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Colin Cokayne-Frith

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Colin Cokayne-Frith
Personal information
Full name
Colin Cokayne-Frith
Born27 March 1900
Canterbury, Kent, England
Died18 May 1940(1940-05-18) (aged 40)
Assche, Brabant, Belgium
BattingRight-handed
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 1
Runs scored 54
Batting average 54.00
100s/50s –/1
Top score 54
Catches/stumpings 1/–
Source: Cricinfo, 5 April 2019

Colin Cokayne-Frith (27 March 1900 – 18 May 1940) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer. Cokayne-Frith graduated from Sandhurst during the latter stages of the First World War and served in its closing stages with the King's Royal Hussars. He later played first-class cricket for the British Army cricket team. He was killed in action during the Battle of Belgium in the Second World War, while commanding a tank during the British Expeditionary Force's retreat to Dunkirk.

Life and military career

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Cokayne-Frith was born at St Stephen's House at Canterbury to Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Cokayne-Frith and his wife, Pauline.[1] He was educated at Eton College, before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[1]

He graduated from Sandhurst in the later stages of World War I as a second lieutenant, entering into the King's Royal Hussars and seeing action on the Western Front.[1] He was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant in December 1919,[2] with full promotion to the rank following in December 1921.[3] He was made an adjutant in April 1928,[4] and was shortly thereafter promoted to the rank of captain in July 1928.[5] He was again made an adjutant in September 1933, when he was seconded to the North Somerset Yeomanry.[6][7] He remained seconded to the North Somerset Yeomanry until November 1937,[8] returning to the King's Royal Hussars in January 1938.[9] He was promoted to the rank of major in August 1938.[10] He played a single first-class cricket match for the British Army cricket team against Cambridge University at Fenner's in 1939.[11] Batting once in the match, he scored 54 runs in the Army's first-innings, before being dismissed caught by George Mann off his brother John Mann's bowling.[12]

He served with the King's Royal Hussars during the Second World War, seeing action during the Battle of Belgium.[1] He was killed in a rearguard action on 18 May 1940, during the British Expeditionary Force's retreat to Dunkirk, when his tank was destroyed by a German anti-tank gun in the Belgian town of Assche.[1] He was the most senior member of his regiment to be killed on that day.[1] He was posthumously mentioned in dispatches for his actions throughout the retreat.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f McCrery, Nigel (2011). The Coming Storm: Test and First-Class Cricketers Killed in World War II. Vol. 2nd volume. Pen and Sword. p. 5-7. ISBN 978-1526706980.
  2. ^ "No. 31754". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 January 1920. p. 1086.
  3. ^ "No. 32736". The London Gazette. 8 August 1922. p. 5865.
  4. ^ "No. 33372". The London Gazette. 3 April 1928. p. 2444.
  5. ^ "No. 33415". The London Gazette. 24 July 1928. p. 5639.
  6. ^ "No. 33988". The London Gazette. 20 October 1933. p. 6761.
  7. ^ "No. 33989". The London Gazette. 24 October 1933. p. 6841.
  8. ^ "No. 34456". The London Gazette. 19 November 1937. p. 7265.
  9. ^ "No. 34477". The London Gazette. 28 January 1938. p. 585.
  10. ^ "No. 34538". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 August 1938. p. 5017.
  11. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Colin Cokayne-Frith". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Cambridge University v Army, 1939". CricketArchive. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  13. ^ "No. 35482". The London Gazette. 6 March 1942. p. 1109.
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