Claude Ashton
Encyclopedia
Claude Thesiger Ashton was an English
amateur
footballer and cricket
er. As an amateur, he played football for the Corinthians in several different positions including goalkeeper and centre forward, although his preferred position was wing-half. He made one appearance for the England
national team in 1925 when he was appointed team captain. As a cricketer he played for Cambridge University
and Essex
. A pre-war officer of the Auxiliary Air Force, he died as a result of a mid-air collision in a training accident in the Second World War.
and was the youngest of four sons of Hubert Shorrock Ashton and of Victoria Alexandrina Ashton (née Inglis). Ashton's mother, Victoria, was the daughter of Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis, who commanded the British forces at the Siege of Lucknow
, and Julia Selina Thesiger.
His brothers included Hubert
, Gilbert
and Percy
all of whom played first-class cricket.
Claude was educated at Winchester College
where he was captain of cricket, football, racquets
and fives
. He then went up to Cambridge University and earned his blue at hockey, cricket and football. When Claude Ashton and his two brothers, Hubert and Gilbert, were together in the Cambridge football team of 1920, the University side earned itself the nickname of "Ashton Villa" . Although he became football captain in his third year at University, he was unable to take part in the 1923 match against Oxford University
.
in May 1921, and in 1921 he made 557 runs for the university at an average of 46.41. His best scores were 101 not out
off the Surrey
bowlers at the Oval
and with 98 against M.C.C.
at Lord's
. In the match against Oxford University
in July, he played alongside his brothers Gilbert
(captain) and Hubert
making 48 runs (with Hubert scoring 118) as Cambridge won by an innings and 24 runs.
After the varsity match, Claude joined Hubert at Essex
with only modest success, scoring 240 at an average of 18.46. With one appearance for the England XI against Australia, his aggregate for the season was 798 at an average of 29.55.
In July 1922, he again joined Hubert (now captain) in the varsity match which was won by an innings and 100 runs, after Hubert (on 90) (with Percy Chapman
on 102) declared at 403 for four wickets. As a result Claude was unable to bat and only bowled three overs without claiming a wicket. Rain interfered with many matches in 1922 but Claude’s aggregate for the University and Essex for the year was 797 runs, average 28.46. His best performance came in early August against Middlesex
, when he scored 110 not out in a drawn match.
For 1923, he succeeded his two elder brothers as captain of Cambridge University
, but was unable to emulate his brothers in the varsity match. Oxford batted all the first day, and during the night a severe thunderstorm with a deluge of rain completely altered the conditions at Lord's, with the result that Cambridge were dismissed twice and beaten on the Tuesday by an innings and 227 runs, the most overwhelming defeat in the whole series of University matches and the three most decisive results to occur consecutively. Claude thus ended his time with the university in rather dismal circumstances.
In the 1923 season as a whole, however, he amassed 916 runs at an average of 24.75, and claimed 50 wickets with his medium-pace bowling, together with 21 catches.
Over the next few years, his business commitments restricted his cricket and between 1930 and 1933 he played no first class cricket. After a five year absence from first class cricket, he returned for Essex at the end of May 1934 in a match against Kent
at Brentwood
. In an astonishing match Kent scored 803 for four wickets, with Bill Ashdown
scoring 332, Frank Woolley
172 and Les Ames
202 n.o.
(185 runs were scored off Ashton’s 31 overs). In reply, Essex managed 408 in the first innings, with centuries from Dudley Pope
and Jack O’Connor
, while Ashton could only contribute 11. Following on, Essex were bowled out for 203, with Ashton making 71 not out.
A few days later, he made his highest first class score of 118 against Surrey
(again at Brentwood), helping O'Connor put on 287 for the fifth wicket, a then Essex record, in a total of 570, which brought victory by an innings and 192. The stand occupied only two hours twenty minutes, and the fourth hundred of the innings came in 38 minutes. The combined total of runs scored in these two matches was 2362. In six games for Essex in 1934, Ashton scored 416 runs and headed the averages with 59.42.
His fourth and final century came against Gloucestershire
in July 1936, when he scored 100 in a drawn match, thereby passing a career total of 4500 runs.
