Sir Thomas Halsey, 3rd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Edgar Halsey, 3rd Baronet DSO
(28 November 1898 – 30 August 1970) was an English cricket
er, naval officer (1916–1946), and Deputy Lieutenant
of Hertfordshire
.
A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast
bowler, he played first-class cricket
between 1920 and 1928 and also represented the Egypt national cricket team
.
in 1898, Halsey was the elder son of Sir Walter Halsey, 2nd Baronet, and his wife Agnes Marion, the daughter of William Macalpine Leny. He was educated at Eton College
and Cambridge. He was already a lieutenant in the Royal Navy
when he went up to Cambridge.
bowler.
He played cricket for Eton in 1915 and 1916, but it was for the Royal Navy cricket team
that he made his first-class debut, playing against his university side during the 1920 English cricket season
.
He played twice for the university cricket team
in 1920, but did not gain his blue. The rest of his first-class matches were all for the Royal Navy, mostly against the British Army cricket team
, though there were also matches against the RAF
and New Zealand.
He began to play minor counties
cricket for Hertfordshire
in 1921, continuing to play for them until 1932, a year in which he played for the Navy against a combined South America team. In 1936, he played for Egypt
against HM Martineau's XI
, captaining
the side and scoring a century
in the first innings.
He was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order
(DSO) on 7 June 1940 "for good services in the withdrawal of the Allied Armies from the beaches at Dunkirk".
for Herts
from 1948, a JP
from 1950, County Councillor
from 1953, and Vice-Lieutenant
for Herts
from 1957 until his death at Hemel Hempstead
in 1970.
, onetime Tuan Muda of Sarawak
, and through him, granddaughter of the second White Rajah
of Sarawak
, Charles Brooke. They had one son (the 4th Baronet
) and two daughters.
At the time of his death, Halsey's address was given in in Who's Who
as The Golden Parsonage, Hemel Hempstead, Herts.
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(28 November 1898 – 30 August 1970) was an 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...
er, naval officer (1916–1946), and Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
A right-handed batsman and right-arm fast
Fast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
bowler, he played first-class cricket
First-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...
between 1920 and 1928 and also represented the Egypt national cricket team
Egypt national cricket team
The Egypt national cricket team was the team that represented the country of Egypt in international cricket matches. They were active from 1909 until World War II.-Early years:...
.
Early life
Born in South MimmsSouth Mimms
South Mimms, sometimes spelt South Mymms, is a village and civil parish forming part of the Hertsmere district of Hertfordshire County Council in the East of England although geographically and historically is in the County of Middlesex.-History:...
in 1898, Halsey was the elder son of Sir Walter Halsey, 2nd Baronet, and his wife Agnes Marion, the daughter of William Macalpine Leny. He was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Cambridge. He was already a lieutenant in the 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...
when he went up to Cambridge.
Cricketer
Halsey was a right-handed batsman and right-arm fastFast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
bowler.
He played cricket for Eton in 1915 and 1916, but it was for the Royal Navy cricket team
Royal Navy Cricket Club
The Royal Navy Cricket Club is a cricket team representing the British Royal Navy and based at the United Services Recreation Ground, Portsmouth, Hampshire...
that he made his first-class debut, playing against his university side during the 1920 English cricket season
1920 English cricket season
The 1920 English cricket season had no Test cricket as the post-war recovery continued. Middlesex rose from 13th in 1919 to take the first of two back-to-back titles...
.
He played twice for the university cricket team
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
in 1920, but did not gain his blue. The rest of his first-class matches were all for the Royal Navy, mostly against the British Army cricket team
British Army cricket team
The Army cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Army. The team played a number of first-class matches between 1912 and 1939, although a combined "Army and Navy" side had played two games against a combined Oxford and Cambridge team in 1910 and 1911...
, though there were also matches against the RAF
Royal Air Force cricket team
The Royal Air Force cricket team is a cricket side representing the British Royal Air Force. The team played 11 first-class matches: nine between 1922 and 1932, mostly against other branches of the Services, and another two in 1945 and 1946. Their home ground is the Royal Air Force Sports Ground,...
and New Zealand.
He began to play minor counties
Minor counties of English cricket
The Minor Counties are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that are not afforded first-class status. The game is administered by the Minor Counties Cricket Association which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board...
cricket for Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club
Hertfordshire County Cricket Club is one of the county clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Hertfordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
in 1921, continuing to play for them until 1932, a year in which he played for the Navy against a combined South America team. In 1936, he played for Egypt
Egypt national cricket team
The Egypt national cricket team was the team that represented the country of Egypt in international cricket matches. They were active from 1909 until World War II.-Early years:...
against HM Martineau's XI
Hubert Martineau
Hubert Melville Martineau was an English patron of cricket and organiser of his own team. He also played three first-class matches between 1931 and 1932...
, captaining
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
the side and scoring a century
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
in the first innings.
Naval officer
- HMS HawkinsHMS Hawkins (D86)HMS Hawkins was a Hawkins-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was built at Chatham Dockyard and launched on 1 October 1917. With the conversion of her sister, HMS Cavendish, to become the aircraft carrier HMS Vindictive, HMS Hawkins became the name ship of her class.-Interwar career:HMS...
