Eric Cole
Encyclopedia
Major-General Eric Stuart Cole, CB
, CBE
(10 February 1906–19 December 1992) was a senior British Army
officer and telecommunications expert. He saw active service in the Second World War, with his most important contribution being the planning of communications for the invasion of Normandy. He continued his army career after the war, utimately holding the post of director of telecommunications at the War Office
.
He was also a cricket
er of county-standard, who played for Kent
during the 1938 English cricket season
. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace
bowler, he played ten first-class
matches in all, and also represented the Egypt national cricket team
.
in 1906, where his father was then stationed as bandmaster of the Royal Sussex Regiment
, Cole was educated at Dover Grammar School and Sandhurst
. On graduation from Sandhurst in 1925 he was a commissioned as a second lieutenant
in the Royal Signal Corps on 3 September, and posted to Egypt
, his early career also included time in Palestine, and he was promoted to lieutenant
on 3 September 1927.
During these first postings he joined a group exploring the deserts of the Middle East. In 1934 he designed a transceiver
that enabled an expedition consisting of two cars taking a 1500 mile trip across the Western Desert and Libyan Sand Sea
to remain in daily contact with their base at Abbassia
. The techniques developed during this and similar expeditions would later be taken up by British Forces in the North African Campaign
, particularly by the Long Range Desert Group
and helped to give them an edge over their Axis
counterparts.
He took and passed the examinations for promotion to captain
in October 1934, but was not actually promoted until 3 September 1936. In 1938 he was Montgomery's chief signal officer in 88th Division Signals, operating against Arab terrorists in northern Palestine.
On 1 March 1939 he was appointed adjutant
of 1st Division's Signals. The unit was part of the British Expeditionary Force
sent to France on the outbreak of the Second World War. Shortly before the main German offensive
he became acting deputy chief signal officer to I Corps (and an acting major). During the evacuation from Dunkirk he commanded the signals party which remained with the Corps HQ until it was finally evacuated, managing to keep communications open most of the time, despite only having one wireless detachment, five despatch riders and two linemen; he was wounded on the evacuation beach. The Corps chief signal officer recommended him for a decoration, initially the Military Cross
, which was then downgraded to an MBE
, but in the end Cole only received a Mention in Despatches.
On Cole's return to the United Kingdom he was soon involved in planning the communications for various amphibious operations proposed by Churchill
, mostly cancelled before they got off the drawing board. In July 1941 he was appointed chief signal officer for Force 110, an amphibious force intended to carry out raids and landings across an area from the Azores
to Sicily
, and designed some of the special comms equipment used by the amphibious and airborne forces. He married an artist, Doris Hartley, in 1941. Given this experience of amphibious operations, he was an obvious choice for the new Combined Operations department when it was set up in January 1942. He was promoted major on 3 September 1942. In this capacity he was involved in planning the communications for the proposed invasion of Normandy. He took part in the invasion as chief signals officer of I Corps, and was sent forward on D+7 to take over signals in 6th Airborne Division, and stayed with that division during the remainder of the Battle of Normandy. On 28 September 1944, he moved to the role of deputy chief signals officer (British) at Allied Forces Headquarters
, initially under the command of Field Marshal Sir Henry Maitland Wilson
, and from December 1944, Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander
. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1945 for services during the Italian Campaign
. By this time he held the war substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel, a temporary colonelcy and was an acting brigadier
. In April 1945 he was posted to Athens
as part of the British Land Forces Greece, supporting Greek Government forces during the Greek Civil War
.
In 1946 Cole was appointed chairman of the Joint Communications Board, and his wartime substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel was confirmed. He was promoted substantive colonel in 1948 (with seniority backdated to 1947), and spent two years in Washington, D.C.
. Further important positions followed, along with promotion to substantive brigadier in 1954. By January 1958 he was at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
as deputy chief signal officer, and became director of telecommunications at the War Office
(with the temporary rank of major-general
) on 15 April 1958, receiving substantive promotion on 24 August 1958, and relinquished the role on 27 April 1961, retiring from active duty shortly after. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1960 Queen's Birthday Honours
, Colonel Commandant
of the Royal Corps of Signals on 22 December 1962, in succession to Mervyn Wheatley
, and held that appointment until 22 December 1967.
