Cricket in the Great War
Encyclopedia
The onset of World War I
in 1914 brought an end to the "Golden Age"
of English cricket
. Surrey
called off their last two matches without forfeiting their position at the top of the County Championship
, which they thus won for the first time since 1899, and the County Championship was then suspended from 1915 to 1918. In Australia, the Sheffield Shield was contested in 1914–15 despite the ongoing war, but was then suspended until the 1919–20 season. No first-class cricket was played in South Africa from the close of the 1913/14 season until a series of matches against the Australian Imperial Forces cricket team
in late-1919.
At least 210 first-class cricketers are known to have joined up, of whom 34 were killed. The obituary sections of Wisden between 1915 and 1919 contained the names of hundreds of players and officials of all standards who died in the service of their country.
, the Yorkshire
skipper, left their teams to do their duty, and Pelham Warner and Arthur Carr
, who captained Middlesex
and Nottinghamshire
respectively, followed when war was declared. The County Championship
was not immediately abandoned, the MCC
issuing a statement that "no good purpose can be saved at the moment by canceling matches" on 6 August, but attendances plummeted. Jack Hobbs
, who had scored a career best 226 in front of over 14,000 spectators on 3 August, had to rearrange his benefit match from the Oval
, after it was requisitioned by the Army, to Lord's
and on 13 August the MCC announced that all matches arranged at Lord's to September would be postponed.
Grim news of casualties suffered by the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium was already turning the public mood against 'business as usual' and on 27 August a letter written by W.G. Grace was published in The Sportsman
in which he declared that "I think the time has arrived when the county cricket season should be closed, for it is not fitting at a time like this that able-bodied men should be playing cricket by day and pleasure-seekers look on. I should like to see all first-class cricketers of suitable age set a good example and come to the help of their country without delay in its hour of need."
The remaining matches in the Championship were abandoned "in deference to public opinion" while the MCC closed the Scarborough Festival
as "the continuation of first-class cricket is hurtful to the feelings of a section of the public". The last match to be completed, on 2 September, pitted Sussex
against Yorkshire at Hove. "The men's hearts were barely in the game," the periodical Cricket reported at the time, "and the match was given up as a draw at tea." The final match played, twenty five years and a day later, before the outbreak of World War II saw the same sides facing each other on the same ground.
W.G. Grace, who had called for the early abandonment of cricket in his letter to The Sportsman, was reputed to shake his fist at the Zeppelins floating over his South London home. When chided by a friend who pointed out that the fast bowling of Ernie Jones
hadn't discomforted him half so much, Grace replied testily 'But I could SEE him!' Grace had played his second-last match, at the age of 66, for Eltham against Grove Park on July 25, 1914, scoring an unbeaten 69 out of 155 for six declared He died of a stroke on 23 October 1915.
and Lord's
hosted a number of matches between representative services sides, Army regiments and other service units. Club cricket continued, especially in the north of England, where the Lancashire League played in each summer without a break.
Geese were kept on the grass at Lord's while the pavilion at Old Trafford was transformed into a Red Cross hospital. In four years, 1,800 patients were treated there, with beds occupying every possible space, including corridors and stairway landings.
Anzac
soldiers played improvised games cricket under shellfire on Shell Green in Gallipoli
in 1915. The Australians played a game in view of the Turks to give the impression of normality and confidence while the entire force was being secretly evacuated from the beach area.
Robert Graves
recounts a game between officers and sergeants at Vermelles
in France
in 1915, when a bird cage with a dead parrot inside was used as the wicket. The game was abandoned when German machine gun fire at an aeroplane caused falling bullets to land dangerously close to the pitch.
Cricket was played overseas, often in fund raising matches. A game involving an English XII against an Indian team held at the Bombay Gymkhana
in December 1915 for war relief was watched by 40,000 people. J. G. Greig
scored 216 and Frank Tarrant
took 9 for 35.
The only first-class cricketer to be awarded the Victoria Cross
was John Smyth, for conspicuous gallantry with the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs
in India
in 1915. He also received the Military Cross
and was decorated by the Russians. He played his 2 matches for the Europeans at Lahore
, making 3 and 19 in the first and taking a wicket while posting 51 and 27 in the second. He was invalided out the army in the Second World War and became a conservative MP, being created a Baronet
in 1955 and a Privy Councilor in 1962.
Cricket raised funds in other ways. George Robey
, the "Prime Minister of Mirth", auctioned cricket memorabilia, including bats used by W.G. Grace, to raise funds for St. Dunstan's Hostel for Blind Servicemen.
Some cricket was still played in England, with the Australian Imperial Forces, featuring Charlie Macartney, playing an English Army XI at Lord's in July 1917. Lord's was also the scene for a baseball
match between American and Canadian teams watched by 10,000 with the proceeds going to the Canadian Widows and Orphans Fund. Club cricket continued to the extent that it could, with large crowds attending the matches.
Lord Harris, captain of England in the first English Test natch in 1880, took part in a match at Lord's in 1918 between Plum Warner's XI and the Public Schools
. His Lordship, aged 67, scored 11 before being run out.
With the war drawing to a close King George V
watched England play the Dominions at Lord's in 1918. The Dominions opened their batting with South African Herbie Taylor
and Australian Charlie Macartney.
ers enlisted in the armed services, and others undertook war related work in support of the war effort. Taking Surrey as an example, Ernie Hayes
, Bill Hitch
and Andy Sandham
joined the Sportsman's Battalion
of the Royal Fusiliers while fast bowler Neville Knox
became a private
in the Public Schools Battalion
. Herbert Strudwick
, the Surrey wicket-keeper
, worked in a South London munitions plant alongside team mate Razor Smith
. Other cricketers helped in the recruitment drive, with Gilbert Jessop
, promoted to the rank of Captain in the 14th Service Battalion, Manchester Regiment, making speeches encouraging men to join up.
played 9 matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club
, and a couple for HDG Leveson-Gower's XI in 1912 and 1913. He then turned his hand to flying, gaining his pilot's license on a Vickers biplane at Brooklands
in June 1914. He was commissioned into the Royal Naval Air Service
when war broke out and flew missions throughout the war. In April 1915 he and another officer 'observed two submarines lying alongside the Mole at Zeebrugge
' and 'attacked them, dropping four bombs, it was believed with successful results.' On June 7 the same year the Admiralty
reported that 'this morning at 2.30 am, an attack was made on the airship shed at Evere, north of Brussels, by Flight-Lieutenants J. P. Wilson RN and J. S. Mills RN. Bombs were dropped and the shed was observed to be in flames. It is not known whether a zeppelin
was inside, but the flames reached a great height, coming out from both three sides of the shed. Both pilots returned safely.'
