Oxfordshire Cricketers
World War 2 Roll of Honour

Major J Barmby

James (Jim) Barmby was born at Radley College on 20 May 1906, the only son of Francis James Barmby, Sub-Warden of Radley College. He was to be educated at Radley before going up to Corpus Christi College at Oxford University in 1924 where he studied Classics. He was captain of both the college’s football and cricket teams.

His father had played a couple of Minor County matches for Berkshire but it was for Oxfordshire that Barmby made his debut in 1926, scoring 41 and 23* against Monmouthshire. He played 5 matches that season and 4 the following before he joined the Nigerian Administration Service, Colonial Office. It was later recorded that “He learnt to love the Service and the life, whilst enriching it with his sense of right, his sense of humour, and his good judgement in great and small things.” In subsequent years he was often posted abroad and would miss the English cricket season. When in Africa he played both cricket and tennis for Nigeria. However in those years that he was back in the country he would be a regular in the Oxfordshire County XI.

His next appearances for the county were in 1931 but it was in 1933 that he recorded his first fifties with two scores of 69. After missing 1934, he returned the following summer and was appointed captain for the first 3 matches when the County Captain, SCB Lee, was absent
through illness. He finished the season top of the county batting averages with 554 runs at an average of 39.57. He was abroad again in 1936 and unable to play in 1937 due to what was described as “a serious breakdown in health”. The county’s annual report for that year recorded that “His absence was regretted by all his comrades in the team, for apart from his skill as a cricketer, he possessed that gift of inspiring others with his own enthusiasm and enjoyment of the game.”

Returning in 1938 he again headed the batting averages with 419 runs at an average of 46.55. During the season he made his one and only championship century, 165 against Cornwall at Christ Church. He played just 2 matches for Oxfordshire the following summer, finishing his
county career with 1588 runs at an average of 28.36 in 39 matches. His obituary in Wisden describes him as “A tall man, he made the most of his reach in forward play and off-side strokes. One of the most dependable bats on the side, he was also a very reliable slip fieldsman and occasionally broke up a partnership with a fastish ball.”

Jim Barmby joined the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry at the start of World War 2 and after initially being based in England, he was posted to North Africa in 1943. He had attained the rank of Major by this time and his regiment was sent to join the Allied advance in Italy where he was killed in action at Salerno on 19 January 1944, aged 37. He is buried at the Minturno War Cemetery.

Gunner NH Bowell

Norman Bowell was born on 2 February 1904 in Oxford. His father Alec was a first-class cricketer for Hampshire from 1902-27, one of a number of Oxford born cricketers to play for the county.

Norman Bowell played a total of three first-class matches, 2 for Hampshire and 1 for Northamptonshire but didn’t do enough to secure a contract with either county. He also played three Minor County Championship matches for Oxfordshire, 2 in 1927 and 1 in 1931, making a top score of 20. In World War 2 Bowell enlisted as a Gunner in the Royal Artillery. Serving in the Far East he was captured by the Japanese during the fall of Singapore. At the end of 1942, along with over 500 other POWs, he was shipped to a camp on Ballalae Island in the Solomons. They were treated extremely badly by their captors and Bowell succumbed to this ill treatment on 5 March 1943, aged 39. Not a single one of these POWs survived the war. His name is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial.

Major JHL Brownrigg

John Brownrigg was born on 6 February 1909 in Headington, Oxford. His father was Charles Brownrigg, headmaster at Magdalen College
School for many years and a former Oxfordshire County Cricket Captain. Brownrigg was educated at Winchester before going up to Corpus
Christi College at Oxford University in 1927. He was captain of both the college’s football and cricket teams. After university he worked
for the Burma Oil Company until the start of the war.

It was in 1939 that he made his debut for Oxfordshire against Dorset on the New College ground. He was to play 2 further matches attaining a top score of 32 not out against Devon. John Brownrigg gained a commission in the Devonshire Regiment, was promoted to Captain in 1941 with further promotion to Major in 1943.  He was serving with the 1st Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment when killed in action on 18 February 1944 in the Battle of Anzio in Italy, aged 35, and is buried at the Anzio War Cemetery.