His first class cricket career spanned 18 years from 1921 to 1938 during which he scored an aggregate of 4723 runs at an average of 24.98, took 139 wickets as a bowler, and held 113 catches.
. After graduating, he played for Old Wykehamists, and he, Hubert
and Gilbert occupied the inside-forward positions for Old Wykehamists in Arthur Dunn Cup ties.
Whilst at university, he joined his two brothers at Corinthian, making his first appearance on 18 December 1920 playing at wing-half in a 4-2 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion. In the next match, against the Isthmian League
, he played at inside left alongside his two brothers. Over the next two seasons he generally played as a forward
, before reverting to left-half in 1923-24, occasionally dropping back into defence. On 29 November 1924 he played in goal against Oxford University
deputising for Benjamin Howard Baker.
For the 1925-26 season, he was restored to the forward line with great success. Over the next five seasons, he scored 103 goals from 89 appearances, including five goals against Northern Nomads on 24 December 1927, United Hospitals on 20 October 1928 and The Army on 19 January 1929. In 1932 he dropped back into midfield and ended his career with the Corinthians in November 1934.
His final appearance for Corinthian came in an FA Cup
first round tie against Watford
on 24 November 1934, which was lost 2-0. In his fifteen seasons with Corinthian, he appeared in all 20 FA Cup ties played by Corinthian, scoring seven goals including a pair against Walsall
on 8 January 1927 and a hat-trick
in a 5-0 victory at Norwich City
in the third round on 12 January 1929. His first goal against Norwich came at thirty minutes when he scored with a drive, following a pass from Kenneth Hegan
. He increased the lead two minutes before the break after a cross from Hegan, when he "proceeded to slot the ball gently past the surprised goalkeeper". His third goal came near the end of the game when he ran through to complete his hat-trick. He also scored Corinthian's consolation goal in a 3–1 defeat by Newcastle United
at Crystal Palace
in front of a crowd of 56,338 on 29 January 1927.
In his career with Corinthian, he played a total of 208 matches, only exceeded by Tommy Whewell and Benjamin Howard Baker, and scored 145 goals.
national team for the match against Northern Ireland
at Windsor Park
, Belfast
on 24 October 1925, and was appointed captain for his solitary appearance for the full national side, playing at centre-forward. He did not have a particularly memorable game, failing to "give cohesion to his line and his shooting was weak". He was generally considered to be a good tackler and dribbler, but weak in the air. The game ended in a 0-0 draw. He was the last player to captain England in his only international.
He also made 12 appearances for the England Amateur XI.
hockey club and was given a trial for England.
, and later worked in the London Stock Exchange
.
He was married to Isabel Norman-Butler and had three children. His wife's sister was married to George Abell
who played cricket for Worcestershire
and Oxford University.
He was commissioned as an acting pilot officer
in No. 909 (County of Essex) (Balloon) Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force on 5 July 1938, he was promoted to flying officer
later that year. He was called to active service at the outbreak of the Second World War, and was promoted flight lieutenant
on 18 September 1939. On 25 February 1942 he transferred to the General Duties Branch for flight training, reverting to the rank of flying officer. He was posted to No. 256 Squadron RAF
and was killed on 31 October 1942, when the plane he was piloting on a training mission collided with another in mid-air near Caernarfon
, North Wales
. The pilot of the other plane was Squadron Leader Roger Winlaw
, a fellow Old Wykehamist who had played 52 games for Cambridge
and Surrey
. He is buried in the "Ingatestone
and Fryerning
Cemetery" in Essex
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
amateur
Amateur sports
Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. Sporting amateurism was a zealously guarded ideal in the 19th century, especially among the upper classes, but faced steady erosion throughout the 20th century with the continuing growth of pro sports...
footballer and 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. As an amateur, he played football for the Corinthians in several different positions including goalkeeper and centre forward, although his preferred position was wing-half. He made one appearance for the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
national team in 1925 when he was appointed team captain. As a cricketer he played for Cambridge University
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...
and 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...
. A pre-war officer of the Auxiliary Air Force, he died as a result of a mid-air collision in a training accident in the Second World War.
