Stan Bisset

Stan Bisset
Stan Bisset
Born	27 August 1912; Coolum, Queensland
Nationality	Australian
Occupation(s)	Australian national representative rugby union player and military officer
Notable work	Awarded the Military Cross

Stan Bisset

Second World War

.

Early life

Bisset was born in

Australian Rules football ruckman before being persuaded to play rugby.^[1]

Rugby union career

A second-rower, goal-kicker and captain, Bisset played with the

Wallaby tour of Great Britain that was captained by Vay Wilson. The team docked at Southampton on the day when England declared war and after a couple of weeks spent filling sandbags to start the war effort, the squad set sail for Australia having not played a game. Of the unlucky tourists, only Bill McLean, Keith Windon and Len Smith

would return to footballing success after the war.

Second World War

Stan and the team returned home where he joined the

Middle East before Australian forces returned to the South West Pacific in 1942 to defend Australia against the Japanese push through Papua New Guinea on the Kokoda Track

.

After arriving in Papua New Guinea, Stan and Butch were sent up the Kokoda Track to relieve the 39th Battalion who were holding out the Japanese at Isurava. During the battle Stan was wounded by a bullet which grazed an eyebrow, and Butch was wounded in action on the Kokoda Track and died in Stan's arms in 1942. Butch was buried on the Track.

Stan was awarded the Military Cross for actions during the attack on Palliers Hill in the Markham and Ramu valleys in September 1943.