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| Birth name | George Fletcher Hart | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 10 February 1909 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Christchurch, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 3 June 1944 (aged 35) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | 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 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]