Early life
Ashton was born in Calcutta, IndiaIndia
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...
and was the youngest of four sons of Hubert Shorrock Ashton and of Victoria Alexandrina Ashton (née Inglis). Ashton's mother, Victoria, was the daughter of Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis, who commanded the British forces at the Siege of Lucknow
Siege of Lucknow
The Siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defense of the Residency within the city of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After two successive relief attempts had reached the city, the defenders and civilians were evacuated from the Residency, which was abandoned.Lucknow was the capital of...
, and Julia Selina Thesiger.
His brothers included Hubert
Hubert Ashton
Sir Hubert Ashton KBE MC was an English cricketer and politician...
, Gilbert
Gilbert Ashton
Gilbert Ashton MC was an English cricketer who played 62 first-class matches between the wars, mostly for Cambridge University and Worcestershire...
and Percy
Percy Ashton
Percy Ashton was an Indian-born English cricketer. He was a right-arm medium-fast bowler who played for Essex...
all of whom played first-class cricket.
Claude was educated at Winchester College
Winchester 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 was captain of cricket, football, racquets
Racquets (sport)
Rackets or Racquets is an indoor racket sport played in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada...
and fives
Fives
Fives is a British sport believed to derive from the same origins as many racquet sports. In fives, a ball is propelled against the walls of a special court using gloved or bare hands as though they were a racquet.-Background:...
. He then went up to Cambridge University and earned his blue at hockey, cricket and football. When Claude Ashton and his two brothers, Hubert and Gilbert, were together in the Cambridge football team of 1920, the University side earned itself the nickname of "Ashton Villa" . Although he became football captain in his third year at University, he was unable to take part in the 1923 match against Oxford University
Oxford University A.F.C.
Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford.-History:Formed in 1872, the club was a giant of the 1870s, winning the FA Cup 2-0 against Royal Engineers in 1874 and finishing the competition as runners up in 1873, 1877 and 1880, the...
.
Cricket career
Ashton first played for the University Cricket elevenCambridge 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 May 1921, and in 1921 he made 557 runs for the university at an average of 46.41. His best scores were 101 not out
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
off 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...
bowlers at 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...
and with 98 against M.C.C.
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...
at 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...
. In the match against Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford 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 July, he played alongside his brothers Gilbert
Gilbert Ashton
Gilbert Ashton MC was an English cricketer who played 62 first-class matches between the wars, mostly for Cambridge University and Worcestershire...
(captain) and Hubert
Hubert Ashton
Sir Hubert Ashton KBE MC was an English cricketer and politician...
making 48 runs (with Hubert scoring 118) as Cambridge won by an innings and 24 runs.
After the varsity match, Claude joined Hubert at 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...
with only modest success, scoring 240 at an average of 18.46. With one appearance for the England XI against Australia, his aggregate for the season was 798 at an average of 29.55.
In July 1922, he again joined Hubert (now captain) in the varsity match which was won by an innings and 100 runs, after Hubert (on 90) (with Percy Chapman
Percy Chapman
Arthur Percy Frank Chapman was an English cricketer who captained England to a then English-record-equalling seven consecutive Test match wins, a record that was not surpassed until Michael Vaughan's team won eight in a row in 2004...
on 102) declared at 403 for four wickets. As a result Claude was unable to bat and only bowled three overs without claiming a wicket. Rain interfered with many matches in 1922 but Claude’s aggregate for the University and Essex for the year was 797 runs, average 28.46. His best performance came in early August against 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...
, when he scored 110 not out in a drawn match.
For 1923, he succeeded his two elder brothers as captain of Cambridge University
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...
, but was unable to emulate his brothers in the varsity match. Oxford batted all the first day, and during the night a severe thunderstorm with a deluge of rain completely altered the conditions at Lord's, with the result that Cambridge were dismissed twice and beaten on the Tuesday by an innings and 227 runs, the most overwhelming defeat in the whole series of University matches and the three most decisive results to occur consecutively. Claude thus ended his time with the university in rather dismal circumstances.
In the 1923 season as a whole, however, he amassed 916 runs at an average of 24.75, and claimed 50 wickets with his medium-pace bowling, together with 21 catches.