On his retirement in 1961 he joined Ultra Electronics managing their telecommunications business, he was also appointed president of the Radio Society of Great Britain
. In 1964 he moved to manage Granger Associates, a radio aerial
manufacturer, and later become a director of the company.
and England
. He first played for the Egyptian national side in April 1930, playing twice against HM Martineau's XI
. Indeed, all his matches for Egypt were against Martineau's team, and he also played twice against them for Gezira Sporting Club
.
In 1931, after playing twice for Egypt in April, he made his first-class debut, playing for the Free Foresters
against Cambridge University
. Back in Egypt, he played for the national side once in 1932 and twice in 1933.
The 1933 English cricket season
was when he first became involved with Kent County Cricket Club
, playing five times for their second XI in the Minor Counties Cricket Championship
that year. He also played his second first-class match that year, playing for the British Army cricket team
against the West Indies. He again played twice for Egypt in 1934, and played his final match for them in April 1935.
The rest of his cricket career was in England, and in 1935 he played a first-class match for the Army against Cambridge University, and a Minor Counties Championship match for Kent Second XI against Staffordshire
. He played first-class matches for the Army against Cambridge University in the 1936 season
and against Oxford University
in the 1937 season
. He also played for the Combined Services
against New Zealand in 1937.
In 1938, after playing for the Army against Cambridge University, he made his debut for the Kent first team, playing County Championship
matches against Lancashire
, Derbyshire
and Worcestershire
. These were his only games for Kent. He played a non-first-class match for the Army against the West Indies in 1939, his last recorded match.
at an average of 9.80, with a top-score of 36 for the Army against the West Indies in 1933. He took 25 wickets at an average
of 36.48, his best innings bowling performance of 4/78 came on his County Championship debut for Kent against Lancashire.
champion, and also fought at middle-weight. He also represented Aldershot Command
in at least one football
match in 1928. He later took up golf to a reasonable standard and was president of the Army Golfing Society in the 1970s.
He was a keen photographer, and an associate of the Royal Photographic Society
. He collected English bronze coinage, and was known as a numismatist. He frequently competed in amateur radio
competitions.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(10 February 1906–19 December 1992) was a senior 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 and telecommunications expert. He saw active service in the Second World War, with his most important contribution being the planning of communications for the invasion of Normandy. He continued his army career after the war, utimately holding the post of director of telecommunications at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
.
He was also a 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 of county-standard, who played for 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...
during the 1938 English cricket season
1938 English cricket season
The 1938 English cricket season was notable for England's remarkable total at The Oval with Len Hutton contributing a record 364.-Honours:*County Championship - Yorkshire*Minor Counties Championship - Buckinghamshire...
. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace
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 ten first-class
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...
matches in all, 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:...
.
Personal life and army career
Born in MaltaMalta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
in 1906, where his father was then stationed as bandmaster of the Royal Sussex Regiment
Royal Sussex Regiment
The Royal Sussex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed as part of the Childers reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th Regiment of Foot and the 107th Regiment of Foot...
, Cole was educated at Dover Grammar School and Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. On graduation from Sandhurst in 1925 he was a commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the Royal Signal Corps on 3 September, and posted to Egypt
Kingdom of Egypt
The Kingdom of Egypt was the first modern Egyptian state, lasting from 1922 to 1953. The Kingdom was created in 1922 when the British government unilaterally ended its protectorate over Egypt, in place since 1914. Sultan Fuad I became the first king of the new state...
, his early career also included time in Palestine, and he was promoted to lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
on 3 September 1927.
During these first postings he joined a group exploring the deserts of the Middle East. In 1934 he designed a transceiver
Transceiver
A transceiver is a device comprising both a transmitter and a receiver which are combined and share common circuitry or a single housing. When no circuitry is common between transmit and receive functions, the device is a transmitter-receiver. The term originated in the early 1920s...
that enabled an expedition consisting of two cars taking a 1500 mile trip across the Western Desert and Libyan Sand Sea
Libyan Desert
The Libyan Desert covers an area of approximately 1,100,000 km2, it extends approximately 1100 km from east to west, and 1,000 km from north to south, in about the shape of a rectangle...
to remain in daily contact with their base at Abbassia
Abbassia
Abbassia is a neighborhood in Cairo, Egypt. It contains the seat of Coptic Orthodox Church....
