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| Born | George Fletcher Hart 10 February 1909 Christchurch, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Died | 3 June 1944 (aged 35) Sora, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 79 kg (174 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Waitaki Boys' High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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George Fletcher Hart (10 February 1909 – 3 June 1944) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A wing three-quarter, Hart represented Canterbury at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1930 to 1936. He played 35 matches for the All Blacks including 11 internationals, scoring a total of 28 tries. [1]
Educated at Waitaki Boys' High School, where he played in the 1st XV rugby team in 1924 and 1925, Hart was the 1931 New Zealand national 100 yards champion, in a time of 10.4 seconds, although he finished second behind American athlete, George Simpson. [1] [2]
He was selected by the editors of the 1935 Rugby Almanac of New Zealand as one of their 5 players of the year in 1934.
He married Maisie Chambers Harris of Christchurch on 1 April 1937. [3]
Hart served in the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War II, rising to the rank of captain in the 20th Armoured Regiment. [4] He was killed by a shell on 3 June 1944 during the advance towards Rome after the Battle of Monte Cassino, [1] and was buried at Cassino War Cemetery. [5]