Over the next few years, his business commitments restricted his cricket and between 1930 and 1933 he played no first class cricket. After a five year absence from first class cricket, he returned for Essex at the end of May 1934 in a match against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent 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...
at Brentwood
Old County Ground, Brentwood
Old County Ground is a cricket ground in Brentwood, Essex. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1876, when Essex played Suffolk in a non first-class match....
. In an astonishing match Kent scored 803 for four wickets, with Bill Ashdown
Bill Ashdown
William Henry Ashdown was an English cricketer, and one of only a handful of players who played first-class cricket before the First World War and after the Second World War.Ashdown was born in Bromley, Kent...
scoring 332, Frank Woolley
Frank Woolley
Frank Edward Woolley was an English cricketer, one of the finest all-rounders the game has seen. In a career lasting more than thirty years, he scored more first-class runs than anyone but Sir Jack Hobbs, and took over 2,000 wickets at an average of under 20...
172 and Les Ames
Les Ames
Leslie Ethelbert George Ames, CBE was an outstanding wicket-keeper and batsman for the England cricket team and Kent County Cricket Club. In his obituary, the Wisden of 1991 described him as the greatest wicket-keeper-batsman of all time...
202 n.o.
Not out
In cricket, a batsman will be not out if he comes out to bat in an innings and has not been dismissed by the end of the innings. One may similarly describe a batsman as not out while the innings is still in progress...
(185 runs were scored off Ashton’s 31 overs). In reply, Essex managed 408 in the first innings, with centuries from Dudley Pope
Dudley Pope (cricketer)
Dudley Fairbridge Pope was an English cricketer. A right-handed batsman, Pope was born in Barnes and is recorded in the 1911 Census as living in Richmond, Surrey at age four. He played 159 first class matches for Essex and Gloucestershire between 1925 and his death in a car accident in 1934...
and Jack O’Connor
Jack O'Connor (English cricketer)
Jack O'Connor was an English cricketer who played in four Tests from 1929 to 1930....
, while Ashton could only contribute 11. Following on, Essex were bowled out for 203, with Ashton making 71 not out.
A few days later, he made his highest first class score of 118 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...
(again at Brentwood), helping O'Connor put on 287 for the fifth wicket, a then Essex record, in a total of 570, which brought victory by an innings and 192. The stand occupied only two hours twenty minutes, and the fourth hundred of the innings came in 38 minutes. The combined total of runs scored in these two matches was 2362. In six games for Essex in 1934, Ashton scored 416 runs and headed the averages with 59.42.
His fourth and final century came against Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire 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 July 1936, when he scored 100 in a drawn match, thereby passing a career total of 4500 runs.
His first class cricket career spanned 18 years from 1921 to 1938 during which he scored an aggregate of 4723 runs at an average of 24.98, took 139 wickets as a bowler, and held 113 catches.
Corinthians
At Cambridge University, he became football captain in his third year, but unable to take part in the 1923 match against Oxford UniversityOxford University A.F.C.
Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford.-History:Formed in 1872, the club was a giant of the 1870s, winning the FA Cup 2-0 against Royal Engineers in 1874 and finishing the competition as runners up in 1873, 1877 and 1880, the...
. After graduating, he played for Old Wykehamists, and he, Hubert
Hubert Ashton
Sir Hubert Ashton KBE MC was an English cricketer and politician...
and Gilbert occupied the inside-forward positions for Old Wykehamists in Arthur Dunn Cup ties.
Whilst at university, he joined his two brothers at Corinthian, making his first appearance on 18 December 1920 playing at wing-half in a 4-2 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion. In the next match, against the Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
, he played at inside left alongside his two brothers. Over the next two seasons he generally played as a forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, before reverting to left-half in 1923-24, occasionally dropping back into defence. On 29 November 1924 he played in goal against Oxford University
Oxford University A.F.C.
Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford.-History:Formed in 1872, the club was a giant of the 1870s, winning the FA Cup 2-0 against Royal Engineers in 1874 and finishing the competition as runners up in 1873, 1877 and 1880, the...
deputising for Benjamin Howard Baker.
For the 1925-26 season, he was restored to the forward line with great success. Over the next five seasons, he scored 103 goals from 89 appearances, including five goals against Northern Nomads on 24 December 1927, United Hospitals on 20 October 1928 and The Army on 19 January 1929. In 1932 he dropped back into midfield and ended his career with the Corinthians in November 1934.
