Edward Messenger was born in 1881 in Annan, Dumfriesshire. He married Rachel Margaret Hogg early in 1905 in Heworth, Durham.
Arriving in Australia after 1911 but before the war, Private Messenger enlisted in early 1916 and was serving in France with the 34th Battalion by Christmas that year. He was awarded a Military Medal for,
conspicuously good service during the period 16th September, 1918 to 11th November, 1918. This Non Commissioned Officer displayed great coolness and bravery under heavy enemy artillery and machine Gun fire in the attack on the HINDENBURG Line in September, 1918. Sergeant MESSENGER has been with his Battalion for the last two years. In the engagements at MESSINES, ZONNEBEKE and PASSCHENDAELE, he distinguished himself by his fearlessness and complete disregard for personal danger. His work throughout has been consistently fine.
In football terms he represents a minor though not rare case of a player without a record in the pre-war press who played substantially in theatres of war – at least 8 times for his 34th Battalion. After his return he refereed in the Maitland region.
The point to be made is that no-one who played for the 34th would have had zero football experience. It begs the question of where did he learn to play and how good was he. Perhaps his age (35 at enlistment) suggests that he learned his football in Scotland and was too focused on work to bother with soccer here.
He was a busy, conscientious member of his community, appointed Trustee of the Pelaw Main Reserve in 1928 and later involved in the Kurri Kurri Retired Mineworkers Association. On the debit side he was once fined 10 shillings for drinking in a pub out of hours, in April 1931! He died on 13 November 1953 in Weston, New South Wales, at the age of 72.