A few days later, on June 21, the Admiralty announced that HM King had been graciously pleased to award the Distinguished Service Cross to both Wilson and Mills 'for their services on June 7, 1915, when after a long flight in darkness over hostile territory, they threw bombs on the zeppelin shed at Evere near Brussels
, and destroyed a zeppelin which was inside. The two officers were exposed to heavy anti-aircraft fire during the attack' (London Gazette June 21, 1915).
At the Yorkshire AGM in 1916, Lord Hawke said of Wilson, 'May he continue his splendid work, and be with us when we again resume hostilities on the cricket field:' In the county yearbook for that year there is a photograph of him dressed in naval uniform. He was also awarded the Belgian Order of the Crown (LG Aug 29, 1917), and in the New Year's Honours for 1919 he was awarded the AFC, 'in recognition of distinguished' service' (LG Jan 1, 1919).
In a conflict when the average survival time for R.F.C. pilots could be counted in hours, Wilson was promoted to Major, survived the war and died on 3 October 1959 in Tickton, Beverley
, Yorkshire
. His other claims to fame include winning the Grand National
on 'Double Chance' in 1925.
s highlighting the "Hun's unsportsmanlike attitude to war". J.H. Dowd's The Kaiser
's Cricket depicted a spike-helmeted German soldier playing cricket in a most underhand way. He is shown catching a ball in the field with a net, hitting an umpire with a bat, batting with a net in front of his stumps, pushing a batsman out of his crease before stumping him and bowling a ball from the middle of the pitch.
C.M. Padday's painting of Royal Navy
sailors playing cricket on deck "somewhere in the tropics" shows a ball made of twine attached to wickets made of buckets for easy retrieval when it was hit over the side.
A Punch
cartoon depicted the Germans in more lighthearted manner in a cartoon which showed a German plane flying over a cricket match. The game continues, even as the plane drops its bombs, with the fielders chasing a ball to the boundary. The caption, playing on the German misunderstanding of cricket, shows the German airman's report as saying "We dropped bombs on a British formation, causing the troops to disperse and run about in a panic stricken manner".
The fear of poison gas attacks spreading to England saw the British Government warn citizens to take their gas mask
s everywhere in 1916, just in case. Essex
cricketer and journalist Edward Sewell
was photographed in full cricket gear wearing his mask.
, a hand-held fragmentation grenade
using a technique similar to that of bowling a cricket ball. Training classes were given on how to best do this. A cartoon satirising this was published by Geoffrey Stobie in 1918. The image has two panes; in the left pane, a cricketer is about to deliver the ball, his left arm out in front of him and his right vertically down behind his back holding the ball. In the right pane, this position is mirrored by a soldier, but rather than a cricket ball, he is holding a grenade in his right hand.
The No. 15 Ball grenade
was referred to as the 'cricket ball' grenade. It was ignited by striking the grenade like a match before throwing it at the enemy. It proved unreliable, as it was susceptible to the damp, and was withdrawn after the Battle of Loos
.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914 brought an end to the "Golden Age"
Golden Age of cricket
The Golden Age of Cricket is a term that has often been applied in cricket literature to the period in English, Australian, and American cricket from the formation of the official County Championship in the 1890 season to the outbreak of World War I, which occurred just before the scheduled end of...
of English cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
called off their last two matches without forfeiting their position at the top of the County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, which they thus won for the first time since 1899, and the County Championship was then suspended from 1915 to 1918. In Australia, the Sheffield Shield was contested in 1914–15 despite the ongoing war, but was then suspended until the 1919–20 season. No first-class cricket was played in South Africa from the close of the 1913/14 season until a series of matches against the Australian Imperial Forces cricket team
Australian Imperial Forces cricket team
The Australian Imperial Forces cricket team toured England between May and September 1919, playing 28 first-class matches after the First World War. Its overall record was 12 wins, 4 losses and 12 draws...
in late-1919.
At least 210 first-class cricketers are known to have joined up, of whom 34 were killed. The obituary sections of Wisden between 1915 and 1919 contained the names of hundreds of players and officials of all standards who died in the service of their country.
Abandonment of first-class cricket
With war looming in August, cricketers with military commitments, such as Sir Archibald WhiteArchibald White
Sir Archibald Woollaston White, 4th Bart was an English amateur first-class cricketer, who captained Yorkshire County Cricket Club from 1911 to 1914. He led the team to the County Championship title in 1912...
, the Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
skipper, left their teams to do their duty, and Pelham Warner and Arthur Carr
Arthur Carr
Arthur William Carr was an English cricket player. He played for the Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and the English cricket team, captaining both sides....
, who captained Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
and Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
respectively, followed when war was declared. The County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
was not immediately abandoned, the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
issuing a statement that "no good purpose can be saved at the moment by canceling matches" on 6 August, but attendances plummeted. Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
, who had scored a career best 226 in front of over 14,000 spectators on 3 August, had to rearrange his benefit match from the Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
, after it was requisitioned by the Army, to Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
and on 13 August the MCC announced that all matches arranged at Lord's to September would be postponed.
Grim news of casualties suffered by the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium was already turning the public mood against 'business as usual' and on 27 August a letter written by W.G. Grace was published in The Sportsman
The Sportsman (1865 newspaper)
The first British newspaper titled The Sportsman began publishing from 1865, some six years after the Sporting Life. It ran until 1924....
in which he declared that "I think the time has arrived when the county cricket season should be closed, for it is not fitting at a time like this that able-bodied men should be playing cricket by day and pleasure-seekers look on. I should like to see all first-class cricketers of suitable age set a good example and come to the help of their country without delay in its hour of need."
The remaining matches in the Championship were abandoned "in deference to public opinion" while the MCC closed the Scarborough Festival
Scarborough Festival
The Scarborough Festival is an end of season series of cricket matches featuring Yorkshire County Cricket Club which has been held in Scarborough, on the east coast of Yorkshire, since 1876. The ground, at North Marine Road, sees large crowds of holiday makers watching a mixture of first class...
as "the continuation of first-class cricket is hurtful to the feelings of a section of the public". The last match to be completed, on 2 September, pitted Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
against Yorkshire at Hove. "The men's hearts were barely in the game," the periodical Cricket reported at the time, "and the match was given up as a draw at tea." The final match played, twenty five years and a day later, before the outbreak of World War II saw the same sides facing each other on the same ground.
