England Cricketers in WW1

[Guest AndrewWalple]

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is urgently seeking to contact the surviving relatives of four former England cricketers who died while serving their country in World War One. Their deaths will be commemorated at the Investec Test Match between England and India at Southampton in August. If you are related to either of the cricketers listed below, please contact Andrew Walpole, ECB’s Head of Corporate Communications on 02074321252 or via email andrew.walpole@ecb.co.uk.

Colin Blythe (Kent and England) Born 1879, Deptford, Kent – died near Passchendaele in 1917.

Major William Booth (Yorkshire and England) Born 1886, Lowtown Pudsey, Yorkshire – died at the battle of the Somme in 1916.

Kenneth Hutchings (Kent and England) Born 1882, Southborough, Kent – died at Ginchy, France in 1916.

Leonard Moon (Middlesex and England) Born Kensington, London 1878 – died near Salonica, Greece in 1916.

[museumtom]

[museumtom]

[KevinBattle]

Just in case anyone is searching for a Major Booth, it was his CHRISTIAN Name!

BLYTHE, COLIN (CHARLIE). Rank: Serjeant. Service No: 49296. Date of Death: 08/11/1917. Age: 38.

Regiment/Service: King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry 12th Bn.

Grave Reference: I. L. 2. Cemetery: OXFORD ROAD CEMETERY.

Additional Information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. Blythe, of New Cross, London; husband of Janette Gertrude Blythe, of 1, Vale Royal, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Professional Cricketer. Played for Kent between 1899 and 1914 during which time he took 100 wickets each season, bar two. He also played in 19 Test Matches for England.

BOOTH, MAJOR WILLIAM. Rank: Second Lieutenant. Date of Death: 01/07/1916. Age: 29.

Regiment/Service: West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) 15th Bn.

Grave Reference: I. G. 14. Cemetery: SERRE ROAD CEMETERY No.1.

Additional Information: Son of James and Louise Booth, of Town End House, Pudsey, Yorks. Professional Cricketer - played for Yorkshire.

HUTCHINGS, KENNETH LOTHERINGTON. Rank:Lieutenant. Date of Death:03/09/1916.

Regiment/Service:The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 4th Bn. attd. 12th Bn.

Panel Reference: Pier and Face 1 D 8 B and 8 C. Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL.

Additional Information: Amateur Cricketer, played for Kent and England.

MOON, L J. Rank: Lieutenant. Date of Death: 23/11/1916.

Regiment/Service: Devonshire Regiment 10th Bn.

Grave Reference: A. 189. Cemetery: KARASOULI MILITARY CEMETERY.

I also found these, not part of the Appeal, but also cricketers.....:

ALLSOPP, THOMAS CHARLESWORTH. Rank: Serjeant. Service No: 51731. Date of Death: 7/03/1919. Age:38.

Regiment/Service: The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment) transf. to (75012) 126th Coy. Labour Corps

Grave Reference: 53. 420. Cemetery: NORWICH CEMETERY, NORFOLK.

Additional Information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Allsopp, of Leicester; husband of Edith Rose Allsopp, of 6, Redwell St., Norwich.

Professional footballer and Norfolk County Cricketer.

JEEVES, PERCY. Rank :Private. Service No: 611. Date of Death: 22/07/1916. Age: 28.

Regiment/Service: Royal Warwickshire Regiment 15th Bn.

Panel Reference: Pier and Face 9 A 9 B and 10 B. Memorial: THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

Additional Information: Son of Edwin and Nancy Jeeves, of 1A, Craven St., Ravensthorpt, Dewsbury, Yorks. Professional Cricketer - played for Warwickshire.

(Pity he didn't play for Woostershire - boom, boom!)

PALMER, CECIL HOWARD. Rank: Lieutenant Colonel. Date of Death: 26/07/1915. Age: 42. Awards: Mentioned in Despatches.

Regiment/Service: Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Commanding 9th Bn. and formerly of the Worcestershire Regiment.

Panel Reference: Panel 35 to 37. Memorial: HELLES MEMORIAL.

Additional Information: Son of the Rev. J. Howard Palmer and Mrs. Palmer, of East Worldham Rectory, Alton, Hants;

husband of Hilda Beatrice Palmer, of 35, Anstey Rd., Alton, Hants.

Served in the South African Campaign (Mentioned in Despatches).

A.D.C. to Gen. Aldershot Infantry Bde. 1901-2. Adjt. 1st Worcestershire Volunteer Bn. 1906-9.

Hampshire County cricketer. Native of Eastbourne.

SCHWARZ, REGINALD OSCAR. Rank: Major. Date of Death: 18/11/1918. Awards: M C.

Regiment/Service: King's Royal Rifle Corps 6th Bn. attd. H.Q., 1st Echelon

Grave Reference: XLV. A. 4. Cemetery: ETAPLES MILITARY CEMETERY.

Additional Information: South African Cricketer - played in twenty test matches.

TYLDESLEY, WILLIAM KNOWLES. Rank: Lieutenant. Date of Death: 26/04/1918. Age:30.

Regiment/Service: The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment 5th Bn. attd. 9th Bn.

Grave Reference: IV. B. 37. Cemetery: LA CLYTTE MILITARY CEMETERY.

Additional Information: Son of James and Annie Tyldesley, of Westhoughton, Lancs.;

husband of Edith Rosina Tyldesley, of 29, Victoria Avenue, Levenshulme, Manchester.

Well known Lancashire Cricketer.

My first use of the new CWGC format.

Adds access to GRU and Registers, which can be useful for extra information or interest.

One slight niggle is the lack of separators and full stops between headings, nothing that can't be fixed easily.

Geoffs Search Engine also links to the new database format, smart move there, Geoff!