His final appearance for Corinthian came in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
first round tie against Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
on 24 November 1934, which was lost 2-0. In his fifteen seasons with Corinthian, he appeared in all 20 FA Cup ties played by Corinthian, scoring seven goals including a pair against Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
on 8 January 1927 and a hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in a 5-0 victory at Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
in the third round on 12 January 1929. His first goal against Norwich came at thirty minutes when he scored with a drive, following a pass from Kenneth Hegan
Kenneth Hegan
Kenneth Edward "Jackie" Hegan OBE was an English amateur footballer who played on the wing and made four appearances for England in 1923, scoring four goals. He was a member of the Corinthian amateur club, and a professional soldier.-Career:Hegan was born in Coventry, and attended Bablake School...
. He increased the lead two minutes before the break after a cross from Hegan, when he "proceeded to slot the ball gently past the surprised goalkeeper". His third goal came near the end of the game when he ran through to complete his hat-trick. He also scored Corinthian's consolation goal in a 3–1 defeat by Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
in front of a crowd of 56,338 on 29 January 1927.
In his career with Corinthian, he played a total of 208 matches, only exceeded by Tommy Whewell and Benjamin Howard Baker, and scored 145 goals.
England
He was selected for the EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
national team for the match against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
at Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
on 24 October 1925, and was appointed captain for his solitary appearance for the full national side, playing at centre-forward. He did not have a particularly memorable game, failing to "give cohesion to his line and his shooting was weak". He was generally considered to be a good tackler and dribbler, but weak in the air. The game ended in a 0-0 draw. He was the last player to captain England in his only international.
He also made 12 appearances for the England Amateur XI.
Hockey
Whilst at Cambridge, he twice played hockey against Oxford. After retiring from football, he joined the BeckenhamBeckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
hockey club and was given a trial for England.
Life outside sport
On graduating from Cambridge University, he qualified as a Chartered AccountantChartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
, and later worked in the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
.
He was married to Isabel Norman-Butler and had three children. His wife's sister was married to George Abell
George Abell (civil servant and cricketer)
Sir George Edmond Brackenbury Abell, KCIE, OBE was an English civil servant and cricketer. Although his civil service career was the more significant, he was an excellent all-round sportsman, who won Blues for Oxford at cricket, rugby union and hockey as well as playing county cricket for...
who played cricket for Worcestershire
Worcestershire County Cricket Club
Worcestershire 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...
and Oxford University.
He was commissioned as an acting pilot officer
Pilot Officer
Pilot officer is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks immediately below flying officer...
in No. 909 (County of Essex) (Balloon) Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force on 5 July 1938, he was promoted to flying officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
later that year. He was called to active service at the outbreak of the Second World War, and was promoted flight lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
on 18 September 1939. On 25 February 1942 he transferred to the General Duties Branch for flight training, reverting to the rank of flying officer. He was posted to No. 256 Squadron RAF
No. 256 Squadron RAF
No. 256 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II. It operated Defiant Mk IIs out of RAF Squires Gate in the night defence of Liverpool....
and was killed on 31 October 1942, when the plane he was piloting on a training mission collided with another in mid-air near Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. The pilot of the other plane was Squadron Leader Roger Winlaw
Roger Winlaw
Roger de Winton Kelsall Winlaw was an English amateur cricketer who played for Cambridge University and Surrey. A pre-war member of the RAF Volunteer Reserve, he died as a result of a mid-air collision in a training accident in the Second World War.-Education:Winlaw was born in Morden, Surrey to...
, a fellow Old Wykehamist who had played 52 games for Cambridge
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...
and 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...
. He is buried in the "Ingatestone
Ingatestone
Ingatestone is a small town in Essex, England, with a population of about 4500 people. To the immediate north lies the village of Fryerning, and the two form the civil parish of Ingatestone and Fryerning....
and Fryerning
Fryerning
Fryerning is a village in south Essex. It is situated just 1.5 miles north of Ingatestone. The Parish Church is St. Mary the Virgin in Blackmore Road...
Cemetery" in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.