W.G. Grace, who had called for the early abandonment of cricket in his letter to The Sportsman, was reputed to shake his fist at the Zeppelins floating over his South London home. When chided by a friend who pointed out that the fast bowling of Ernie Jones
Ernie Jones
Ernest Jones was an Australian sportsman, playing Test cricket and Australian rules football....
hadn't discomforted him half so much, Grace replied testily 'But I could SEE him!' Grace had played his second-last match, at the age of 66, for Eltham against Grove Park on July 25, 1914, scoring an unbeaten 69 out of 155 for six declared He died of a stroke on 23 October 1915.
Cricket continues
While first-class cricket had been cancelled in the major cricketing nations, cricket itself continued around the world. In England, the OvalThe Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
and Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
hosted a number of matches between representative services sides, Army regiments and other service units. Club cricket continued, especially in the north of England, where the Lancashire League played in each summer without a break.
Geese were kept on the grass at Lord's while the pavilion at Old Trafford was transformed into a Red Cross hospital. In four years, 1,800 patients were treated there, with beds occupying every possible space, including corridors and stairway landings.
Anzac
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...
soldiers played improvised games cricket under shellfire on Shell Green in Gallipoli
Gallipoli
The Gallipoli peninsula is located in Turkish Thrace , the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles straits to the east. Gallipoli derives its name from the Greek "Καλλίπολις" , meaning "Beautiful City"...
in 1915. The Australians played a game in view of the Turks to give the impression of normality and confidence while the entire force was being secretly evacuated from the beach area.
Robert Graves
Robert Graves
Robert von Ranke Graves 24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985 was an English poet, translator and novelist. During his long life he produced more than 140 works...
recounts a game between officers and sergeants at Vermelles
Vermelles
Vermelles is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A ex-coalmining town, Vermelles is situated southeast of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D39, D75 and D943 roads and by the banks of the river...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1915, when a bird cage with a dead parrot inside was used as the wicket. The game was abandoned when German machine gun fire at an aeroplane caused falling bullets to land dangerously close to the pitch.
Cricket was played overseas, often in fund raising matches. A game involving an English XII against an Indian team held at the Bombay Gymkhana
Bombay Gymkhana
Bombay Gymkhana ,, established in 1875, is one of the premiere gymkhanas in the city of Mumbai, India. It is located in the South Mumbai area and was originally built as a British-only club, designed by English architect, Claude Batley. The Gymkhana Grounds lie in the southern end of the Azad Maidan...
in December 1915 for war relief was watched by 40,000 people. J. G. Greig
J. G. Greig
Canon John Glennie Greig was an Englishman who played most of his cricket in India....
scored 216 and Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant
Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant Frank Tarrant (in full Francis Alfred Tarrant (Melbourne, Australia, 11 December 1880 – 29 January 1951 in Melbourne) was an Australian all-rounder who played with great success for Middlesex in the County Championship in the years before World War I.His record is...
took 9 for 35.
The only first-class cricketer to be awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
was John Smyth, for conspicuous gallantry with the 15th Ludhiana Sikhs
15th Ludhiana Sikhs
The 15th Ludhiana Sikhs was an infantry regiment in the British Indian Army. They could trace their origins to 1846, when they were known as the Regiment of Ludhiana. During the Indian Mutiny they were relied upon to hold Benares throughout the period of the Mutiny...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1915. He also received the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
and was decorated by the Russians. He played his 2 matches for the Europeans at Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, making 3 and 19 in the first and taking a wicket while posting 51 and 27 in the second. He was invalided out the army in the Second World War and became a conservative MP, being created a Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1955 and a Privy Councilor in 1962.
Cricket raised funds in other ways. George Robey
George Robey
Sir George Edward Wade , better known by his stage name, George Robey, was an English music hall comedian and star. He was marketed as the "Prime Minister of Mirth".-Early life:...
, the "Prime Minister of Mirth", auctioned cricket memorabilia, including bats used by W.G. Grace, to raise funds for St. Dunstan's Hostel for Blind Servicemen.
Some cricket was still played in England, with the Australian Imperial Forces, featuring Charlie Macartney, playing an English Army XI at Lord's in July 1917. Lord's was also the scene for a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
match between American and Canadian teams watched by 10,000 with the proceeds going to the Canadian Widows and Orphans Fund. Club cricket continued to the extent that it could, with large crowds attending the matches.
Lord Harris, captain of England in the first English Test natch in 1880, took part in a match at Lord's in 1918 between Plum Warner's XI and the Public Schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
. His Lordship, aged 67, scored 11 before being run out.
With the war drawing to a close King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
watched England play the Dominions at Lord's in 1918. The Dominions opened their batting with South African Herbie Taylor
Herbie Taylor
Herbert Wilfred Taylor MC was a South African cricketer who played 42 Tests for his country including 18 as captain of the side. Specifically a batsman, he was an expert on the matting pitches which were prevalent in South Africa at the time and scored six of his seven centuries at home...
and Australian Charlie Macartney.
"Doing their bit"
210 first-class cricketFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
ers enlisted in the armed services, and others undertook war related work in support of the war effort. Taking Surrey as an example, Ernie Hayes
Ernie Hayes
Ernest George Hayes MBE was a cricketer who played for Surrey, Leicestershire and England....
, Bill Hitch
Bill Hitch
John William "Bill" Hitch, born Radcliffe, Greater Manchester, on 7 May 1886, and died at Cardiff on 7 July 1965, was a cricketer who played for Surrey and England....
and Andy Sandham
Andy Sandham
Andrew Sandham was an English cricketer, a right-handed batsman who played 14 Test matches between 1921 and 1930. He scored over 40,000 first-class runs, but bowled only very rarely; he took just 18 wickets in his career.Sandham made his Surrey debut in 1911, and was capped in 1913...
joined the Sportsman's Battalion
Sportsman's Battalion
The Royal Fusiliers 23rd service battalion and 24th Battalion , better known as the Sportsmen's Battalions, were among the Pals battalions formed in the Great War...
of the Royal Fusiliers while fast bowler Neville Knox
Neville Knox
Neville Alexander Knox was an English fast bowler of the late 1900s and effectively the successor to Tom Richardson and William Lockwood in the Surrey team...
became a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
in the Public Schools Battalion
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
. Herbert Strudwick
Herbert Strudwick
Herbert Strudwick was an English wicket-keeper...
