Preston Football Club – 1938 Team Photo

Back Row: Don Whitechurch, Thomas ‘Garmah’ Jones, Edwin Gilbert, Kevin Brown, Norm Campbell, Jack Haskett, Bob Muir, Bill Maslen, (Bill Spokes – not playing)

Middle Row: A. Eaton (trainer – seated), Joe Beagley, Jack Clarke, Wyn Murray, George Colban, Alf Roach, Ron Warren, Rex Job

Front Row: Les Ross, Frank Dowling, Aubrey Robinson, Phil Dunstone

1938 Preston Football Club photo, from Round 10, 13 July 1938, which was the Monday of the King’s Birthday weekend.

Preston 20.15.135 defeated Coburg 11.19.85

Game Details (note – date incorrect) and players – The VFA Project

The journey began in 2020, to try and identify as many of the faces standing alongside my Grandfather, Alf Roach, in this 1938 Preston Team Photo, taken at Preston City Oval, Cramer Street, Preston.

After much searching, many findings, a mistaken belief or two corrected, and even the occasional contact with actual direct descendants, the identifications currently appear as above.

As always, happy to hear of any corrections, confirmations, or absolutely anything of interest in relation to the photo, and the people pictured in it.

While this post has been completely updated (as at March 2026), a bit of a history of how all this began, as well as how it unfolded, can still be found in these posts –

Part 3

Part 2

Part 1

Edward Gordon ‘Don’ Whitechurch – 18-3-1910 – 26-3-1966. Preston 1935-1936, 1938 (18 games)

Not listed on the above VFA Project link as playing, but as found on Trove, is listed as the 19th man, in the team published in The Sun News Pictorial on Friday 10 June, 1938 –

Back row, first player on the left.

1938 team photo, and enlistment photo.

Thomas Togarmah ‘Garmah’ Jones – 22*-2-1915 – 20-12-1998. Preston 1937 – 1939 (38 games)

*From enlistment papers. Wikipedia states 21-2-1915

Back row, second from left.

1938 team photo, and enlistment photo.

Edwin Cord Gilbert – 10-12-1916 – 30-5-1998. Preston 1937-39 (31 games)

Identified by process of elimination, knowing that Edwin was in both the 1937 and 1938 photos.

A later photo found, on Trove, of a Mr E.C. Gilbert, a ‘merchandising director’ at Paterson’s Pty Ltd, a furniture and television retailer, gave hope of another photo.

Hard to say conclusively that it’s Edwin Cord Gilbert, however the face shape, chin, hairline, and eyebrows, all suggest it could well be.

And then there is another positive, and that is that on his enlistment papers, Edwin Gilbert stated that his occupation was that of a furniture salesman.

Back row, third from left.

1937 and 1938 team photos.

And the photo of Mr. E.C. Gilbert, published in The Argus, on 14 June, 1956, with thanks to Trove.

Kevin John Brown – 23-9-1915 – 18-2-1980. Preston 1935-40 (57 games).

Back row, fourth from left.

1937 and 1938 Preston team photos.

1940 Preston team photo, and the Premiership photo with Preston CYMS, following the 1933/34 cricket season.

Norman ‘Norm’ Campbell – 4-3-1919 – 9-1-1981. Preston 1937-38 (18 games). Collingwood 1939-42, 1946 (68 games).

Back row, fourth player from right.

1938 Preston team photo, 1941 and 1942 Collingwood team photos.

John Maurice ‘Jack’ Haskett – 25-6-1911 – 5-3-1992. Preston 1937-39 (28 games). North Melbourne 1933 (3 games).

Back row, third from right.

1938 Preston team photo, 1934 Northcote team photo, and enlistment photo.

Robert ‘Bob’ Muir – 6-4-1907 – 11-6-1973. Preston 1935-39 (68 games), Collingwood 1927-29, 1931-32 (33 games), Footscray 1933-34 (22 games), Fitzroy 1934 (2 games).

Back row, second from right.

1937 and 1938 Preston team photos, and earlier days at Collingwood.

William Batt ‘Bill’ (Also known as ‘Socks’) Maslen – 1-1-1916 – 8-10-1974. 173cms. Preston 1935-41, 1945-49 (172 games). St Kilda 1939-40 (20 games).

Back row, first player from right.

1937, 1938 and 1940 Preston team photos.

1941 Preston team photo, and 1944 Preston Seconds team photo.

Rupert Arthur ‘Joe’ Beagley – 30-4-1912 – 22-10-1995. Preston 1936-40 (64 games).

Middle row, first player on the left.

1937, 1938 and 1939 (taken at Prahran) Preston team photos.

1939 (taken at Preston) Preston team photo, and 1940 Coburg team photo.

Jack Clark – 18-11-1911 – 27-12-1980. Preston 1935-41 (104 games).

Middle row, second on left.

1938 and 1939 (at Prahran and Preston) Preston team photos.

1940 and 1941 Preston team photos.

1933 South Gambier team photo and enlistment photo.

George Wynyatt ‘Wyn’ Murray – 4-7-1908 – 21-12-1947. Preston 1934-1940 (61 games). Melbourne 1929-34 (65 games).

Middle row, third from left.

1937 and 1938 Preston team photos, and enlistment photo.

Lloyd George ‘George’ Colban – 22-3-1917 – 19-5-1990. Preston 1938-40 (27 games).

Middle row, fourth from left.

1938 and 1939 (Prahran) Preston team photos, and enlistment photo.

Alfred Dennis Stephen ‘Alf’ Roach – 22-4-1918 – 25-8-2012. Preston 1938-41 (60 games).

Middle row, third from right.

1938 and 1939 (at Prahran and Preston) Preston team photos.

1940 Preston team photo, and caricature from a 1940 VFA Recorder.

Ronald Roy ‘Ron’ Warren – 3-4-1917 – 1-8-1995. Preston 1938-39 (16 games)

Middle row, second from right.

1938 Preston team photo, and enlistment photo.

Rexford Frederick ‘Rex’ Job – 9-8-1910 – 24-5-1999. Preston 1937-39 (44 games). Carlton 1931 (1 game).

Middle row, far right.

1938 and 1939 (at Prahran) Preston team photos, and 1935 Carlton seconds team photo.

Leslie Welton Hugh ‘Les’ Ross – 13-8-1916 – 6-3-2011. Preston 1938-41, 1946 (57 games).

Front row, first player on the left.

1938 and 1939 (at Prahran and Preston) Preston team photos.

1940 and 1941 Preston team photos, and enlistment photo.

Francis John ‘Frank’ or ‘Dickie’ Dowling – 6*-6-1911 – 9-4-1991. Preston 1931-1941 (160 games).

*There is some confusion on the exact date, with it being either 6 June, or 7 June.

Front row, second from left.

1931, 1932, 1933, 1934 Preston team photos.

1937, 1938, and 1939 (at Prahran) team photos.

1939 (at Preston), 1940 and 1941 Preston team photos.

Aubrey Arthur Mostyn Robinson – ??-??-1912^ – 6-10-1985. Preston 1933*, 1935-38 (54 games)

^Year found on Births, Deaths and Marriages, but actual date yet to be found.

*1933 games have been allocated to Len Robinson, on the VFA Project site. With a number of Robinsons at Preston in the 1930s, games tallies may not be completely accurate.

Front row, second from right.