Full name John Brake Name Jack Brake Original team(s) Horsham | Place of birth Horsham, Victoria | |
Date of birth (1890-11-11)11 November 1890 Date of death 16 May 1970(1970-05-16) (aged 79) | ||
Place of death Castlemaine, Victoria | ||
MINI Cooper Union Jack Brake Light & Blinker Fix
John "Jack" Brake (11 November 1890 – 16 May 1970) was a former leading Australian rules footballer who played with University and Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
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Generally regarded as one of University's few great players, Brake usually played in the ruck. He represented Victoria in 1912, and was vice captain of the University side in 1913.
World War I
As with many players at the time, World War I severely interrupted his career. Brake enlisted in the Third Division Artillery of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at the start of the war, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. Brake was stationed with the 3rd Division in London when an Australian rules match was organised for 28 October 1916 between two teams of Australian servicemen in aid of the British and French Red Cross.
Promoted as the "Pioneer Exhibition Game of Australian Football in London", Brake represented the Third Australian Divisional Team against Australian Training Units at Queen's Club, West Kensington before an estimated crowd of 3,000, including the (then) Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), and King Manuel II of Portugal.
Post-war
Brake continued to appear sporadically for Melbourne after World War I, finally retiring in 1921 after 17 matches with Melbourne and 98 VFL matches over all. Brake later became a member of the VFL Tribunal. Brake died in 1970 in Castlemaine.