived by his widow, Lillian, two sons, Lindsay and Roger and two daughters, Dawn and Roslyn. In 2004, Lillian Chitty presented Chitty's Changi Brownlow to the Australian War Memorial
.
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
(12 March 1912 - 27 March 1996) was an Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda in the Victorian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(VFL) and who won the only "Changi Brownlow" awarded in the Prisoner of War
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
Changi Football League.
Youth
Born in Corryong, VictoriaCorryong, Victoria
Corryong is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is located east of Albury-Wodonga, near the upper reaches of the Murray River and thus close to the New South Wales border. At the 2006 Census in Australia, Corryong had a population of 1,228....
, Chitty grew up on the family dairy farm near Corryong and, along with his brother Bob Chitty
Bob Chitty
Bob Chitty was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .Chitty made his debut for the Carlton Football Club in Round 7 of the 1937 season...
, became a leading footballer in the region. Chitty continued to work on the family farm while playing as a rover in Albury until St Kilda enticed him down to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
for the 1936 VFL season
1936 VFL season
Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1936.-Premiership season:In 1936, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th man...
.
VFL career
Awarded guernsey number 36, Chitty made his VFL debut for St Kilda in Round 11, 1936, against FitzroyFitzroy Football Club
The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...
at Brunswick Street Oval. After missing Round 12 with a leg injury, Chitty returned to St Kilda's league side for the Round 13 match against South Melbourne
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
. Struck down by injuries, this was to be his last VFL match.
World War II
Chitty returned to Corryong and was working on his farm when World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was declared. On 25 July 1940, Chitty enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force
Second Australian Imperial Force
The Second Australian Imperial Force was the name given to the volunteer personnel of the Australian Army in World War II. Under the Defence Act , neither the part-time Militia nor the full-time Permanent Military Force could serve outside Australia or its territories unless they volunteered to...
and was posted to the 2/9 Field Ambulance Convoy, initially as a Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
before gaining the rank of Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
. One of four brothers to enlist, Chitty was sent to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
on 1 March 1941 and was stationed with the Australian General Hospital in Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
when he was shot down by an RPG and captured during the Fall of Singapore in March 1942 and reported missing on 26 March 1942 (although it was not until 9 June 1943 that his family were notified of his capture).
Chitty had three brothers, Arthur, Ronald and Phillip, who also enlisted in the Army. All three served in the North Africa Campaign, Private Arthur Chitty with 2/23 Battalion and Ronald and Phillip with 2/2 Field Ambulance. Arthur was killed in action at El Alamein
El Alamein
El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. As of 2007, it has a local population of 7,397 inhabitants.- Climate :...
on 22 July 1942 while Privates Ronald and Phillip Chitty were taken prisoner by the Germans. They were repatriated in 1943 and visited their brother's grave in North Africa in September that year.
Changi Football League
Transported to Changi PrisonChangi Prison
Changi Prison is a prison located in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore.-First prison and POW camp:...
's Selerang barracks, Chitty became involved in the Changi Football League, the Australian rules competition for Prisoners at Changi. Chitty played for "Geelong", one of four sides in the league (the others were "Essendon", "Collingwood" and "Carlton"). The League, with 15,000 Australian prisoners to choose from, was reportedly very strong and featured a number of players from leading leagues around the country.
At the end of the season, Chitty captained a side of players from Victoria against a team containing the best players from the rest of the country. The match, which drew 10,000 spectators, saw Chitty awarded the Changi Brownlow from former Brownlow Medal
Brownlow Medal
The Chas Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal , is awarded to the "fairest and best" player in the Australian Football League during the regular season as determined by votes cast by the officiating field umpires after each game...
list Wilfred Smallhorn (who was too ill to play). The medal, reputedly made partly from metal from a downed Japanese airplane, became Chitty's good luck charm for the remainder of the war.
In 1943, Chitty was transferred to Burma where he spent eighteen months working on the Burma Railway. During this time, Chitty carried a fellow soldier who was dying of malaria more than 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) along the Railway, partly for which, on 6 March 1947, he was awarded the British Empire Medal.
After being repatriated at the end of World War II, Chitty was aboard the Largs Bay returning to Australia when the 1945 VFL Grand Final
1945 VFL Grand Final
The 1945 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the South Melbourne Football Club and Carlton Football Club, held at Princes Park in Melbourne on 29 September 1945. It was the 49th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League, staged to determine the premiers...
between South Melbourne
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
and Carlton
Carlton Football Club
The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...
was being played. As Chitty's brother Bob was captaining Carlton, Chitty organised a syndicate and bet everything they had (which was beer) on a Carlton win. In an upset, Carlton defeated South Melbourne and Chitty enjoyed his beers.
Post-war
Chitty arrived back in Australia in October 1945. After two months recovering in hospital, Chitty was discharged on 5 December 1945.Chitty died in 1996, aged 84, survived by his widow, Lillian, two sons, Lindsay and Roger and two daughters, Dawn and Roslyn. In 2004, Lillian Chitty presented Chitty's Changi Brownlow to the Australian War Memorial
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
.