The Sydney Swans have created football history in inducting a father-son combination into their Hall of Fame.

Bill and Len Thomas are the only father and son to play in South Melbourne/Sydney Swans premiership sides, Bill in 1909 and Len in 1933.

Defender Bill Thomas, known as “Sonna”, played 135 games for South Melbourne from 1905-13 and then 62 with Richmond from 1914-19.

South recruited him from the quaintly-named Rose of Northcote club and he developed into one of the best players of his era.

Playing mainly on a half-back flank, Thomas had an exceptional ability to read the play and represented Victoria four times. He was rated one of the best players in South’s two-point defeat of Carlton in the 1909 Grand Final.

Then, when premiership coach Charlie Ricketts announced he was too ill to take charge of the Southerners in 1910, the club turned to Thomas, who was captain-coach over the 1910-11 seasons, with South finishing third both times.

Thomas stepped down in favour of Ricketts in 1912 and, when the South coach was appointed coach of Richmond in 1914, he followed Ricketts to Tigerland as club captain.

Thomas was Richmond captain until 1916 and then continued playing with the Tigers until he broke his leg in two places below the knee during a match in 1919; he never played again.

Len Thomas defied the old saying of “not as good as his father” as he was a star almost from the time he played his first senior game with South in 1927 after being recruited from Albert Park Stars.

Born in South Melbourne in 1908 (while father Bill was playing with the Southerners), Len was a multi-talented young sportsman who also excelled at cricket, basketball and swimming.

The 18-year-old Len spent the 1926 season with the South reserves and was coached by Chris Laird, who had kicked the winning goal in the Southerners’ five-point defeat of Collingwood in the 1918 Grand Final.

He made his senior debut the following season and although he played his earliest games on a half-back flank, he developed into one of the finest centremen in the VFL.

Len held down the centre position in the 42-point defeat of Richmond in the 1933 Grand Final and was rated one of South’s best players, gathering 32 kicks and taking 10 marks.

Former Geelong player Walter “Jumbo” Sharland wrote in the Sporting Globe that “L. Thomas in the centre was particularly brilliant for South”.

Len Thomas, who had won South’s best and fairest in 1931 (and again in 1938), played in South’s losing (to Richmond) 1934 Grand Final side, but moved to country club Horsham as captain-coach the following season.

However, he was far too good not to be playing in the VFL and returned to South in 1936 for three more seasons before being appointed captain-coach of Hawthorn for the 1939 season.

Thomas spent just one season (for 16 games) with the Mayblooms before being appointed coach of North Melbourne in 1940. He played just six games with the Shinboners before he shocked the football world in announcing that he had enlisted in the army for service in World War II.

Sergeant Thomas embarked for the Middle East in 1941 and, after being evacuated, reverted to the rank of private so that he could be trained for commando service.
Tragically, Thomas was killed in action behind enemy lines at Salamaua, New Guinea, on August 17, 1943, leaving wife Edith, son Barry and daughter Lynette. South players wore black armbands for their match against Collingwood the week after news of Thomas’ death reached Australia. Fittingly, the Swans defeated the Magpies by 17 points.

Bill and Len Thomas, father and son, gave the club wonderful service and will always be remembered for their unique achievements.