Alexander Johnston (cricketer)
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General Alexander Colin Johnston DSO
& Bar
, MC
(26 January 1884 – 27 December 1952) was an English
cricketer
and British Army
officer. Johnston was a right-handed batsman who was a leg break
bowler. Johnston also occasionally played as a wicketkeeper.
, where he represented the college cricket team. From there Johnston went to Sandhurst and he also spent a year as a cowboy in Colorado
and New Mexico
before being commissioned into the Worcestershire Regiment
on the 4th November 1903.
debut for Hampshire
in the 1902 County Championship
against Surrey
. Johnston played 107 matches for Hampshire before the First World War, with Johnston's most successful seasons with the bat coming in 1910 when he scored 1,158 runs at a batting average
of 36.18, with seven half centuries and a single century score of 130; and in 1,044 runs at an average of 54.94 and a career high score of 175 against Warwickshire
.
In addition to representing Hampshire before the war, Johnston also played for the Marylebone Cricket Club
in two pre-war first-class matches against Nottinghamshire
and Leicestershire
, both matches coming in 1911. Also in 1911, Johnston played a single match for the Gentlemen in the 1911 Gentlemen v Players
fixture, representing them once more in the 1912 fixture.
In 1914, the season which was cut short due to the First World War, Johnston played a single match for the Army
against the Royal Navy. Johnston's final first-class match for Hampshire before the war came against Surrey at the United Services Recreation Ground
in Portsmouth
.
with the original Expeditionary Force, being wounded four times and rising to the rank of Brigadier General. Initially Johnston served as signals officer for 7 Infantry Brigade. He went on to serve in that capacity with 3rd Division before becoming, in turn, Brigade Major
, Commanding Officer 10th Battalion Cheshire Regiment
and finally Officer Commanding 126 Infantry Brigade.
Johnston took part in the engagements at Mons
, Le Cateau
and the subsequent retreat and advance to the Aisne
.
In 1916 whilst commanding the 10th Battalion Cheshire Regiment he was award the Distinguished Service Order
(DSO) for his actions at the Battle of the Somme. A year later in 1917 he was to be awarded a bar
to his DSO for his actions at Ypres. During the course of the war he was Mentioned in Despatches no less than five times and in 1916 was awarded the French Croix de guerre
. Johnston wrote a diary chronicling his activities in the war.
. In his first-class career for Hampshire, Johnston scored 5,442 runs at an average of 30.74, with 27 half centuries, 10 centuries and a high score of 175. Johnston was also a part time leg break bowler, taking 18 wickets at a bowling average
of 44.72, with best figures of 4/21. In the field Johnston took 57 catches and made a single stumping.
In 1920 Johnston played his second and final first-class match for the Marylebone Cricket Club against the Army and the same season he played his final first-class match for the Gentlemen of England against the Combined Services
. In his combined first-class career Johnston played 116 matches, scoring 5,966 runs at an average of 30.91, with 31 half centuries, 10 centuries and a high score of 175. All of Johnston's first-class wickets came while he was playing for Hampshire.
Johnston continued to play cricket, although in a non first-class capacity, playing the Netherlands on tours to the county with the Free Foresters
and the Marylebone Cricket Club. In 1929/30 Johnston toured Egypt
with HM Martineau's XI, where he played matches against the Egypt national cricket team
. Johnston's playing career came to an end with the Free Foresters tour of the Netherlands in 1933.
As well as playing cricket, Johnston played for the Army
at Association football and hockey
and played polo
for Western Nigeria
.
Johnston died at Knaphill
, Surrey
on 27 December 1952.
was born at Edinburgh
in 1847, was a Royal Engineers
officer who became Director General of the Ordnance Survey
. He also played first-class cricket for Derbyshire
during the 1882 season. His father was also of the British Association.
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...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
, MC
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....
(26 January 1884 – 27 December 1952) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
and British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer. Johnston was a right-handed batsman who was a leg break
Leg break
A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of...
bowler. Johnston also occasionally played as a wicketkeeper.
Early life
Johnston was educated at Winchester CollegeWinchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
, where he represented the college cricket team. From there Johnston went to Sandhurst and he also spent a year as a cowboy in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
before being commissioned into the Worcestershire Regiment
Worcestershire Regiment
The 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....
on the 4th November 1903.
First-class cricket career
Johnston made his first-classFirst-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...
debut for Hampshire
Hampshire County Cricket Club
Hampshire 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 the 1902 County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
against 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...
. Johnston played 107 matches for Hampshire before the First World War, with Johnston's most successful seasons with the bat coming in 1910 when he scored 1,158 runs at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 36.18, with seven half centuries and a single century score of 130; and in 1,044 runs at an average of 54.94 and a career high score of 175 against Warwickshire
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire 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 Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
.
In addition to representing Hampshire before the war, Johnston also played for the Marylebone Cricket Club
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...
in two pre-war first-class matches against 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...
and Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Cricket Club
Leicestershire 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 Leicestershire. It has also been representative of the county of Rutland....