, the Surrey wicket-keeper
Wicket-keeper
The wicket-keeper in the sport of cricket is the player on the fielding side who stands behind the wicket or stumps being guarded by the batsman currently on strike...
, worked in a South London munitions plant alongside team mate Razor Smith
Razor Smith
Razor Smith was a Surrey slow bowler. Nicknamed "Razor" because of his extreme thinness, Smith was generally prone to serious injury and could rarely get through a full season's cricket, but when sound, could command the sharpest off-break among bowlers of his day...
. Other cricketers helped in the recruitment drive, with Gilbert Jessop
Gilbert Jessop
Gilbert Laird Jessop was an English cricket player, often reckoned to have been the fastest run-scorer cricket has ever known, he was Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 1898.Relations...
, promoted to the rank of Captain in the 14th Service Battalion, Manchester Regiment, making speeches encouraging men to join up.
John Philip Wilson
Jack WilsonJack Wilson (Yorkshire cricketer)
John Philip "Jack" Wilson DSC, AFC was an English amateur first-class cricketer, a decorated World War I pilot and winner of the Grand National in 1925.-Early life:...
played 9 matches for Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
, and a couple for HDG Leveson-Gower's XI in 1912 and 1913. He then turned his hand to flying, gaining his pilot's license on a Vickers biplane at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
in June 1914. He was commissioned into the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
when war broke out and flew missions throughout the war. In April 1915 he and another officer 'observed two submarines lying alongside the Mole at Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.-Location:...
' and 'attacked them, dropping four bombs, it was believed with successful results.' On June 7 the same year the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
reported that 'this morning at 2.30 am, an attack was made on the airship shed at Evere, north of Brussels, by Flight-Lieutenants J. P. Wilson RN and J. S. Mills RN. Bombs were dropped and the shed was observed to be in flames. It is not known whether a zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
was inside, but the flames reached a great height, coming out from both three sides of the shed. Both pilots returned safely.'
A few days later, on June 21, the Admiralty announced that HM King had been graciously pleased to award the Distinguished Service Cross to both Wilson and Mills 'for their services on June 7, 1915, when after a long flight in darkness over hostile territory, they threw bombs on the zeppelin shed at Evere near Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, and destroyed a zeppelin which was inside. The two officers were exposed to heavy anti-aircraft fire during the attack' (London Gazette June 21, 1915).
At the Yorkshire AGM in 1916, Lord Hawke said of Wilson, 'May he continue his splendid work, and be with us when we again resume hostilities on the cricket field:' In the county yearbook for that year there is a photograph of him dressed in naval uniform. He was also awarded the Belgian Order of the Crown (LG Aug 29, 1917), and in the New Year's Honours for 1919 he was awarded the AFC, 'in recognition of distinguished' service' (LG Jan 1, 1919).
In a conflict when the average survival time for R.F.C. pilots could be counted in hours, Wilson was promoted to Major, survived the war and died on 3 October 1959 in Tickton, Beverley
Beverley
Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood. The town is noted for Beverley Minster and architecturally-significant religious buildings along New Walk and other areas, as well as the Beverley...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. His other claims to fame include winning the Grand National
Grand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
on 'Double Chance' in 1925.
Cricket in war art
Cricket was used as a theme in cartoonCartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s highlighting the "Hun's unsportsmanlike attitude to war". J.H. Dowd's The Kaiser
Kaiser
Kaiser is the German title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". Like the Russian Czar it is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the personal name of a branch of the gens Julia, to which Gaius Julius Caesar,...
's Cricket depicted a spike-helmeted German soldier playing cricket in a most underhand way. He is shown catching a ball in the field with a net, hitting an umpire with a bat, batting with a net in front of his stumps, pushing a batsman out of his crease before stumping him and bowling a ball from the middle of the pitch.
C.M. Padday's painting of Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
sailors playing cricket on deck "somewhere in the tropics" shows a ball made of twine attached to wickets made of buckets for easy retrieval when it was hit over the side.
A Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
cartoon depicted the Germans in more lighthearted manner in a cartoon which showed a German plane flying over a cricket match. The game continues, even as the plane drops its bombs, with the fielders chasing a ball to the boundary. The caption, playing on the German misunderstanding of cricket, shows the German airman's report as saying "We dropped bombs on a British formation, causing the troops to disperse and run about in a panic stricken manner".
The fear of poison gas attacks spreading to England saw the British Government warn citizens to take their gas mask
Gas mask
A gas mask is a mask put on over the face to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Some gas masks are also respirators, though the word...
s everywhere in 1916, just in case. Essex
Essex County Cricket Club
Essex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
cricketer and journalist Edward Sewell
Edward Sewell
Edward Humphrey Dalrymple Sewell was a first class cricketer. He was born in Lingsugur, India where his father served as an Army officer....
was photographed in full cricket gear wearing his mask.
Grenades and bowling techniques
British and Empire soldiers were instructed to throw the Mills bombMills bomb
Mills bomb is the popular name for a series of prominent British hand grenades. They were the first modern fragmentation grenades in the world.-Overview:...
, a hand-held fragmentation grenade
Fragmentation grenade
A fragmentation grenade is an anti-personnel weapon that is designed to disperse shrapnel upon exploding. The body is made of hard plastic or steel. Flechettes, notched wire, ball bearings or the case itself provide the fragments...
using a technique similar to that of bowling a cricket ball. Training classes were given on how to best do this. A cartoon satirising this was published by Geoffrey Stobie in 1918. The image has two panes; in the left pane, a cricketer is about to deliver the ball, his left arm out in front of him and his right vertically down behind his back holding the ball. In the right pane, this position is mirrored by a soldier, but rather than a cricket ball, he is holding a grenade in his right hand.
The No. 15 Ball grenade
No. 15 Ball grenade
-Overview:The No 15 is a time-fused grenade. It is internally fragmented and uses a cast-iron body.To light the grenade, the user has to remove a covering that was on the fuse, then strike an external Brock matchhead igniter against the fuse....
was referred to as the 'cricket ball' grenade. It was ignited by striking the grenade like a match before throwing it at the enemy. It proved unreliable, as it was susceptible to the damp, and was withdrawn after the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
.
