Jack Shelton

John Thomas "Jack" Shelton (24 January 1905 — 1 May 1941) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda and South Melbourne. He was killed in action in Tobruk in 1941.

As a VFL footballer, he was sometimes known as "J. A. Shelton" (rather than "J. T. Shelton" ), with the "A" most likely a reference to Avenel, in order to distinguish him from the other Jack Shelton, John Frederick "Jack" Shelton, a prolific goalkicker, recruited from Koo Wee Rup in 1926, who was playing for St Kilda at the same time.

Family
The son of Richard John and Jane Elizabeth Shelton (née Skinner), he was born at Avenel, Victoria on 24 January 1905. As a young lad of 7, Jack's father had been saved from drowning in swollen Hughes Creek, Avanel by a young Ned Kelly, aged 10.

Jack married Winifred Emma Planck Gadd in 1932. He was the father of John Shelton (born 13 August 1933) and Hawthorn's Bill Shelton (born 13 July 1936), and the uncle of Essendon's Ian "Bluey" Shelton.

Education
He was educated at Brighton Grammar School as a boarder, and he later attended Dookie Agricultural College.

Footballer
[[Image:John Thomas Shelton (St Kilda).jpeg|thumb|75px|right|Jack Shelton,

St Kilda (1929)]] Although he began as a forward and rover, throughout his later senior football career he played as an either a backman or in the ruck. He was a tough player who played hard and fair.

It is important to note that Main and Allen, (2002, p. 336) have, along with Feldman and Holmesby (1992), become confused between this Shelton (John Thomas "Jack" Shelton) and the other St Kilda Shelton (John Frederick "Jack" Shelton). This Jack Shelton was not in the St Kilda team that played against Geelong at the Corio Oval on 7 August 1926,but John Frederick "Jack" Shelton did play for St Kilda on that day. Therefore, the "Shelton" mentioned in the account of the thuggery directed, particularly, at Geelong's Arthur Rayson (who also worked as the caretaker at the Corio Oval), by members of the St Kilda team, and the account of the spectators' response to Rayson's injury (which included broken ribs), specifically directed at "Shelton", refers exclusively to John Frederick "Jack" Shelton, and not "this" Shelton (as Main and Allen have mistakenly supposed).

In fact, although a very tough and relentless footballer, this Jack Shelton, unlike his team-mate John Frederick "Jack" Shelton, was never reported, let alone suspended, in his entire football career.

St Kilda
He received his clearance to play for St Kilda on 28 April 1926. He played eleven senior games for St Kilda in his first season, playing his first game, on the half-forward flank, against Hawthorn at the Junction Oval on 5 June 1926.

He returned to Avenel for the 1927 season; and, once again, came back to play with St Kilda in mid-1928, resuming his senior career in the eighth round match against Essendon, in the first ruck, at Windy Hill, on 4 June 1928. Shelton played very well in his first game back in the VFL, and St Kilda won by 9 points. He played eleven senior matches for St Kilda in 1928 (rounds 8 to 18 inclusive) and six in 1929, with his last match against Richmond, at the Punt Road Oval on 13 July 1929 (round eleven).

South Melbourne
He received his clearance to play for South Melbourne on 11 June 1930. He played his first match for South Melbourne, as a back-pocket ruckman, against Hawthorn on 14 June 1930 (round seven). South Melbourne thrashed Hawthorn 17.11 (119) to 9.10 (64), in its first win for the 1930 season.

He played the next two matches (rounds eight and nine), and the last four matches of the season, retiring after playing against North Melbourne at the Lake Oval on 13 September 1930. He was one of the best players in a team that soundly beat North Melbourne 15.19 (109) to 4.14 (38), having kicked 9.6 (60) to 1.1 (7) in the last quarter.

Avenel
He received his clearance to play for Avenel on 3 June 1931. In 1934, in a match against Nagambie, he broke a collarbone.

At the time of his enlistment in the second AIF, in mid-1940, he was still playing football for Avenel, and was the captain of the Avenel team.

Soldier
Both his eldest brother, Private Richard John Shelton (1895-1967), and his second oldest brother, Sergeant Leslie Norman Shelton (1897-1933), had served in the First AIF (they both enlisted on 19 September 1914, with Leslie producing letters of permission from his mother and father).

On 23 July 1940, Jack left his farm, "Mittagong", at Avenel and enlisted in the second AIF aged 35.

After training at Wangaratta, he was promoted to Lieutenant, joined the 2/24th Battalion, and was sent to the Middle East, and then Northern Africa, with the 9th Division.

He was killed in action, at Tobruk, on 1 May1941.

Remembered
His name appears on the Roll of Honour (panel 52) at the Australian War memorial. He has no known grave, and is commemorated at the El Alamein Memorial, in Egypt.

Honours and awards

 * 1939-1945 Star
 * Africa Star
 * War Medal 1939–1945
 * Australia Service Medal 1939–1945