, both matches coming in 1911. Also in 1911, Johnston played a single match for the Gentlemen in the 1911 Gentlemen v Players
Gentlemen v Players
The Gentlemen v Players game was a first-class cricket match that was generally played on an annual basis between one team consisting of amateurs and one of professionals . The first two games took place in 1806 but the fixture was not revived until 1819. It was more or less annual thereafter...
fixture, representing them once more in the 1912 fixture.
In 1914, the season which was cut short due to the First World War, Johnston played a single match for the Army
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...
against the Royal Navy. Johnston's final first-class match for Hampshire before the war came against Surrey at the United Services Recreation Ground
United Services Recreation Ground
The United Services Recreation Ground is a cricket ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire. The first recorded match on the ground was on 17 August 1882 which saw Cambridge University Past and Present play the touring Australians...
in Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
First World War service
Johnston fought in the First World War, serving on the frontlines of 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...
with the original Expeditionary Force, being wounded four times and rising to the rank of Brigadier General. Initially Johnston served as signals officer for 7 Infantry Brigade. He went on to serve in that capacity with 3rd Division before becoming, in turn, Brigade Major
Brigade Major
In the British Army, a Brigade Major was the Chief of Staff of a brigade. He held the rank of Major and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section directly and oversaw the two other branches, "A - Administration" and "Q - Quartermaster"...
, Commanding Officer 10th Battalion Cheshire Regiment
Cheshire Regiment
The Cheshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division.The regiment was created in 1881 as part of the Childers reforms by the linking of the 22nd Regiment of Foot and the militia and rifle volunteers of Cheshire...
and finally Officer Commanding 126 Infantry Brigade.
Johnston took part in the engagements at Mons
Battle of Mons
The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British army attempted to hold the line of the...
, Le Cateau
Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on 26 August 1914, after the British, French and Belgians retreated from the Battle of Mons and had set up defensive positions in a fighting withdrawal against the German advance at Le Cateau-Cambrésis....
and the subsequent retreat and advance to the Aisne
Aisne
Aisne is a department in the northern part of France named after the Aisne River.- History :Aisne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Île-de-France, Picardie, and Champagne.Most of the old...
.
In 1916 whilst commanding the 10th Battalion Cheshire Regiment he was award 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) for his actions at the Battle of the Somme. A year later in 1917 he was to be awarded a bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
to his DSO for his actions at Ypres. During the course of the war he was Mentioned in Despatches no less than five times and in 1916 was awarded the French Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
. Johnston wrote a diary chronicling his activities in the war.
Post-First World War activities
Johnston returned from the First World War with a permanent limp, though he continued his activities as a soldier and sportsman. In 1919 Johnston played his final match for Hampshire against GloucestershireGloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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....
. In his first-class career for Hampshire, Johnston scored 5,442 runs at an average of 30.74, with 27 half centuries, 10 centuries and a high score of 175. Johnston was also a part time leg break bowler, taking 18 wickets at a bowling average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 44.72, with best figures of 4/21. In the field Johnston took 57 catches and made a single stumping.
In 1920 Johnston played his second and final first-class match for the Marylebone Cricket Club against the Army and the same season he played his final first-class match for the Gentlemen of England against the Combined Services
Combined Services cricket team
The Combined Services cricket team represents the British armed forces. The team played at first-class level in England for more than forty years in the mid-twentieth century. Their first first-class match was against Gentlemen of England at Lord's in 1920, while their last was against Oxford...
. In his combined first-class career Johnston played 116 matches, scoring 5,966 runs at an average of 30.91, with 31 half centuries, 10 centuries and a high score of 175. All of Johnston's first-class wickets came while he was playing for Hampshire.
Johnston continued to play cricket, although in a non first-class capacity, playing the Netherlands on tours to the county with the Free Foresters
Free Foresters Cricket Club
Free Foresters Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties of England. It is a 'wandering' club, having no home ground....
and the Marylebone Cricket Club. In 1929/30 Johnston toured Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , 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...
with HM Martineau's XI, where he played matches against 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:...
. Johnston's playing career came to an end with the Free Foresters tour of the Netherlands in 1933.
As well as playing cricket, Johnston played for the Army
Army Football Association
Based at Clayton Barracks in Aldershot, the Army Football Association is the County FA affiliated to The Football Association for the administration of football within the British Army in the United Kingdom, Cyprus and Germany....
at Association football and hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
and played polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
for Western Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Johnston died at Knaphill
Knaphill
Knaphill is an urban village in Surrey, UK. To the east is Woking, to the west, eventually, is Aldershot, while to the south and north on the A322 – which forms its effective western border – are Brookwood, and Bisley, respectively. Some of the village is set on a hill, hence the...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
on 27 December 1952.
Family
Johnston's father Sir Duncan JohnstonDuncan Johnston
Sir Duncan Alexander Johnston was a Royal Engineers officer who became Director General of the Ordnance Survey. He also played first-class cricket for Derbyshire in 1882....
was born at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
in 1847, was a Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The 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....
officer who became Director General of the Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
. He also played first-class cricket for Derbyshire
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire 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...
during the 1882 season. His father was also of the British Association.
External links
- Alexander Johnston at CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
- Alexander Johnston at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Matches and detailed statistics for Alexander Johnston