Test cricketers
- Despite his epilepsyEpilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
, Sergeant Colin BlytheColin BlytheColin Blythe , also known as Charlie Blythe, was a Kent and England left arm spinner who is regarded as one of the finest bowlers of the period between 1900 and 1914 - sometimes referred to as the "Golden Age" of cricket.-Career:Blythe first played...
joined the King's Own Yorkshire Light InfantryKing's Own Yorkshire Light InfantryThe King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. The regiment's traditions and history are now maintained by The Rifles.-The 51st Foot:...
at the outbreak of war in 1914. He was fighting with the 12th (S) Battalion when he was killed by shell-fire on the railway between Pimmern and Forest HallForest HallForest Hall is a village east of Benton in North Tyneside in the north of England.-Facilities:There are pubs, social clubs and a shopping centre with a variety of shops, take away food outlets and two restaurants. It has two supermarkets. One is Sainsbury's Local, which opened in November 2007...
near Passchendaele on 8 November 1917, at the age of 38. The slow left armer had taken two and a half thousand wickets for his county and a hundred wickets in 19 Tests for England. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1904. He is buried at Oxford Road Cemetery in BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and his shrapnel punctured wallet rests in the museum at Kent's St Lawrence GroundSt Lawrence GroundThe St Lawrence Ground is a cricket ground in Canterbury, Kent and is the home of Kent County Cricket Club. It is one of the oldest grounds on which first-class cricket is played, having been in use since 1847...
in CanterburyCanterburyCanterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
.
- Albert Tibby CotterTibby CotterAlbert "Tibby" Cotter was an Australian cricketer who played in 21 Tests between 1904 and 1912....
of the Australian 12th Light Horse12th Light Horse Regiment (Australia)The 12th Light Horse Regiment was a light horse regiment of the Australian Army. It was originally raised in 1915 for service during the First World War, the regiment served in the Middle East against the Turks before being disbanded in 1919...
was killed in action in October 1917 by Turkish fire. Before his last action, he tossed up a cricket ball of mud and said to a friend "That's my last bowl, blue. Something's going to happen." He had been one of the great early fast bowlers of Test cricket, playing 21 games and taking 89 wickets, renowned for bowling an intimidating length at high pace. He hit an aging W.G. Grace with a beamerBeamer (cricket)In the terminology of the game of cricket, a beamer is a type of delivery in which the ball , without bouncing, passes above the batsman's waist height. Such a ball is often dangerously close to the batsman's head, due to the lack of control a bowler has over high full tosses...
the first time he faced him and refused to stop bowling at Grace's body, despite the great man's request, causing W.G. to walk off in disgust. To quote the account of the National Army MuseumNational Army MuseumThe National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
: "In April 1915 Cotter enlisted with the Australian Imperial ForceAustralian Imperial ForceThe Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
. He joined the 1st Australian Light Horse Regiment, taking part in the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. Cotter later transferred to the 12th Australian Light Horse and was commended for his 'fine work under heavy fire' during the Second Battle of Gaza in 1917. On 31 October 1917 the 4th Light Horse Brigade, of which the 12th were part, captured Beersheba in a Brilliant cavalry charge. Trooper Cotter, serving as a stretcher-bearer, was shot dead by a sniper as the troops dismounted to engage the enemy." He was buried in the Negev desert, 2 miles south of BeershebaBeershebaBeersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
.
- Two of the famed South African 'googly quartet' fell in the fighting. Gordon WhiteGordon WhiteGordon Charles White was a South African cricketer who played in 17 Tests from 1906 to 1912.White was born in Port St Johns, Cape Province. He died in 1918 in Gaza, Palestine.-References:*...
died of his wounds in PalestinePalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
in October 1916 at the age of 36. He had played 17 Tests for his country, scoring 2 centuries with a best of 147. Major Reggie SchwarzReggie SchwarzMajor Reginald Oscar Schwarz MC, known as Reggie was a South African cricketer and international rugby union footballer.-Early life:...
died in EtaplesÉtaplesÉtaples or Étaples-sur-Mer is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is a fishing and leisure port on the Canche river.There is a separate commune named Staple, Nord.-History:...
, France on 18 November 1918, seven days after the ArmisticeArmisticeAn armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
. He had fought in German South West Africa (now NamibiaNamibiaNamibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
) been wounded twice in action and fell victim, at 43, to the influence epidemicSpanish fluThe 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
which swept through a war ravaged world. He was a major in the King's Royal Rifle CorpsKing's Royal Rifle CorpsThe King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
and had won the Military CrossMilitary CrossThe Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
.
- Second Lieutenant Major BoothMajor BoothThis page is about an English Cricketer. For other persons named William Booth, see William Booth .Major William Booth was a cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1908 and 1914, a season in which he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the...
of the West Yorkshire Regiment was killed in action in July 1916 on the first day of the Somme Offensive, aged 29, when Britain lost 50,000 soldiers killed or wounded. Booth (his Christian name was Major) had been one of YorkshireYorkshire County Cricket ClubYorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
's leading all-rounders and had bowled unchanged with Alonzo DrakeAlonzo DrakeAlonzo Drake was an English first-class cricketer who played 157 matches for Yorkshire between 1909 and 1914...
in consecutive matches in August 1914 as cricket drew to a close. He had taken 181 wickets in all first-class cricket in 1913 and 141 for Yorkshire in 1914. Booth was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1914, the last season before hostilities. After joining up, he had been commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and first served in EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1915 before being assigned to the Western FrontWestern Front (World War I)Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. He was killed near La Cigny on the SommeSommeSomme is a department of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme river. It is part of the Picardy region of France....
on 1 July 1916, while serving with the 15th (S) Battalion, The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own), also known as 'The Leeds PalsLeeds PalsThe Leeds Pals were a First World War Pals battalion of Kitchener's Army raised in the West Yorkshire city of Leeds. When the battalion was taken over by the British Army it was officially named the 15th Battalion , The Prince of Wales's Own .The battalion was formed in September 1914 and...
'. He was buried at Serre Road Cemetery.
- Reginald HandsReginald HandsReginald Harry Myburgh Hands was born in Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa and died in France as a result of injuries sustained on the Western Front during the first Great War, aged just 29. He was a South African cricketer who played in one Test match in February 1914...
died on the Western Front on April 20, 1918 in France. He had played his only Test for South Africa in 1914 against England at Port Elizabeth. He won a rugby BlueBlueBlue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
at Oxford University, as did his brothers.
- Lieutenant Kenneth HutchingsKenneth HutchingsKenneth Lotherington Hutchings was a cricketer who played for Kent and England....
of the King's Liverpool Regiment, attached to the Welsh Regiment, was killed in action by an exploding shell in September 1916. The KentKent County Cricket ClubKent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
and England batsman had scored 21 first-class centuries, won 7 caps for his country, and been a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1907. Remembered as one of the most graceful batsmen of the Edwardian age, he helped Kent win the County Championship 3 times and scored 126 at MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on England's 1907/08 Ashes tour.
