Charles Turner (cricketer, born 1862)
Encyclopedia
Charles Turner was an English
cricket
er and British Army
officer. Turner's batting and bowling
styles are unknown. He was born in Gringley-on-the-Hill
, Nottinghamshire
and died at Thatcham House, Thatcham
, Berkshire
.
debut for Gloucestershire
against Nottinghamshire
in 1886. He played a further first-class match in 1886 against Sussex
, before making a final appearance in 1889 against Middlesex
. He scored 33 runs in his 3 matches, at a batting average
of 6.60, with a high score of 17. He took 3 wickets with the ball, coming at 39.66 runs a piece
, with best figures of 1/16.
in the Royal Berkshire Regiment
. Turner was a proficient sketcher and reporter, as reported by his commanding officer on 29 November 1882. The following year he undertook training at the School of Musketry
in Hythe, Kent
, where he became qualified to instruct the theory and practice of Musketry. By 1902, Turner was a Major. It was in that year that he purchased Thatcham House, which was to be his home for the remainder of his life. Turner was married to Jane Elizabeth Turner, with the couple having two sons: Alexander
and Victor
. Both of their sons served in the British Army
, with both having the distinction of being awarded the Victoria Cross
. Alexander was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry in September 1915, while serving in the First World War. He was wounded during the course of his actions, and succumbed to his wounds days later on 1 October 1915. Victor was awarded his Victoria Cross for gallantry during the Second Battle of El Alamein
in World War II
, when commanding a battalion of The Rifle Brigade
, the battalion he led fought off desperate counter-attacks by 90 tanks, destroying or immobilising more than 50 of them. During the action, one of the 6-pounder guns was left with only one officer and a sergeant, so Colonel Turner joined them as loader, and between them they destroyed another five tanks. Only on three other occasions have brothers been recipients of the Victoria Cross.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
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 and British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer. Turner's batting and bowling
Bowling (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, bowling is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman. A player skilled at bowling is called a bowler; a bowler who is also a competent batsman is known as an all-rounder...
styles are unknown. He was born in Gringley-on-the-Hill
Gringley-on-the-Hill
Gringley-on-the-Hill, Nottinghamshire, is an English village and parish. It is on the highest part of the road from Bawtry to Gainsborough, six miles east-southeast of the former, and the same distance west by north of the latter town.- Location :...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
and died at Thatcham House, Thatcham
Thatcham
Thatcham is a town in Berkshire, England 3 miles east of Newbury and 15 miles west of Reading. It covers about and has a population of 23,000 people . This number has grown rapidly over the last few decades from 5,000 in 1951 and 7,500 in 1961.It lies on the River Kennet, the Kennet and Avon...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
Cricket
Turner made his first-classFirst-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
debut for Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire 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 Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
against Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club
Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Nottinghamshire, and the current county champions. Its limited overs team is called the Nottinghamshire Outlaws...
in 1886. He played a further first-class match in 1886 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...
, before making a final appearance in 1889 against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
. He scored 33 runs in his 3 matches, at a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
of 6.60, with a high score of 17. He took 3 wickets with the ball, coming at 39.66 runs a piece
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
, with best figures of 1/16.
Personal life
Prior to playing cricket, Turner was commissioned as a LieutenantLieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Royal Berkshire Regiment
Royal Berkshire Regiment
The Royal Berkshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army, formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 49th Regiment of Foot and the 66th Regiment of Foot.The regiment was originally formed as The Princess Charlotte of Wales's , taking the...
. Turner was a proficient sketcher and reporter, as reported by his commanding officer on 29 November 1882. The following year he undertook training at the School of Musketry
Small Arms School Corps
The Small Arms School Corps is a small corps of the British Army responsible for maintaining the proficiency of the army in the use of small arms, support weapons and range management.-History:...
in Hythe, Kent
Hythe, Kent
Hythe , is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place....
, where he became qualified to instruct the theory and practice of Musketry. By 1902, Turner was a Major. It was in that year that he purchased Thatcham House, which was to be his home for the remainder of his life. Turner was married to Jane Elizabeth Turner, with the couple having two sons: Alexander
Alexander Buller Turner
Alexander Buller Turner VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
and Victor
Victor Buller Turner
Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Buller Turner VC CVO was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Background:Victor was born in Reading in Berkshire, the son of...
. Both of their sons served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, with both having the distinction of being awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
. Alexander was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry in September 1915, while serving in the First World War. He was wounded during the course of his actions, and succumbed to his wounds days later on 1 October 1915. Victor was awarded his Victoria Cross for gallantry during the Second Battle of El Alamein
Second Battle of El Alamein
The Second Battle of El Alamein marked a major turning point in the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The battle took place over 20 days from 23 October – 11 November 1942. The First Battle of El Alamein had stalled the Axis advance. Thereafter, Lieutenant-General Bernard Montgomery...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when commanding a battalion of The Rifle Brigade
The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
The Rifle Brigade was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, formed in 1800 to provide sharpshooters, scouts and skirmishers...
, the battalion he led fought off desperate counter-attacks by 90 tanks, destroying or immobilising more than 50 of them. During the action, one of the 6-pounder guns was left with only one officer and a sergeant, so Colonel Turner joined them as loader, and between them they destroyed another five tanks. Only on three other occasions have brothers been recipients of the Victoria Cross.
External links
- Charles Turner at ESPNcricinfo
- Charles Turner at CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...