Roger Winlaw
Encyclopedia
Roger de Winton Kelsall Winlaw (28 March 1912 – 31 October 1942) was an English
amateur
cricket
er 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.
, Surrey
to the Rev. George Preston Kelsall Winlaw and Minnie Ashley, and was educated at Winchester College
. At Winchester he won the Rugby Fives
National Schools Doubles Championships in 1931 with HJH (John) Lamb, the only Wykehamist pair to have done so up until 2005 (when it was won by WA Ellison and HK Mohammed), and in addition won the Singles twice (1930 and 1931). On going up to Cambridge University in 1931, he continued as Lamb's Fives partner in 1932, 1933 and 1934.
Winlaw was a member of the Winchester College cricket eleven from 1928 to 1931, and was captain in the last two seasons. His best year was 1930, when he headed both the batting and bowling averages.
, he received his Blue in 1932, making his first class debut against Yorkshire
on 11 May 1932. Over three seasons with Cambridge, he made 30 appearances scoring 1938 runs at an average of 43.06.
His best year was 1934, when he was second to John Human
in the batting averages with 977 runs at 57.47, and hit five centuries, the highest being 161 not out against Essex
at Fenner's
. He hit two centuries in the match against Glamorgan
at Cardiff. The other centuries came at Fenner's - 104 against Yorkshire and 103 against the Free Foresters amateur side.
He also played in nine county matches for Surrey
in 1934, scoring 341 runs, average 28.41, and his full aggregate amounted to 1,330, average 42.90. His best score was 91 against Sussex
at The Oval
. He was also prominent in the Middlesex match, scoring 61 in the first innings, and then, having been forced to retire injured in the second innings, resuming when the ninth wicket fell and helping Ted Brooks
achieve victory by one wicket.
Winlaw also played for Bedfordshire
in the Minor Counties from 1932. He captained Bedfordshire in 1935, and headed the averages with 85 for an aggregate of 425. In 1936, they rose to fourth in the Minor Counties Championship, the best season since 1905. Winlaw's fielding, generally at mid-off, was highly rated though his batting was less successful. He played for Bedfordshire through to 1939.
. He also played football for Corinthian making five appearances between 1934 and 1937 playing at inside-left, scoring twice.
He was already a sergeant
in the RAF Volunteer Reserve when he was commissioned as a pilot officer
on probation on 3 February 1938, and promoted to flying officer
on 3 August 1939. He was called to active service with the Royal Air Force
on the outbreak of the Second World War, and promoted flight lieutenant
on 3 September 1940, and squadron leader
on 1 March 1942. He was a member of No. 256 Squadron RAF
when he 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 Claude Ashton
, a fellow Old Wykehamist who had played 127 games for Cambridge
and Essex
, and was also a Corinthian footballer, who played once for England
. Winlaw is commemorated at Liverpool Crematorium, Anfield
.
His widow Marsali Mary Seal de Winlaw, a schoolmistress, re-married to John Montgomery in 1945; their son was Hugh Massingberd
, (born Hugh John Montgomery in 1946) who became an eminent journalist.
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
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
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 who 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 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...
. 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 MordenMorden
Morden is a district in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately South-southwest of central London between Merton Park , Mitcham , Sutton and Worcester Park .- Origin of name :...
, 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...
to the Rev. George Preston Kelsall Winlaw and Minnie Ashley, and 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...
. At Winchester he won the Rugby Fives
Rugby Fives
Rugby Fives is a handball game, similar to squash, played in an enclosed court. It has similarities with Winchester Fives and Eton Fives....
National Schools Doubles Championships in 1931 with HJH (John) Lamb, the only Wykehamist pair to have done so up until 2005 (when it was won by WA Ellison and HK Mohammed), and in addition won the Singles twice (1930 and 1931). On going up to Cambridge University in 1931, he continued as Lamb's Fives partner in 1932, 1933 and 1934.