- Bill Lundie was killed on September 12, 1917 on the killing fields of Passchendaele in BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. He was a South African cricketer who had played in one Test in 1914 against England, at Port Elizabeth, when he bowled 46 overs into a strong wind, taking 4 for 106.
- Second Lieutenant Leonard MoonLeonard Moon2nd Lieutenant Leonard James Moon was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for Cambridge University from 1897 to 1900 and Middlesex County Cricket Club from 1899 to 1909...
died his wounds on 23 November 1916, near Karasouli in Salonica, Greece while fighting with the Devon Regiment. He scored 7 first-class hundreds while playing for Cambridge University from 1897 to 1900 and MiddlesexMiddlesex County Cricket ClubMiddlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
from 1899 to 1909. He played four Tests for England against South Africa in 1905-06.
- Private Claude NewberryClaude NewberryClaude Newberry was a South African cricketer who played in 4 Tests from 1913 to 1914....
died 1 August 1916 aged 27, and is buried at the Delville Wood Cemetery, Somme, France. He played four Tests for South Africa in 1913 and 1914.
- Corporal Arthur Edward OchseArthur Edward OchseArthur Edward Ochse - One of the many unfortunate victims of the First World War, Arthur Ochse was born at Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, South Africa on March 11, 1870, and died at Messines Ridge, France on April 11, 1918, aged 48...
died 11 April 1918 aged 48, he was killed in action on the Western FrontWestern Front (World War I)Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. He appeared in South Africa's debut Test match against England in 1889.
First-class cricketers
- Norman CallawayNorman CallawayNorman Frank Callaway was an Australian first class cricketer and Australian Imperial Force soldier.Born in Hay, New South Wales to Thomas and Emily, Callaway moved to Sydney and played for Sydney grade cricket teams Paddington and Waverley.-Club career:Callaway appeared for Paddington in Sydney...
made his first-class debut at the age of 18 in February 1915 for New South Wales in Sydney against Queensland. Coming to the wicket with the score on 17 for 3, he reached his fifty in an hour and reached his century just half an hour later. He was finally dismissed the following day after for 207. First class cricket was then abandoned in Australia until the end of the war by which time Callaway had been killed in the Second Battle of Bullecourt in France in 1917. By dint of his only innings, he has the highest first class average on record.
- Henry KeigwinHenry KeigwinHenry David Keigwin was an English cricketer. He was born in Lexden, in Colchester and died in Thiepvel, France. He was educated at Clifton College, along with his brothers R. P. Keigwin and Herbert Keigwin...
was a batsman who scored heavily for Peterhouse College while at Cambridge and played 11 first class matches for Essex and others. He played for the Gentlemen against Surrey in W.G. Grace's last first class game in April 1906, scoring 77 and 27. He left England for Africa but returned at the outbreak of war to serve with the Lancashire Fusiliers and was killed in action on the Western Front.
- Second Lieutenant William BurnsWilliam Burns (cricketer)William Beaumont Burns was an English cricketer who played more than 200 first-class matches in the early 20th century, the great bulk of them for Worcestershire, for whom he filled in as captain on a number of occasions when the usual incumbents were not available...
of the Worcestershire RegimentWorcestershire RegimentThe Worcestershire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 29th Regiment of Foot and the 36th Regiment of Foot....
was killed in action at ContalmaisonContalmaisonContalmaison is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:Contalmaison is situated on the D147 and D20 crossroads, some northeast of Amiens.-History:...
in France in July 1916 aged 32. He had been a fine batsman in 217 matches for WorcestershireWorcestershire County Cricket ClubWorcestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Worcestershire...
, scoring 196 in a stand of 393 with Ted ArnoldTed ArnoldEdward George Arnold was an English cricketer who played in ten Test Matches from 1903 to 1907, and most of his 343 first-class matches for Worcestershire between 1899 and 1913...
at EdgbastonEdgbaston Cricket GroundEdgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
in 1909, and a ferocious fast bowler who took 214 wickets with a rather dubious action.
- Percy JeevesPercy JeevesPercy Jeeves was a British first-class cricketer from England, playing 50 matches for Warwickshire County Cricket Club from 1912 to 1914. He joined the British Army in the First World War and was killed in action in 1916. P. G...
of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment was killed in action in July 1916. A Yorkshire man who bowled for Warwickshire and was tipped by Plum WarnerPlum WarnerSir Pelham Francis Warner MBE , affectionately and better known as Plum Warner, or even "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket was a Test cricketer....
for England honours, his name was taken by P.G. Wodehouse, a noted cricket fan, for his famous fictional manservant as a memorial to his loss. Wodehouse had seen the whippy medium pacer bowl just once, in a match against GloucestershireGloucestershire County Cricket ClubGloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
at CheltenhamCheltenhamCheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
on 22 July 1913.
- Lieutenant Harold GarnettHarold GarnettHarold Gwyer Garnett was an English-born first-class cricketer who played for Lancashire and Argentina. He was killed during World War I in the fighting at Cambrai, France. A wicketkeeper, in 152 first class games he scored 5798 runs and made 203 dismissals.-External links:...
of the South Wales Borders was killed in action in December 1917, aged 38. He had been a brilliant left-handed batsman for Lancashire CCC, hitting 1,758 runs in 1901. He had toured Australia in 1901/2, left cricket to pursue business in ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, then returned to the game as a wicket-keeper. He played 152 first class games for Lancashire CCC and Argentina was among the first cricketers to volunteer in 1914.
- Second Lieutenant William OdellWilliam OdellFor the Canadian politician see William Odell William Ward Odell was an English first class cricketer who played for Leicestershire. He was killed in action near Passchendaele in Belgium during World War I....
, MC, of the Sherwood ForestersSherwood ForestersThe Sherwood Foresters was formed during the Childers Reforms in 1881 from the amalgamation of the 45th Regiment of Foot and the 95th Regiment of Foot...
, was killed in action in October 1917 aged 31 at Passchendaele in Belgium . He had been a fine medium-pace bowler for LeicestershireLeicestershireLeicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and London County Cricket ClubLondon County Cricket ClubLondon County Cricket Club was a short-lived cricket club founded by the Crystal Palace Company. In 1898 they invited WG Grace to help them form a first-class cricket club. Grace accepted the offer and became the club's secretary, manager and captain. As a result, he severed his connection with...
who twice took 8 wickets in an innings in his 193 first-class matches.
