Herb Gilbert, Jr

Herb Gilbert Jr.

Gilbert in 1947
Personal information
Full name	Herbert Michael Gilbert
Born	4 May 1917 Kogarah, New South Wales
Died	31 October 1983(1983-10-31) (aged 66) Bexley North, New South Wales
Playing information
Position	Hooker
Club Years Team Pld T G FG P 1938–43 St. George 89 12 2 0 40 1946–48 Balmain 45 0 2 0 4 Total 134 12 4 0 44 Representative Years Team Pld T G FG P 1940–46 New South Wales 8 2 0 0 6 1942–43 City NSW 2 0 0 0 0

Herbert Michael Gilbert (1917-1983) was a three-time premiership winning and State representative Australian rugby league footballer of the 1930s and 1940s. A hooker who played with the St. George and Balmain clubs, he won premierships and made state representative appearances, both before and after active service in World War II.

Son of Kangaroo great Herb Gilbert, Herb Gilbert, Jr started playing first grade in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership with the St. George club in 1938. In 1940 he began representative playing duties for New South Wales appearing in games III and IV in Brisbane of that year's series against Queensland.

Gilbert played alongside his brother Jack in the St. George Dragons 1941 Grand Final winning team. The following season he again made representative appearances in Brisbane for games III and IV of the interstate series. Gilbert then played in the 1942 Grand Final loss to Canterbury-Bankstown. The outbreak of war then interrupted his football career.

Gilbert's football career was interrupted due to his enlistment in the Australian Army in 1942. He served in the 54 Anti-Aircraft regiment as a gunner and was not discharged from active service until the war was over in November 1945. Both his younger brothers Jack Gilbert and James Gilbert (born 1923) also saw active service. James, like Herb was in the 54th Anti-Aircraft Regiment and was stationed in the Northern Territory