. The techniques developed during this and similar expeditions would later be taken up by British Forces in the North African Campaign
North African campaign
During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...
, particularly by the Long Range Desert Group
Long Range Desert Group
The Long Range Desert Group was a reconnaissance and raiding unit of the British Army during the Second World War. The commander of the German Afrika Corps, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, admitted that the LRDG "caused us more damage than any other British unit of equal strength".Originally called...
and helped to give them an edge over their Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
counterparts.
He took and passed the examinations for promotion to captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
in October 1934, but was not actually promoted until 3 September 1936. In 1938 he was Montgomery's chief signal officer in 88th Division Signals, operating against Arab terrorists in northern Palestine.
On 1 March 1939 he was appointed adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant 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 1st Division's Signals. The unit was part of the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
sent to France on the outbreak of the Second World War. Shortly before the main German offensive
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
he became acting deputy chief signal officer to I Corps (and an acting major). During the evacuation from Dunkirk he commanded the signals party which remained with the Corps HQ until it was finally evacuated, managing to keep communications open most of the time, despite only having one wireless detachment, five despatch riders and two linemen; he was wounded on the evacuation beach. The Corps chief signal officer recommended him for a decoration, initially 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....
, which was then downgraded to an MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
, but in the end Cole only received a Mention in Despatches.
On Cole's return to the United Kingdom he was soon involved in planning the communications for various amphibious operations proposed by Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, mostly cancelled before they got off the drawing board. In July 1941 he was appointed chief signal officer for Force 110, an amphibious force intended to carry out raids and landings across an area from the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
to Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, and designed some of the special comms equipment used by the amphibious and airborne forces. He married an artist, Doris Hartley, in 1941. Given this experience of amphibious operations, he was an obvious choice for the new Combined Operations department when it was set up in January 1942. He was promoted major on 3 September 1942. In this capacity he was involved in planning the communications for the proposed invasion of Normandy. He took part in the invasion as chief signals officer of I Corps, and was sent forward on D+7 to take over signals in 6th Airborne Division, and stayed with that division during the remainder of the Battle of Normandy. On 28 September 1944, he moved to the role of deputy chief signals officer (British) at Allied Forces Headquarters
Allied Forces Headquarters
Allied Force Headquarters was the headquarters that controlled all Allied operational forces in the Mediterranean Theatre of World War II from late 1942 to the end of the war....
, initially under the command of Field Marshal Sir Henry Maitland Wilson
Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson
Field Marshal Henry Maitland Wilson, 1st Baron Wilson, GCB, GBE, DSO , also known as "Jumbo" Wilson, saw active service in the Second Boer War and First World War, and became a senior British general in the Middle East and Mediterranean during the Second World War...
, and from December 1944, Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis
Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian...
. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1945 for services during the Italian Campaign
Italian Campaign (World War II)
The Italian Campaign of World War II was the name of Allied operations in and around Italy, from 1943 to the end of the war in Europe. Joint Allied Forces Headquarters AFHQ was operationally responsible for all Allied land forces in the Mediterranean theatre, and it planned and commanded the...
. By this time he held the war substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel, a temporary colonelcy and was an acting brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
. In April 1945 he was posted to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
as part of the British Land Forces Greece, supporting Greek Government forces during the Greek Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
.
In 1946 Cole was appointed chairman of the Joint Communications Board, and his wartime substantive rank of lieutenant-colonel was confirmed. He was promoted substantive colonel in 1948 (with seniority backdated to 1947), and spent two years in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Further important positions followed, along with promotion to substantive brigadier in 1954. By January 1958 he was at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...
as deputy chief signal officer, and became director of telecommunications at the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
(with the temporary rank of major-general
Major-General (United Kingdom)
Major general is a senior rank in the British Army. Since 1996 the highest position within the Royal Marines is the Commandant General Royal Marines who holds the rank of major general...
) on 15 April 1958, receiving substantive promotion on 24 August 1958, and relinquished the role on 27 April 1961, retiring from active duty shortly after. He was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1960 Queen's Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours
The Queen's Birthday Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the celebration of the Queen's Official Birthday in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen...
, Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant
Colonel Commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels...
of the Royal Corps of Signals on 22 December 1962, in succession to Mervyn Wheatley
Mervyn Wheatley
Colonel Sir Mervyn James Wheatley CBE was a British Conservative Party politician.He was Member of Parliament for East Dorset from 1945 to 1950 and for Poole from 1950 to 1951.- External links :...