[Fattyowls]

Hi Andrew

I read your post yesterday and I was hoping that Andrew Renshaw (Ajaxer) may have picked up on it. Apologies if you have already had contact with him but I thought that as the author of Wisden on the Great War he would be a very good man to know. The thread reviewing his book is here; I will post something on that thread to hopefully draw Andrew's and the WW1 and cricket community's attention to your most worthy quest.

I was at Colin Blythe's grave a few weeks ago so I will follow developments with great interest.

Pete.

[KevinBattle]

I have contacted the owner of a Family Tree showing Leonard James Moon.

Hopefully he will be able to respond.

Moon, Leonard James, of Wellesley House School, Broadstairs, Kent. Temporary Lieutenant died 23 November 1916 in Greece.

Administration (with Will) London 29 January to Gertrude Emma Moon, spinster. (2nd eldest sister). Effects: 7,573 13s 7d Resworn £7,643 1s 1d.

His brother Billy was also a cricketer and also represented England at football.

Moon, William Robert, eldest son of William Moon of Lincoln Inn Fields, London, solicitor. Born June 7 1868, adm April 4 1883, left May 1885. Played football (Association) for England against Scotland 1888-91 and against Wales 1888-90. Played cricket for Middlesex 1891. adm a solicitor Jan 1891. married June 4 1896 Dagmar Annie, eldest daughter of Major Ardwick Burgess, of Hendon, Middlesex.

Name: Leonard James Moon. Death Date: 23 Nov 1916. Rank: Lieutenant (T).

Regiment Devonshire Regiment. Type of Casualty: Died (of Wounds, per newspaper In Memoriam entry 22 Nov 1941).

Name: Leonard James. Moon. College: PEMBROKE. Entered: Michs. 1896. Died: 23 Nov 1916

More Information: Adm. at PEMBROKE, Oct. 1896. 3rd son (and youngest child). of William, solicitor, and Sarah Augusta Moon, of 15, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.

Born. Feb. 9, 1878, at 45, Portsdown Road, London, W.

School, Westminster. Matric. Michs. 1896; B.A. 1900; M.A. 1912. Cricket ‘blue,’ 1899, 1900; Football (assoc.) ‘blue,’ 1898, 1899, 1900.

Played cricket for Middlesex, and for England, 1906. Assistant Master at St Peter's Court, Broadstairs; Joint Head Master of Wellesley House School, Broadstairs.

Served in the Great War, 1914-19 (2nd Lieut., Devon Regt.); died of wounds received at Salonika, Nov. 23, 1916.

(Record of Old Westminsters; Scott, MSS.; Univ. War List; Book of Blues; The Times, Dec. 2, 1916.)

[Fattyowls]

Kevin, cracking bit of work. Nice one.

Pete.

[Ajaxer]

Pete: Thanks for drawing my attention to this thread.

I have had no contact with relatives of the four England Test players who fell.

I would especially like to talk to anyone related to Colin Blythe as I am due to discuss him next week in connection with the commemoration that Andrew Walpole mentions.

Sky Sports filmed at Blythe's grave last week. And at the railway line on which he was working when he was killed.

It is good that a man who committed suicide (Moon) is to be commemorated equally with the others.

Incidentally, the Southampton Test is at the end of this month, not August.

Kevin: You should eventually find 289 men who played first-class cricket. They are listed in my book.

Some of the additional info you provide above is incomplete, e.g.:

Allsopp played 36 matches for Leicestershire as well as Minor County cricket for Norfolk. He did not get an obituary in Wisden, but that may be remedied next year.

Palmer managed to play a game for Worcestershire in the same season that he played for Hampshire.

Andrew

[Fattyowls]

Pete: Thanks for drawing my attention to this thread. Sky Sports filmed at Blythe's grave last week. And at the railway line on which he was working when he was killed.

Andrew, I'm pleased you've seen this, I was hoping it would be of interest. Just as an aside and following on from my visit to Colin Blythe at Oxford Road do you know the location of his death where Sky were filming? I noticed that Blythe's Wikipedia entry mentions the location being between Pimmern and Forest Hall near Passchendaele. I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the locations.

Pete.

P.S. As usual I looked up Palmer in your book and found Poulton-Palmer which set me off on another series of cross references. I think I may have to hide it if I want to get anything done......

[KevinBattle]

Kevin: You should eventually find 289 men who played first-class cricket. They are listed in my book.

Some of the additional info you provide above is incomplete

... my 'umble apologies, whilst enjoying cricket, I'm not a dedicated Wisden etc anorak (for which I apologise also)...

I have now found your previous thread and am lost in admiration at such dedication.

I just had a quick "Google" (4 minutes, not FOUR years, so it would always be deficient in face of that!) for a little background info, but principally it is their CWGC entries that are shown (apart from the Woostershire reference for Jeeves!!)

[Ajaxer]

Kevin: no worries – I only wanted to point out that the extra info on CWGC is sometimes deficient.

By the way, I will be at Cheltenham for the county cricket next week, just as PG Wodehouse was in 1913 when he was so impressed by the demeanour of Warwickshire's Percy Jeeves.

I wonder if any of today's players will catch the eye in the same way?

Pete: I will post on the Wisden thread about the Blythe location, and leave this one to the relatives.

[wet255]

New book comes out in July 2015

[wet255]

William Tyldesley KIA 26 April 1917 Lancashire CCC. Loyal North Lancs.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

JEEVES, PERCY. Rank :Private. Service No: 611. Date of Death: 22/07/1916. Age: 28.

(Pity he didn't play for Woostershire - boom, boom!)

Boom Boom..

Arf Arf Arf Mr Kevin!

[wet255]

Booooooo !!!! LOL