William Stuart (cricketer, born 1889)

Captain William Grant Spruell Stuart MC (8 June 1889 – 23 April 1917) was a Scottish first-class cricketer and British Army officer.

William Stuart
Personal information
Full name
William Grant Spruell Stuart
Born8 June 1889
Gartly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Died23 April 1917(1917-04-23) (aged 27)
Guémappe, Pas-de-Calais, France
BattingRight-handed
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1914Scotland
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 1
Runs scored 27
Batting average 13.50
100s/50s –/–
Top score 17
Catches/stumpings 2/–
Source: Cricinfo, 29 March 2021

Career

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The son of the South African The Reverend W. Stuart, he was born in June 1889 at Gartly, Aberdeenshire. He was educated at George Watson's College, before going up to the University of Edinburgh to read classics.[1] A member of the Watsonian Cricket Club, Stuart also played his club cricket for East and West of Scotland.[1] He was selected to play for Scotland in a first-class match against Ireland at Dublin in 1914.[2] He batted twice in the match and was dismissed for scores of 17 and 10 by Bob Lambert and Gus Kelly respectively.[3]

Stuart volunteered for the British Army during the First World War, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders in September 1914,[4] with promotion to lieutenant following in April 1915.[5] He was promoted to captain in December 1916 and was awarded the Military Cross in the 1917 New Year Honours.[6][7] Stuart served with his regiment's 7th (Service) Battalion and was killed in action while attempting to capture Guémappe during the Battle of Arras on 23 April 1917.[8] He was buried at the Faubourg d'Amiens Cemetery in Arras.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b McCrery, Nigel (30 July 2015). Final Wicket: Test and First Class Cricketers Killed in the Great War. Pen and Sword. p. 420. ISBN 978-1473864191.
  2. ^ "First-Class Matches played by William Stuart". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Ireland v Scotland, 1914". CricketArchive. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  4. ^ "No. 28910". The London Gazette. 22 September 1914. p. 7489.
  5. ^ "No. 29160". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 May 1915. p. 4624.
  6. ^ "No. 29869". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 December 1916. p. 12325.
  7. ^ "No. 29886". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 1916. p. 42.
  8. ^ Hughes, Peter (30 October 2015). Visiting the Fallen: Arras South. Pen and Sword. p. 20. ISBN 9781473874312.
  9. ^ "Stuart, William Grant Spruell". www.southafricawargraves.org. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
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