Herbert Walter Green DSO (2 April 1878 – 31 December 1918) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Full name | Herbert Walter Green | ||||||||||||||
Born | 2 April 1878 Watford, Hertfordshire, England | ||||||||||||||
Died | 31 December 1918(1918-12-31) (aged 40) Rouen, Normandy, France | ||||||||||||||
Batting | Unknown | ||||||||||||||
Role | Wicket-keeper | ||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||
Years | Team | ||||||||||||||
1903/04 | Europeans | ||||||||||||||
Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 26 March 2021 |
The son of Walter James and Maria Jane Green, he was born in April 1878 at Watford. Green was educated at Charterhouse School, before going up to Exeter College, Oxford.[1] He played cricket for both Charterhouse and Exeter College, though never featured for Oxford University Cricket Club.[2] After graduating from Oxford, he received a university commission into The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) as a second lieutenant in May 1900.[3] A promotion to lieutenant followed in December 1901.[4] While serving in British India, he played in a first-class cricket match in 1903 for the Europeans cricket team against the Parsees at Poona in the Bombay Presidency Match.[5] Playing as the Europeans wicket-keeper, he took two catches in the match, while batting he was dismissed for 5 runs in the Europeans first innings by K. S. Kapadia, while in their second innings he was dismissed by Kekhashru Mistry for 8 runs.[6] During his service in India, Green also played minor matches for Mysore.[7] He was seconded for service with the Colonial Office in September 1910,[8] where he was sent to Nigeria to serve with the Royal West African Frontier Force.[2] While still seconded to the Colonial Office, he was promoted to captain in October 1911.[9]
Green was still serving in Nigeria when the First World War began in July 1914. Promoted to major in September 1915,[10] he was posted to France in 1916 and briefly commanded a battalion of the Essex Regiment,[2] while holding the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel.[11] Following his secondment to the Essex Regiment, Green returned to The Buffs where he fought in the Battle of the Somme.[2] He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the 1917 New Year Honours,[12] 'for gallant and distinguished service in the field'.[13] He was made a brevet lieutenant colonel in December 1917,[14] having been made a temporary brigadier-general the previous month while commanding the 10th Infantry Brigade.[2][15] He returned to England in April 1918 where he supervised volunteer training on the East Coast,[13] before returning to the Western Front in October 1918, where he commanded 1st Battalion of the Queen's. He was seriously wounded in action at Landrecies on 7 November, just four days prior to the Armistice of 11 November 1918. He was evacuated to No. 8 General Hospital at Rouen, where he died on 31 December 1918 following surgery.[2] He was buried in Rouen at the St Sever Cemetery.[13]