(cruiserCruiserA cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
) (China StationChina StationThe China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
) 30 Apr 1925 – May 1926 - HMS VictoryHMS VictoryHMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
31 Jan 1927 – Jul 1927 - HMS EffinghamHMS Effingham (D98)HMS Effingham was a Hawkins-class heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was commissioned at Portsmouth in 1925, having had her construction halted for several years following the end of the First World War in 1918...
(cruiserCruiserA cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
) (East Indies StationEast Indies StationThe East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...
) 1 Feb 1929 – Feb 1931 - HMY Victoria and AlbertHMY Victoria and Albert IIIHMY Victoria and Albert III a Royal Yacht of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. The yacht was designed by the Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy Sir William White. She was launched in 1899 but was not ready for service until 1901...
(Royal yacht) 20 Jan 1932 – Jan 1934 - Commanding Officer, HMS BoadiceaHMS Boadicea (H65)HMS Boadicea was a built for the Royal Navy that saw service during World War II until sunk on 13 June 1944 while supporting the invasion of Normandy.-Construction:...
(destroyerDestroyerIn naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
) (Mediterranean Fleet) 3 Aug 1934 – Feb 1936 - Senior Officers' War Course (HMS PresidentHMS President (shore establishment)HMS President is a stone frigate, or shore establishment of the Royal Naval Reserve; on the northern bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.-Present day:...
) 12 October 1936 – Feb 1937 - an Assistant to Naval Assistant to Second Sea LordSecond Sea LordThe Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
(HMS PresidentHMS President (shore establishment)HMS President is a stone frigate, or shore establishment of the Royal Naval Reserve; on the northern bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.-Present day:...
) 8 Mar 1937 – Apr 1939 - Commanding Officer, the destroyerDestroyerIn naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
HMS MalcolmHMS Malcolm (D19)HMS Malcolm was one of eight Admiralty-type destroyer leaders built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was the first of only two Royal Navy ships to carry the name Malcolm, although HMS Valkyrie was originally planned to bear the name...
(flotilla leader) & Captain (D), 16th Destroyer Flotilla, 31 Jul 1939 – 25 Jun 1940 & 12 Aug 1940 – 22 Oct 1940. - HMS BadgerHMS Badger (shore establishment)HMS Badger was commissioned on 13 September 1939 as the headquarters of the Flag Officer In Charge, Harwich and was decommissioned on 21 October 1946, although the Operations Room remained as the Emergency Port Control for the Harwich area...
(RN base, Harwich), Feb 1941–4 Feb 1942 - Naval Officer-in-Charge, Isle of ManIsle of ManThe Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
& CO Training establishment HMS St George, Douglas, Isle of Man 4 Feb 1942–(08.1942) - Flag CaptainFlag captainIn the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First Captain", with the "flag captain" as the ship's...
, the battleshipBattleshipA battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS King George VHMS King George V (41)HMS King George V was the lead ship of the five British King George V-class battleships of the Royal Navy. Laid down in 1937 and commissioned in 1940, King George V operated during the Second World War as part of the British Home and Pacific Fleets...
, 15 Feb 1943 – 10 Apr 1945. - CommodoreCommodore (Royal Navy)Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus) 1945–1946
He was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(DSO) on 7 June 1940 "for good services in the withdrawal of the Allied Armies from the beaches at Dunkirk".
County officer
Halsey retired from the Navy with the rank of Captain in 1946, and went on to serve as Deputy LieutenantDeputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Herts
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
from 1948, a JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
from 1950, County Councillor
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
from 1953, and Vice-Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
for Herts
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
from 1957 until his death at Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
in 1970.
Marriage and children
Halsey married Jean Margaret Palmer, daughter of Bertram BrookeBertram Willes Dayrell Brooke
Captain Bertram Willes Dayrell Brooke, Tuan Muda of Sarawak was a member of the family of White Rajahs who ruled Sarawak for a hundred years. He was the son of Charles, the second of these rajahs, and brother to Vyner of Sarawak, the third and final ruler of that family...
, onetime Tuan Muda of Sarawak
Tuan Muda of Sarawak
This is the title of the Heir Presumptive to the Rajah of Sarawak. It literally means "Little Lord". The wife of the Tuan Muda is styled the Dayang Muda....
, and through him, granddaughter of the second White Rajah
White Rajahs
White Rajahs refers to a dynasty that founded and ruled the Kingdom of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946, namely the Brookes, who came originally from England. A Rajah is a monarch in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.-Rulers:...
of Sarawak
Kingdom of Sarawak
The Kingdom of Sarawak was a state in Borneo established by Sir James Brooke in 1842 by receiving independent kingdom status from the Sultanate of Brunei as a reward for helping fight piracy and insurgency...
, Charles Brooke. They had one son (the 4th Baronet
Sir John Walter Brooke Halsey, 4th Baronet
John Walter Brooke Halsey is an English clergyman and baronet who does not use his inherited title. He is now known as Brother John Halsey.-Early life:...
) and two daughters.
At the time of his death, Halsey's address was given in in Who's Who
Who's Who (UK)
Who's Who is an annual British publication of biographies which vary in length of about 30,000 living notable Britons.-History:...
as The Golden Parsonage, Hemel Hempstead, Herts.