Winlaw was a member of the Winchester College cricket eleven from 1928 to 1931, and was captain in the last two seasons. His best year was 1930, when he headed both the batting and bowling averages.
Cricket career
At Cambridge UniversityCambridge 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...
, he received his Blue in 1932, making his first class debut against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
on 11 May 1932. Over three seasons with Cambridge, he made 30 appearances scoring 1938 runs at an average of 43.06.
His best year was 1934, when he was second to John Human
John Human
John Hanbury Human was an English cricketer.John Human was educated at Repton and Cambridge University. He toured twice with the MCC and was considered unlucky not to be capped by England. He toured India, while still an undergraduate, but could not force his way into a strong batting side...
in the batting averages with 977 runs at 57.47, and hit five centuries, the highest being 161 not out against 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...
at Fenner's
Fenner's
Fenner's is the University of Cambridge's cricket ground.-History:Fenner's has hosted first-class cricket since 1848, and many of the world's great players have graced the wicket. The ground was established on land leased for the purpose by Francis Fenner, after whom the ground is named.Playing for...
. He hit two centuries in the match against Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Cricket Club
Glamorgan 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 Glamorgan aka Glamorganshire . Glamorgan CCC is the only Welsh first-class cricket club. Glamorgan CCC have won the English County...
at Cardiff. The other centuries came at Fenner's - 104 against Yorkshire and 103 against the Free Foresters amateur side.
He also played in nine county matches for 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...
in 1934, scoring 341 runs, average 28.41, and his full aggregate amounted to 1,330, average 42.90. His best score was 91 against Sussex
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
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...
. He was also prominent in the Middlesex match, scoring 61 in the first innings, and then, having been forced to retire injured in the second innings, resuming when the ninth wicket fell and helping Ted Brooks
Ted Brooks
Edward William John 'Ted' Brooks was an English cricketer. A wicket-keeper, he played first-class cricket for Surrey from 1925 to 1939, all but five of his first-class appearances being for the county...
achieve victory by one wicket.
Winlaw also played for Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire County Cricket Club
Bedfordshire 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 Bedfordshire and competing in the Minor Counties Championship and the MCCA Knockout Trophy. The Minor Counties play three-day...
in the Minor Counties from 1932. He captained Bedfordshire in 1935, and headed the averages with 85 for an aggregate of 425. In 1936, they rose to fourth in the Minor Counties Championship, the best season since 1905. Winlaw's fielding, generally at mid-off, was highly rated though his batting was less successful. He played for Bedfordshire through to 1939.
Life outside cricket
He played three times in the University Association football match on the right wing, being captain in his last year. Before joining the Royal Air Force, Winlaw was a master at Harrow SchoolHarrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
. He also played football for Corinthian making five appearances between 1934 and 1937 playing at inside-left, scoring twice.
He was already a sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the RAF Volunteer Reserve when he was commissioned as a 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...
on probation on 3 February 1938, and 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...
on 3 August 1939. He was called to active service with the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
on the outbreak of the Second World War, and 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 3 September 1940, and squadron leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
on 1 March 1942. He was a member of 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....
when he 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 Claude Ashton
Claude Ashton
Claude Thesiger Ashton was an English amateur footballer and cricketer. 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...
, a fellow Old Wykehamist who had played 127 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 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...
, and was also a Corinthian footballer, who played once for 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...
. Winlaw is commemorated at Liverpool Crematorium, Anfield
Anfield, Liverpool
Anfield is a district of Liverpool, Merseyside, England and a Liverpool City Council Ward.-Toponymy:Originally common pasture land, the area had the name of Hanging-fields or Hangfield - the name originating from the deeply sloping nature of the terrain. The name was also frequently written as...
.
His widow Marsali Mary Seal de Winlaw, a schoolmistress, re-married to John Montgomery in 1945; their son was Hugh Massingberd
Hugh Massingberd
Hugh John Massingberd , also known as Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, was an English journalist and genealogist....
, (born Hugh John Montgomery in 1946) who became an eminent journalist.