- Cecil AbercrombieCecil AbercrombieCecil Halliday Abercrombie was a Scottish rugby union player and an English first-class cricketer.-Biography:Born on 12 April 1886 in Mozufferpore, India...
was killed on 31 May 1916 at the Battle of JutlandBattle of JutlandThe Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
while serving on HMS DefenceHMS DefenceSeveral ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Defence:* Defence, launched in 1763, fought in many battles in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars....
. A right-handed batsman and right arm medium pacer, he had played for Hampshire County Cricket ClubHampshire County Cricket ClubHampshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Hampshire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1863 as a successor to the Hampshire county cricket teams and has played at the Antelope Ground from then until 1885, before moving to the County Ground where it...
in 1913. He averaged over 40 and scored 4 first class centuries in just 16 matches with a highest score of 165 against Essex. He also played for the Army and Navy in 1910 and the Royal Navy in 1912 and 1913. He was awarded his county cap and died at 30 years old.
- Alfred HartleyAlfred HartleyAlfred Hartley, born at New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 11, 1879 and died near Maissemy, France on October 9, 1918, was a cricketer who played for Lancashire....
R.G.A. was killed in action near MaissemyMaissemyMaissemy is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Administration:-Population:-External links:* * * *...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
aged 39 in October 1918. He had been a useful batsman for LancashireLancashire County Cricket ClubLancashire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Lancashire in cricket's County Championship. The club was founded in 1864 as a successor to Manchester Cricket Club and has played at Old Trafford since then...
, scoring 234 against SomersetSomerset County Cricket ClubSomerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
in 1910, his best season. He is one of the few county cricketCounty cricketCounty cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
ers to have been born in the USA, in New Orleans.
- New Zealander Rupert HickmottRupert HickmottRupert George Hickmott was a first class cricketer and soldier. He was born in 1894 in Christchurch, New Zealand and played 17 matches for Canterbury as a right-handed batsman between 1911/12 and 1914/15. He scored 778 runs, recording a century and 4 fifties and took 11 wickets at 27.27 with a...
, an opening batsman who played 17 matches for Canterbury and died aged 22 on the Somme in 1916 while fellow countryman George WilsonGeorge Wilson-Arts and entertainment:* George Wilson , British actor* George Balch Wilson , American composer, Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan* George Washington Wilson , pioneering Scottish photographer...
, a leg spinner who played just 6 matches for Canterbury and yet twice took 10 wickets in a match, died in Flanders on December 14, 1917 at the age of 28.
- Cecil Banes-WalkerCecil Banes-WalkerFrederick Cecil Banes-Walker was an English first-class cricketer who played five matches for Somerset County Cricket Club. He also played rugby for Clifton Rugby Football Club, and hockey for Gloucestershire...
, of the 2nd Devonshire Regiment who made five first-class appearances for SomersetSomerset County Cricket ClubSomerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
was killed in action aged 26 between 6:45 and 7:30 on 9 May 1915 as his battalion advanced to provide support during the Battle of Aubers RidgeBattle of Aubers RidgeThe Battle of Aubers Ridge was a British offensive mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I.- Background :The battle was the initial British component of the combined Anglo-French offensive known as the Second Battle of Artois...
.
- George WhiteheadGeorge Whitehead (cricketer)George William Edendale Whitehead was an English cricketer. He was educated at Clifton College. He was a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler...
typifies the many young men who fell whose cricketing talent was lost before it could blossom. Captain of the Clifton CollegeClifton CollegeClifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
XI in 1913 and 1914 he had made 259 not out against Liverpool and was killed a month before the end of the war, serving with the Royal Flying CorpsRoyal Flying CorpsThe Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
.
- Frank BinghamFrank BinghamFrank Miller Bingham was an English doctor, all round sportsman and army officer who died in World War I. As a cricketer, he played for Derbyshire in 1896....
played one match for DerbyshireDerbyshire County Cricket ClubDerbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
in the 1896 seasonDerbyshire County Cricket Club in 1896Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1896 represents the cricket season when the English club Derbyshire had been playing for twenty five years. It was their second season in the County Championship and they came seventh.-1896 season:...
He was a doctor and an enthusiastic Territorial Army officer, and in the First World War served as a combatant rather than as a military doctor. He was a lieutenant in the 5th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)The King's Own Royal Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army, which served under various titles from 1680 to 1959. Its lineage is continued today by the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment.-History:...
and became a captain in 1914 and commanded a company. He took part in the Second Battle of YpresSecond Battle of YpresThe Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
and was killed on 22 May 1915 on a reconnaissance mission after stopping to dig a man out of a collapsed trench. He is commemorated on the Menin GateMenin GateThe Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the commemoration of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of the First World War and whose graves are unknown...
.
- Geoffrey JacksonGeoffrey Jackson (cricketer)Geoffrey Laird Jackson was an English cricketet who played for Derbyshire from 1912 to 1914, and for Oxford University in 1914. He died of wounds in World War I....
played for DerbyshireDerbyshire County Cricket ClubDerbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
from 1912 to 1914, and for Oxford UniversityOxford University Cricket ClubOxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
in 1914. He was given a commission in the Rifle Brigade on the outbreak of World War I and went to France in October, 1914. He was invalided home, after the Second Battle of YpresSecond Battle of YpresThe Second Battle of Ypres was the first time Germany used poison gas on a large scale on the Western Front in the First World War and the first time a former colonial force pushed back a major European power on European soil, which occurred in the battle of St...
, suffering from gas poisoning and spent some months in England serving his Reserve Battalion. He returned to France, as AdjutantAdjutantAdjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
of the 1st Battalion, in December, 1915, and was Mentioned in Despatches on 1 January 1916. He served continuously until his death on 9 April 1917 at the Battle of ArrasBattle of Arras (1917)The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
. He was mortally wounded by a piece of shell after advancing about 6000 yards, and died at Faimpoux, Arras, Belgium before reaching the dressing station.
