John Trask
Encyclopedia
Surgeon-Captain
John Ernest Trask (27 October 1861 – 25 July 1896) was an English cricket
er who made 16 first-class
appearances. He played nine times for Somerset
between 1884–1895, and also appeared in first-class matches in India. He served in the Army Medical Services
from 1887 until his death from cholera
in Sudan
during 1896.
, and also played for Bombay
. It was during this time that he made his highest score in first-class cricket, making 78 opening
against Parsees
. He played six more matches for Somerset on his return home in 1895, but left again after a couple of months.
, and entered the Army Medical Department in 1887, after a short probationary period he was commissioned on 27 July 1887. After two years at Aldershot
, he was posted to India
for almost five years. After a couple of months back in England during 1895, he was seconded to the Egyptian Army
on 23 August 1895. During this posting, he died of cholera
during the Dongola Expedition on 25 July 1896. He was Mentioned in Despatches by Sir Herbert Kitchener
(later Earl Kitchener) in a despatch dated 30 September 1896. In an official notice relating to his estate
published in the London Gazette
, his address is given as 40 St James Square, Holland Park
.
's 1918 work The New Revelation, Doyle gives his own views and thoughts on the relationship between spiritual revelations and conventional religious dogma. Within The New Revelation, he makes reference to a conversation held with a spirit
he chooses to call (for the purposes of the book) Dodd. Andrew Lycett
, author of The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes; The Life and Times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, claims that this spirit is in fact that of John Trask. Dodd is described as a famous cricketer that Doyle spoke to in Cairo, who had since died as part of the Dongolese Expedition. He then remarks that the event occurred in 1896. These statements all support the assertion that the spirit is Trask, as his posting to the Egyptian Army would likely have seen him in Cairo, while his death is well documented as occurring during the Dongolese Expedition of 1896. His cricketing exploits in England and India may well have also been known to Doyle, who himself played ten first-class matches for the MCC
.
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
John Ernest Trask (27 October 1861 – 25 July 1896) was an English 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 who made 16 first-class
First-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...
appearances. He played nine times for Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset 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 Somerset...
between 1884–1895, and also appeared in first-class matches in India. He served in the Army Medical Services
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
from 1887 until his death from cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
during 1896.
Cricket career
Trask played three matches for Somerset in 1884 and 1885, making 44 runs in his five innings, but didn't return for the county until their successful 1890 season, when they won the 'Second-class Championship'. After helping Somerset regain their first-class status, he travelled to India with the Army, where he remained for four and a half years. During his time in the country, he made six first-class appearances for the Europeans cricket teamEuropeans cricket team
The Europeans cricket team was an Indian first-class cricket team which took part in the annual Bombay tournament. The team was founded by members of the European community in Bombay who played cricket at the Bombay Gymkhana....
, and also played for Bombay
Mumbai cricket team
The Mumbai cricket team is a cricket team representing the city of Mumbai in Indian domestic cricket. It is the most successful team in the Ranji Trophy, India's top domestic cricket competition, with 39 titles, the most recent being in 2009–10. The team's home ground is the Wankhede Stadium in...
. It was during this time that he made his highest score in first-class cricket, making 78 opening
Batting order (cricket)
In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batsmen play through their team's innings, there always being two batsmen taking part at any one time...
against Parsees
Parsees cricket team
The Parsees cricket team was an Indian first-class cricket team which took part in the annual Bombay tournament. The team was founded by members of the Zoroastrian community in Bombay....
. He played six more matches for Somerset on his return home in 1895, but left again after a couple of months.
Army career
After being educated in Bath, Trask attended the Bristol Medical SchoolBristol Medical School
Bristol Medical School was a medical institution which existed from 1833 to 1893. It later became amalgamated with University College, Bristol the predecessor institution to the University of Bristol....
, and entered the Army Medical Department in 1887, after a short probationary period he was commissioned on 27 July 1887. After two years at Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, he was posted to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
for almost five years. After a couple of months back in England during 1895, he was seconded to the Egyptian Army
Egyptian Army
The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian Armed Forces and holds power in the current Egyptian government. It is estimated to number around 379,000, in addition to 479,000 reservists for a total of 858,000 strong. The modern army was created in the 1820s, and during the...
on 23 August 1895. During this posting, he died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
during the Dongola Expedition on 25 July 1896. He was Mentioned in Despatches by Sir Herbert Kitchener
Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener
Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, ADC, PC , was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway...
(later Earl Kitchener) in a despatch dated 30 September 1896. In an official notice relating to his estate
Estate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
published in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
, his address is given as 40 St James Square, Holland Park
Holland Park
Holland Park is a district and a public park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in west central London, England.Holland Park has a reputation as an affluent and fashionable area, known for attractive large Victorian townhouses, and high-class shopping and restaurants...
.
Arthur Conan Doyle's The New Revelation
In Sir Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
's 1918 work The New Revelation, Doyle gives his own views and thoughts on the relationship between spiritual revelations and conventional religious dogma. Within The New Revelation, he makes reference to a conversation held with a spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
he chooses to call (for the purposes of the book) Dodd. Andrew Lycett
Andrew Lycett
Andrew Lycett is an English biographer and journalist.He was educated at Charterhouse School and studied history at Christ Church, Oxford University. He then worked for a while for The Times as a correspondent in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia...
, author of The Man Who Created Sherlock Holmes; The Life and Times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, claims that this spirit is in fact that of John Trask. Dodd is described as a famous cricketer that Doyle spoke to in Cairo, who had since died as part of the Dongolese Expedition. He then remarks that the event occurred in 1896. These statements all support the assertion that the spirit is Trask, as his posting to the Egyptian Army would likely have seen him in Cairo, while his death is well documented as occurring during the Dongolese Expedition of 1896. His cricketing exploits in England and India may well have also been known to Doyle, who himself played ten first-class matches for the 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...
.