David Gay
David William Maurice Gay MC | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 April 1920 Kensington, London, England |
| Died | 10 July 2010 (aged 90) Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |  Merchant Navy British Army |
| Years of service | 1938–1958 |
| Rank | Major |
| Service number | 220676 |
| Unit | Royal Sussex Regiment 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) |
| Battles/wars | World War II *Battle of France *Dunkirk evacuation *First Battle of El Alamein *Second Battle of El Alamein *Tunisian campaign *Battle of San Marino |
| Other work | Cricketer, educator |
Major David William Maurice Gay MC (2 April 1920 – 10 July 2010) was a decorated British Army officer, English cricketer, and later an educator. Gay served with distinction in World War II, earning the Military Cross during the course of the war. Following the war, he played first-class cricket, before embarking on a career as a teacher, which eventually led him to New Zealand, where he lived out the remainder of his life.
Early life and war service
Born in Kensington, London on 2 April 1920, he was the son of Stuart Eddington Gay of Rye, Sussex, and Margaret Muriel Kennedy.[1] He was educated at Shrewsbury School, where he excelled at sports,[2] including cricket, which he played for the school.[3]
After leaving Shrewsbury School, Gay joined the
He saw action later in the war during the
He continued the war in Italy, on one occasion he was carrying out a night-time reconnaissance on foot with the Gurkhas to establish a point for crossing the River Marano. During this mission, he was mistaken for a German soldier by one of the Gurkhas, who silently crept up behind him with his kukri poised to strike Gay. The Gurkha placed his hands on Gay's shoulders, felt his pips he was wearing and realised his mistake before he could strike.[2] Gay calculated that throughout the course of the war he had seventeen near misses.[2] In February 1945, he obtained the rank of lieutenant on a permanent basis, having held the position temporarily since February 1943.[6]
Post-war
| Cricket information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1949 | Sussex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 11 March 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Following the end of the war, Gay continued in military service with the Queen's Bays.
On 3 October 1951, he married New Zealand born Yolande Innes
References
- ^ a b c d "David Vilanova Valverde = Gay MC". kittybrewster.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2002. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Major David Gay". The Daily Telegraph. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ a b "Teams David Gay played for". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "No. 35415". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 January 1942. p. 225.
- ^ "No. 37151". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1945. p. 3376.
- ^ "No. 36956". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 February 1945. p. 1114.
- ^ "No. 37815". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 December 1946. p. 6063.
- ^ "No. 38042". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 August 1947. p. 3772.
- ^ a b "First-Class Matches played by David Gay". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "Combined Services v New Zealanders, 1949". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "Combined Services v Hampshire, 1949". CricketArchive. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "No. 41300". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 January 1958. p. 763.
External links
- David Gay at ESPNcricinfo
- David Gay at CricketArchive