- Charles NewcombeCharles NewcombeCharles Neil Newcombe was an English cricketer and footballer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1910, and league football for Chesterfield F. C. and Rotherham Town F. C.. He was killed in action in the First World War.Newcombe was born in Great Yarmouth, the son of E. Percy G....
played one first-class cricket match for DerbyshireDerbyshire County Cricket ClubDerbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
in 1910, and also played league football for Chesterfield F. C. and Rotherham Town F. C.. He served in the First World War in the 7th Bn King's Own Yorkshire Light InfantryKing's Own Yorkshire Light InfantryThe King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army. It officially existed from 1881 to 1968, but its predecessors go back to 1755. The regiment's traditions and history are now maintained by The Rifles.-The 51st Foot:...
as a lieutenant and was killed in action at Fleuraix in France on the 27 December 1915. He was buried at Y Farm Military Cemetery, Bois-GrenierBois-GrenierBois-Grenier is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Located south of Armentieres and bordering with the department of Pas-de-Calais.-Heraldry:-References:*...
- Edward ShawEdward Shaw (cricketer, born 1892)Edward Alfred Shaw was an English cricketer and British Army officer. A bespectacled man, Shaw was a right-handed batsman who fielded as a wicket-keeper...
played for Oxford UniversityOxford University Cricket ClubOxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
from 1912 to 1914. He served with the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry as a temporary captain and was killed in action near Le SarsLe SarsLe Sars is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Le Sars is situated south of Arras, at the junction of the D11 and the D929 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:...
during the Battle of the Somme on 7 October 1916.
- Guy WilsonGuy WilsonGuy Denis Wilson was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire in 1902 and 1905. He was killed in action during World War I.Wilson was born in Melbourne, Derbyshire, the son of Arthur Wilson MA JP...
played one first class match for DerbyshireDerbyshire County Cricket ClubDerbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
in 1902 and one in 1905. He was killed in action during the Battle of Cambrai on 30 November 1917.
Additional losses
- A.E.J. Collins died at the age of 29 at the First Battle of YpresFirst Battle of YpresThe First Battle of Ypres, also called the First Battle of Flanders , was a First World War battle fought for the strategic town of Ypres in western Belgium...
on 11 November 1914. He is still famous for recording cricket's highest ever individual score, smashing 628 not out as a thirteen year old in a house match in June 1899 over the course of four afternoons. He joined the British Army in 1902 and studied at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich before becoming an officer in the 5th Field Company of the Royal EngineersRoyal EngineersThe Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
. He had been Mentioned in DispatchesMentioned in DispatchesA soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
for action before his loss. His body was never found but his name is recorded at the Menin Gate Memorial in Belgium. His younger brother Herbert, a Lieutenant in the 24th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment and a fellow old Cliftonian. was also killed in action, on 11 February 1917, aged 27. Collins's wife, Ethel, lived as a widow for over fifty years.
- George Marsden-Smedley, of the 3rd Battalion Rifle Brigade, who had captained Harrow SchoolHarrow SchoolHarrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
's first XI in 1915, was killed in action on August 18, 1916. A memorial seat was placed overlooking the Harrow School Cricket ground, its inscription reading 'To love the game beyond the prize'.
Casualties
Other cricketers were seriously wounded in the fighting, which in many cases had a serious affect on their cricketing careers.- Harry LeeHarry Lee (cricketer)Henry William "Harry" Lee was a professional English cricketer who played first-class cricket for the Marylebone Cricket Club and Middlesex County Cricket Club between 1911 and 1934. He made one Test appearance for England, in 1931...
, the Middlesex batsman was reported killed in action in 1915, soon after enlisting, and a memorial service was held in his honour. He had been shot in the leg at the Battle of Aubers RidgeBattle of Aubers RidgeThe Battle of Aubers Ridge was a British offensive mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I.- Background :The battle was the initial British component of the combined Anglo-French offensive known as the Second Battle of Artois...
and lay for three days between the lines before being taken into German custody and repatriated as a hopeless case. His leg, although shortened and withered, recovered enough for him to make a century at Lancing in 1917. Unable to serve again in the forces he took a position in 1917 as cricket and football coach to the Maharajah of Cooch Behar and was booked to sail to India on the S.S. Nyanza. At the last moment his passage was switched to the Nagoya: the Nyanza was torpedoed just out of Plymouth. He went on to play 437 first-class games and a Test match for England, against South Africa at JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
in February 1931.
- Frank ChesterFrank Chester (umpire)Frank Chester was an English first-class cricketer and notable international cricket umpire.Chester was an all-rounder, a left-handed middle-order batsman and a slow left-arm bowler, who played 55 first-class matches for county side Worcestershire as a teenager from 1912 to 1914...
, who later became a famous and highly respected umpireUmpire (cricket)In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
, was not so fortunate, having his playing career shattered when he lost his right arm below the elbow in fighting around Salonika in GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in the summer of 1917 at the age of 21. He had been the youngest professional in the first class game when he joined Worcestershire in 1912 at the age of 16, scored 703 runs including 3 centuries and took 44 wickets with his off breakOff breakOff break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. It is the attacking delivery of an off spin bowler. Off breaks are known as off spinners....
s in 1913 and scored 924 runs in 1914 with a best of 178 against Essex, hitting 4 sixes of England captain Johnny DouglasJohnny DouglasJohn "Johnny" William Henry Tyler Douglas was a cricketer who was captain of the England team and an Olympic boxer.-Early life:...
. As an umpire, he always counted the balls with six small pebbles picked up from his mother's garden at BusheyBusheyBushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is situated to the south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow.-History:...
before he stood in his first match.
- Jack MassieJack MassieRobert John 'Jack' Allwright Massie DSO was an Australian first-class cricketer who played with New South Wales and represented them in the Sheffield Shield....
, son of Hugh MassieHugh MassieHugh Hamon Massie was a cricketer who played for New South Wales and Australia.Massie's role in the 1882 Ashes Test at The Oval was almost as pivotal in deciding the result as Fred Spofforth's celebrated performance with the ball...
, had been a promising left arm fast bowler tipped for Test honours before the war, with Johnny Moyes considering him the finest of the type he had ever seen. He took 99 wickets in 16 first-class matches for New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
from 1910/11 to 1913/14 but was seriously injured in action. He was decorated for 'conspicuous ability, initiative, resourcefulness and devotion to duty.
- Dudley RipponDudley RipponAlbert Dudley Eric Rippon played 31 first-class cricket matches for Somerset, all but one of them in the 1914 and 1919 seasons on either side of the First World War...
was badly wounded during the Gallipoli Campaign and was discharged as a result. He returned to SomersetSomerset County Cricket ClubSomerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
for the 1919 season, but only managed one match in the following summer of 1920 and, badly trouble by the effects of his wounds did not play any further cricket.