, and held that appointment until 22 December 1967.
On his retirement in 1961 he joined Ultra Electronics managing their telecommunications business, he was also appointed president of the Radio Society of Great Britain
Radio Society of Great Britain
First founded in 1913 as the London Wireless Club, the Radio Society of Great Britain is the United Kingdom's recognised national society for amateur radio operators. The society's patron is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and it represents the interests of the UK’s 60,000 licensed radio amateurs...
. In 1964 he moved to manage Granger Associates, a radio aerial
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
manufacturer, and later become a director of the company.
Cricket career
Cole's early cricket career was split between EgyptEgypt
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...
and England
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...
. He first played for the Egyptian national side in April 1930, playing twice 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...
. Indeed, all his matches for Egypt were against Martineau's team, and he also played twice against them for Gezira Sporting Club
Gezira Sporting Club
The Gezira Sporting Club is the largest multi-sport facility in Egypt. It was founded in 1882 and was originally called Khedivial Sporting Club. It is located on the island of Zamalek in Cairo.-History:...
.
In 1931, after playing twice for Egypt in April, he made his first-class debut, playing for 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....
against 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...
. Back in Egypt, he played for the national side once in 1932 and twice in 1933.
The 1933 English cricket season
1933 English cricket season
In the 1933 English cricket season, Yorkshire's dominance continued with a third successive championship.-Honours:*County Championship - Yorkshire*Minor Counties Championship - undecided...
was when he first became involved with Kent County Cricket Club
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...
, playing five times for their second XI in the Minor Counties Cricket Championship
Minor Counties Cricket Championship
The Minor Counties Cricket Championship is a season-long competition in England that is contested by those county cricket clubs that do not have first-class status...
that year. He also played his second first-class match that year, playing for 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...
against the West Indies. He again played twice for Egypt in 1934, and played his final match for them in April 1935.
The rest of his cricket career was in England, and in 1935 he played a first-class match for the Army against Cambridge University, and a Minor Counties Championship match for Kent Second XI against Staffordshire
Staffordshire County Cricket Club
Staffordshire 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 Staffordshire and playing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy...
. He played first-class matches for the Army against Cambridge University in the 1936 season
1936 English cricket season
The 1936 English cricket season saw Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1936 win its first-ever County Championship.-Honours:*County Championship - Derbyshire*Minor Counties Championship - Hertfordshire...
and 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 the 1937 season
1937 English cricket season
-Honours:*County Championship - Yorkshire*Minor Counties Championship - Lancashire II*Wisden - Tom Goddard, Joe Hardstaff, Leonard Hutton, Jim Parks senior, Eddie Paynter-Test series:England defeated New Zealand 1-0 with two matches drawn....
. He also played for 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...
against New Zealand in 1937.
In 1938, after playing for the Army against Cambridge University, he made his debut for the Kent first team, playing County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
matches against Lancashire
Lancashire County Cricket Club
Lancashire 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...
, 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...
and 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...
. These were his only games for Kent. He played a non-first-class match for the Army against the West Indies in 1939, his last recorded match.
Statistics
In his ten first-class matches, Eric Cole scored 147 runsRun (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
at an average of 9.80, with a top-score of 36 for the Army against the West Indies in 1933. He took 25 wickets at an 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 36.48, his best innings bowling performance of 4/78 came on his County Championship debut for Kent against Lancashire.
Other sports and recreations
In his youth, Cole was Army light-heavyweight boxingBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
champion, and also fought at middle-weight. He also represented Aldershot Command
Aldershot Garrison
Aldershot Garrison, also known as Aldershot Military Town, is a major garrison in South East England. Established in 1854, Aldershot has long been seen as the home of the British Army. The garrison was established when the war department brought a large area of land near to the village of...
in at least one football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
match in 1928. He later took up golf to a reasonable standard and was president of the Army Golfing Society in the 1970s.
He was a keen photographer, and an associate of the Royal Photographic Society
Royal Photographic Society
The Royal Photographic Society is the world's oldest national photographic society. It was founded in London, United Kingdom in 1853 as The Photographic Society of London with the objective of promoting the Art and Science of Photography...
. He collected English bronze coinage, and was known as a numismatist. He frequently competed in amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
competitions.