Gerald Howat
Encyclopedia
Gerald Howat, born Gerald Malcolm David Howat (12 June 1928 – 10 October 2007), was a British
writer on cricket
, a historian
and a schoolmaster
.
, Scotland
. As a boy he was awarded a bursary to Glenalmond College
. He continued his education at Edinburgh University. He then did his National Service as a Flying Officer
based at RAF Titchfield.
. Sonny Ramadhin
was the firm's storekeeper.
Returning to England, he was head of the history department at Kelly College
in Tavistock for five years, followed by fourteen years at Culham College of Education
as principal lecturer and head of the history department. Meanwhile he undertook a research degree on "the place of history in education" for Exeter College, Oxford
. He also turned his hand to the world of publishing, for a time being general editor of the Historical Division of Pergamon Press
.
He wrote several school textbooks, and was general editor of a Dictionary of World History (1973), a massive project which involved working closely with an advisory board that included A.J.P. Taylor, Max Beloff and Asa Briggs. He also spent a year with Mitchell Beazley
editing an illustrated biographical dictionary entitled Who Did What (1974).
He was Head of History at Radley College
, but writing and editing was taking much of his attention, and neither he nor the school was very happy with his time there. He said: "I was not ambitious to be a headmaster and I came to resent the fact that I never had time to put pen to paper (or, more specifically, to write a book) during my years there." In 1977, he moved to a senior pastoral post at Lord Williams's School, Thame, which gave him more time to pursue his other interests. For a short period he was also a visiting professor at Western Kentucky University
. He also acted as an Oxbridge Board
examiner. He retired from teaching in 1985.
He was an associate editor of the 2004 edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. He supplied seventy entries himself, many on former cricketers.
for many years, as well as for The Cricketer
. His retirement from academia gave him more time for his cricket writing, and he produced several well received biographies of famous players. That on Learie Constantine
, whom he had first met when at Glenalmond College, won the Cricket Society
's golden jubilee award. His last book was his autobiography, Cricket All My Life.
He was an MCC
member for over 40 years. He chaired the club's publishing working party. He seemed well-qualified to serve on the arts and library sub-committee, but he did not get on with the sub-committee's chairman, E.W. Swanton. Howat played club cricket as a wicket-keeper for Moreton CC in Oxfordshire until he was 77. He was associated with the club for almost fifty years.
for Cambridge University
as a medium-fast bowler, appearing in the University Match in 1977 and 1980.
on 10 October 2007 at age 79. His Independent
obituarist wrote,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
writer on 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...
, a historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and a schoolmaster
Schoolmaster
A schoolmaster, or simply master, once referred to a male school teacher. This usage survives in British public schools, but is generally obsolete elsewhere.The teacher in charge of a school is the headmaster...
.
Early life
Howat was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. As a boy he was awarded a bursary to Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. The school's motto is Floreat Glenalmond...
. He continued his education at Edinburgh University. He then did his National Service as a Flying Officer
Flying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
based at RAF Titchfield.
Academic career
He spent three years teaching for the oil firm Trinidad Leaseholds Ltd (TLL) at Pointe-à-PierrePointe-à-Pierre
Pointe-à-Pierre is a town in Trinidad and Tobago. It lies north of San Fernando and south of Claxton Bay. It is most famous as the site of the country's largest oil refinery which is run by Petrotrin, the state-owned oil company....
. Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin
Sonny Ramadhin was a West Indian cricketer, and a dominant bowler of the 1950s. He was the first West Indian cricketers of Indian origin, and was one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1951.- Biography and career :...
was the firm's storekeeper.
Returning to England, he was head of the history department at Kelly College
Kelly College
Kelly College is a coeducational independent school situated in the outskirts of Tavistock, Devon, with around 350 students ranging from ages 11 to 18; there is an associated preparatory school for primary school children, Kelly College Preparatory School, nearby.The college has eight hectares of...
in Tavistock for five years, followed by fourteen years at Culham College of Education
European School, Culham
The European School in Culham, Oxfordshire, is one of 14 European Schools around Europe and the only one in United Kingdom and currently has around 800 Nursery/Primary and secondary students....
as principal lecturer and head of the history department. Meanwhile he undertook a research degree on "the place of history in education" for Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College, Oxford
Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...
. He also turned his hand to the world of publishing, for a time being general editor of the Historical Division of Pergamon Press
Pergamon Press
Pergamon Press was an Oxford-based publishing house, founded by Paul Rosbaud and Robert Maxwell, which published scientific and medical books and journals. It is now an imprint of Elsevier....
.
He wrote several school textbooks, and was general editor of a Dictionary of World History (1973), a massive project which involved working closely with an advisory board that included A.J.P. Taylor, Max Beloff and Asa Briggs. He also spent a year with Mitchell Beazley
Mitchell Beazley
Mitchell Beazley Publishers Limited is a British book publisher which is particularly specialised in atlasas, reference books, natural history books, cook books, garden books, and wine books.-History:...
editing an illustrated biographical dictionary entitled Who Did What (1974).
He was Head of History at Radley College
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
, but writing and editing was taking much of his attention, and neither he nor the school was very happy with his time there. He said: "I was not ambitious to be a headmaster and I came to resent the fact that I never had time to put pen to paper (or, more specifically, to write a book) during my years there." In 1977, he moved to a senior pastoral post at Lord Williams's School, Thame, which gave him more time to pursue his other interests. For a short period he was also a visiting professor at Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
. He also acted as an Oxbridge Board
OCR (examination board)
OCR is an examination board that sets examinations and awards qualifications . It is one of England, Wales and Northern Ireland's five main examination boards....
examiner. He retired from teaching in 1985.
He was an associate editor of the 2004 edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. He supplied seventy entries himself, many on former cricketers.
Cricket literature
He covered schools cricket for The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
for many years, as well as for The Cricketer
The Cricketer
The Cricketer was an English cricket magazine published between 1921 and 2003 when it was merged with Wisden Cricket Monthly and relaunched as The Wisden Cricketer....
. His retirement from academia gave him more time for his cricket writing, and he produced several well received biographies of famous players. That on Learie Constantine
Learie Constantine
Learie Nicholas Constantine, Baron Constantine MBE was a West Indian cricketer who played 18 Test matches before the Second World War. He took West Indies' first wicket in Test cricket and was the team's leading all-rounder and opening bowler for the entirety of his career...
, whom he had first met when at Glenalmond College, won the Cricket Society
The Cricket Society
The Cricket Society is a charitable organisation founded in 1945 as the Society of Cricket Statisticians at Great Scotland Yard, London. It has grown steadily to be the largest body of its kind in the cricket world...
's golden jubilee award. His last book was his autobiography, Cricket All My Life.
He was an MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
member for over 40 years. He chaired the club's publishing working party. He seemed well-qualified to serve on the arts and library sub-committee, but he did not get on with the sub-committee's chairman, E.W. Swanton. Howat played club cricket as a wicket-keeper for Moreton CC in Oxfordshire until he was 77. He was associated with the club for almost fifty years.
Family
His son, Michael, played first-class cricketFirst-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...
for Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
as a medium-fast bowler, appearing in the University Match in 1977 and 1980.
Death
Howat died at OxfordOxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
on 10 October 2007 at age 79. His Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
obituarist wrote,
"You had to be quick to keep up with Gerald Howat. The short, staccato sentences were delivered at machine-gun pace... It reflected a fecund and restless mind"