World War I Memorial Unveiled

Derbyshire County Cricket Club unveiled a World War I memorial at The Central Co-op County Ground earlier today.

Derbyshire’s Heritage Officer explains what prompted the idea for a memorial and how the event unfolded.

Old annual reports from 1919 and 1920 indicate that a wall-mounted World War I Roll of Honour was placed in the old pavilion at Derby to commemorate the deaths of six Derbyshire cricketers and one coach who lost their lives in that war.

The pavilion was demolished in 1954 and in my 52-year association with the club, have never seen the Roll of Honour so have to assume it was destroyed or mislaid.

On my travels around the counties I have noticed that many have memorials – some old, some modern – and felt that it was appropriate to install a new one at Derby.

With support from the Derbyshire Board of Directors this idea has come to fruition and this morning I was delighted to witness the unveiling of a new memorial by the President of the Royal British Legion in Derbyshire, Professor Paula Holt and our Chair Ian Morgan.

The Union Standard and the Standard of the Royal British Legion, Oakwood Branch were also present and Club Chaplain Bob Atkins formally dedicated the memorial.

Chief Executive Ryan Duckett, Board members Ian MacFarlane, Rachel Morris and Jo Franco-Wheeler and several members of staff were also present.

The memorial, which details the seven soldiers who died in World War I, is located on the outer wall at the entrance to the pavilion and it is anticipated that in future, the memorial will be the focal point of formal remembrance events at the club.

These Derbyshire cricketers were from different backgrounds and of all ranks, but they served their country with distinction and paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives.

More than a century later, everyone connected with our historic cricket club remains proud of their service and their sacrifice.

“AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN, AND IN THE MORNING, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM”

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Here are the details of the six former Derbyshire cricketers and one coach who lost their lives in WWI and whose details names are included on the new memorial.

Captain Frank Miller Bingham – Kings Own (Royal Lancashire Regiment)

Born in Alfreton, Derbyshire in 1874 he was killed in action in Flanders on 22 May 1915, aged forty, and is honoured at the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial in Belgium.

Captain Bingham had been through severe fighting earlier in May 1915 and had subsequently been granted three days’ leave to visit his wife and children.

On the day after his return, he and other officers were leaving the trenches at daybreak when they found a private soldier half buried by the side of a trench. Captain Bingham insisted on freeing the soldier but while doing so was shot and killed instantaneously.

Formerly a doctor in Lancaster, Frank Bingham was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Bingham, of Alfreton, Derbyshire and husband of Ruth Morley Bingham, of Highfield House, Lancaster.

He played in one match for Derbyshire in 1896 – at Lord’s – and also played rugby union for Blackheath

205113 Sergeant Charles Barnett Fleming – Tank Corps

Born in Derby in 1887 he died of wounds in Grevillers, France on 22^nd September 1918 aged thirty-one.

Prior to his war service he was on the staff of the Midland Railway’s general superintendent’s department and was a prominent member of the Midland Railway Athletic Association.

Charles Fleming played one match for Derbyshire, at Derby, in 1907.

Captain Geoffrey Laird Jackson – 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade

Born in Birkenhead in 1894 he was killed in action at Arras, Belgium on 9 April 1917 aged twenty-three and is honoured at the Highland Cemetery, Roclincourt, Pas de Calais, France.

Captain Jackson was the eldest son of Brigadier and Mrs. GM Jackson of Clay Cross Hall and at the time of his death both of his brothers were also serving at the front.

He had led his company for over three miles and through enemy lines but lost his life following the explosion of a shell.

His brother Humphrey Jackson won the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty, while another brother, Guy Rolf Jackson – who went on to captain Derbyshire 226 times – was awarded the Military Cross, the French Legion d’Honneur and the Greek Military Cross for gallantry on the field of battle and was mentioned in Dispatches twice.

Captain Geoffrey Jackson, who captained the Harrow School first eleven, played four matches for Derbyshire between 1912 and 1914.

Robert Jackson (Geoffrey Jackson’s nephew and son of Guy Jackson) sent the following message: “Our family very much appreciates the club’s idea of a memorial plaque and I thank you all for making this possible.”

7935 Lance Corporal Arthur Marsden – 12th Battalion Manchester Regiment

Born in Buxton in 1880, he died in London on 31 July 1916 from wounds received on The Somme, aged thirty-five.

He is commemorated in the Gorton Unitarian Churchyard, Gorton Cemetery, Manchester.

Arthur Marsden played one match for Derbyshire, at Derby, in 1910.

17289 Lieutenant Charles Neil Newcombe – 7th Battalion Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

Born in Great Yarmouth in 1891 he was killed in action in Flanders, France on 27 December 1915, aged twenty-four and is buried at the Military Cemetery, Bois-Grenier, France.

He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Percy Newcombe of Matlock and was engaged to be to be married to Nora Kingston Wood of Creswell.

Educated at Chesterfield School, where he was head boy, he was a talented footballer going on to play for Chesterfield, Glossop Town, Manchester United and Rotherham United.

At the outbreak of the war, he enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters and was commissioned on 19th November 1914.

Charles Newcombe played one match for Derbyshire in 1910. His great uncle, Captain William Lister, was killed at Waterloo.

Captain Guy Denis Wilson – 169th Brigade Royal Field Artillery

Born in Melbourne, Derbyshire in 1882 he was killed in action in Cambrai, France on 30th November 1917, his 35th birthday. He has no known grave but is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial at Louverval, France.

Guy Wilson was commissioned into the 1st Derbyshire Howitzer Battery of the Territorial Force as a second lieutenant in 1908 having been an outstanding schoolboy athlete at Derby School where he captained the cricket and football teams. He was an MCC member and his name is on the Lord’s Cricket ground MCC Members World War I memorial.

Guy Wilson played two matches for Derbyshire, at Derby in 1902 and at Lord’s in 1905.

241075 Sergeant Major Henry (Harry) George Blacklidge – A Company 1st/5th Battalion Hampshire Regiment

Born in Guildford, Surrey in 1884 he died from dysentery in Amara, Mesopotamia – now Iraq – on 23 May 1917 aged thirty-two and is honoured at the Amara War Cemetery in Iraq.

The son of John and Jean Blacklidge, of East Sheen, London, Harry Blacklidge had played seven first class games for Surrey between 1908 and 1913 and was appointed coach to Derbyshire’s newly formed cricket nursery in 1914 and was due to play for the county when qualified but was prevented by the outbreak of war. He did, however, play two second eleven games for Derbyshire in 1914.

At the 1915 Derbyshire annual meeting, members were notified that a letter had been received from Blacklidge in which he said he was playing some cricket out in the East and was looking forward to returning safely to Derby.

Ian Blacklidge sent the following message: “It was only on one of my early visits to The Oval in 1982, that I managed to get access to the Long Room within the pavilion and found my great-great uncle’s name inscribed on the club’s Memorial Plaque to commemorate those who died in World War I. I also learned on the cusp of the First World War, that on leaving Surrey the year before, he had accepted a coaching position at Derbyshire. Tragically, he never returned to serve much more time in that particular role. I and my family are extremely grateful to Derbyshire for this kind gesture”