Albert Gourlay

Who was Albert Gourlay?

Albert John Gourlay was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne and Carlton in the Victorian Football League.

Born in Emerald Hill, Gourlay played his early football at West Melbourne before entering the VFL. He played just three games for Melbourne, in the 1903 VFL season and at the end of the year crossed to Carlton. Playing as a defender, Gourlay made three appearances with Carlton and experienced all possible results, a win, draw and a loss.

He later emigrated to New Zealand, where he got married and worked as a canvasser in Wellington. In 1917 he signed up to serve his adopted country in the war and traveled to the United Kingdom with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Gourlay fought with the 29th Reinforcements of the Wellington Infantry Regiment, B Company, on the front and suffered serious wounds. He had been taking part in some of the final offensives of the war and his death at a military hospital in England occurred just ten days before the ceasefire.