BIO

William Jackson and his slightly older brother James shone with Fullarton in the City and Suburban competition before appearing together in one match for Norwood.

That was at Adelaide Oval on the first day of September 1896, if we can believe The South Australian Register - though the rival morning daily, The Advertiser, named only one Jackson in the Norwood team that fought hard before going down to premiership-bound South Adelaide, 6.4 to 4.5.

What we can be certain of is that the Jackson brothers were highly rated Norwood juniors before the new football electorate system split them.  James stayed with Norwood before moving to North Adelaide in 1899.  William had begun a year earlier - on debut in August 1895 he assisted James Newbould with a goal in the first few seconds to launch Norwood on an 11.7 to 4.4 thumping of lowly North Adelaide – but under the new rules had to transfer to South Adelaide in 1897.

VersatileWilliam kicked four goals in his 24 games for South between 1897 and 1901, playing in the 1900 grand final when North Adelaide won its first premiership.  Early in the 1901 season he switched to the new team, Sturt, where he kicked two goals in 14 games. 

He moved to West Adelaide in 1902 and played six games there before falling desperately ill.  He died at the Adelaide Hospital on 11 October 1902 at the tender age of 25.  He had married Isabella Forsyth on 19 July 1899 and their son, William Thomas, was born on 23 January 1903 – three months after the death of his father.



William Thomas Jackson was born in Adelaide on 30 April 1877, the third son of John James Jackson, builder, of Parkside, and his wife Cordelia Elizabeth (Bessie), née Stone.  William had nine siblings, Harriet, Rosina, Ellen, Amelia, John, James, Albert, Matilda and George.


P. Robins, G. Adams, D. Cox, P. Cochinos January 2023

*We thank football historian Trevor Gyss for our picture of William Jackson