RICHARDSON, Victor York
| Service Number: | 283707 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 13 December 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Born: | Parkside, South Australia , 7 September 1894 |
| Home Town: | Fullarton, Unley, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Scotch College, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Insurance Agent, Sportsman, Journalist, Sports Commentator |
| Died: | Fullarton, South Australia , 30 October 1969, aged 75 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Torrens Park Scotch College WW2 Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 13 Dec 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 283707, Royal Australian Air Force | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 1946: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 283707 | |
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 283707 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Kearney
Victor York Richardon (1894-1969)
One of the most famous and accomplished Australian sportsmen of his era, Victor Richardson was also notably the grandfather of the three Chappell brothers, Ian, Greg and Trevor who each represented Australia in Test Cricket with Ian and Greg captaining Test teams.
Victor Richardson served in WW2 in the Air Observer Corps rising to the rank of Flight Lieutenant, serving in Australia, Burma and India.
He was appointed OBE in 1954.
The following biographical details are an extract from the Australian Dictionary of Biography, the full article of which can be found via the link in the sidebar on this page
Victor York Richardson (1894-1969), sportsman, was born on 7 September 1894 at Parkside, Adelaide, son of Valentine Yaxley Richardson, accountant, house painter and decorator and temperance union secretary, and his wife Rebecca Mary, née Malloney. Educated at Kyre (later Scotch) College, Unley Park, he joined the State public service, but devoted most of his abundant energy to sport—gymnastics, basketball, cricket, baseball, lacrosse and Australian Rules football. On Saturdays he played successive matches in different sports.
Richardson always lived in the Unley district, and was identified with Sturt teams. His early versatility lingered; he played State baseball and district lacrosse in 1921, and also tennis and golf; but cricket and football were dominant. A right-hand batsman, he entered State cricket in 1919 and toured New Zealand in an Australian second team in 1921; selected in the 1924-25 Tests against England, he made a fine 138 in Melbourne. He was captain of South Australia from 1921, and of an Australian team in New Zealand in 1928, Test vice-captain against England in 1930 and 1932-33, and Australian captain in South Africa in 1935-36. He also led a North American tour in 1932. His last match for South Australia was in 1937; for Sturt, in 1941.
Almost six feet (183 cm) tall, erect and confident, with light blue eyes and thin moustache, Richardson ('The Guardsman') was an impressive figure. Natural athleticism and superb reflexes made him a magnificent fieldsman—close to the wicket he was freakish, taking hard drives cleanly.
See link for full article.
R. M. Gibbs, 'Richardson, Victor York (1894–1969)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/richardson-victor-york-8205/text14355, published first in hardcopy 1988, accessed online 24 July 2025.
This article was published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, (Melbourne University Press), 1988
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