Pilot Officer DSM Burrell

Dennis Burrell was born on 6 September 1914 in Northleach, Gloucestershire. His family later moved to Oxford and he initially attended Cowley St. John School before attaining a scholarship to Magdalen College School. He then went up to Jesus College, Oxford University. Although he scored 63 not out in the University Freshman’s match in 1934, he did not represent the University. Later that summer he did play for Oxfordshire against the University ‘A’ team, scoring 42. He subsequently played in 3 Minor Counties Championship matches but failed to make any impression.

In 1939 he joined the RAF and was assigned to 269 Squadron. Sadly, he became an early war casualty when on 19 September he was Pilot Officer of a plane attacked by a German flying boat and was killed somewhere 140 nautical miles from Wick in the direction of Norway. He
was 25 years old. Burrell is buried in Montrose (Sleepyhollow) Cemetery in Scotland.

Wing Commander JG Halliday

John Gordon (Jack) Halliday was born on 4 July 1915 in Cockermouth, Cumberland. Later his family moved to Oxford and he was educated at the City of Oxford High School where he became captain of the cricket XI. While still at school, he was selected for Oxfordshire against
Bedfordshire at St John’s College having just turned 17. He played 7 matches in both this and the following season, being awarded his cap in 1933 following his maiden 50 against Buckinghamshire at the Merton College ground. Going up to Merton College in 1934, he made 25 first class appearances for Oxford University over the next 4 seasons, winning his Blue in 1935. He also played for the Minor Counties Representative team against Oxford University in 1934 scoring 49 and 33 not out and also taking 3-69. Halliday was second in the county batting averages in 1934 with 514 runs at an average of 42.83, which included his first century for the county. After a poor season in 1935, the 1936 annual report noted that he had “recovered his all-round form, his fielding particularly being a joy to watch”. It was also noted that he was “a player of excellent strokes and a very quick scorer. The many worries of a team secretary sat lightly on his shoulders. He always
remained the cheerful optimist.”

In 1937 he missed the last 3 matches due to a septic arm which required an operation. The following year he took up a teaching appointment at St Paul’s School in London. However this did not preclude him being elected the youngest ever Oxfordshire County Captain that
season and it was recorded that “his charm of manner and consideration for his team were a tremendous asset.”

Again captain in 1939, he headed the county batting averages with 490 runs at an average of 49.00. In his final innings he made his top score of 129 against Bedfordshire on the New College ground. He finished his career with 2448 runs at an average of 25.50 in 63 matches. He also opened the bowling on many occasions and his medium quick inswingers saw him pick up 50 wickets at an average of 35.04 with best figures of 5-44 against Buckinghamshire at High Wycombe in 1936. Jack Halliday joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 59 Squadron in World War 2 and at the time of his death had attained the rank of Wing Commander. Having survived active service, he was tragically killed on 3 December 1945, aged 30, when travelling back to England from Ceylon after a period of leave. The plane he was in was hit by lightning in
severe turbulence. A wing broke off and the aircraft crashed at Trizay, near Echillais (Charente-Maritime) with the loss of all 28 people on board. He is buried in the Rochefort- Sur-Mer Naval Cemetery in France.

A particularly poignant story was told by Jack’s good friend and North Oxford cricketing colleague David Money. David recalled “His loss was tragic, in that after 4 years in the Far East he and I met on our way back at Lydda airport in Palestine, changing planes for home. A day later I phoned his father to say we’d met and had Jack got back? I found out his plane had crashed over France and after all his war service he’d been killed. He was a splendid captain and would have made a great difference to Oxon after the war had he survived.”

Major HG Webb

Herbert George Webb was born in Headington, Oxford on 1 July 1913. He attended the City of Oxford High School before going up to St John’s College at Oxford University. He was selected as wicket-keeper for Oxfordshire in the matches against Oxford University ‘A’ in 1933, 34, and 35 before making his Minor Counties Championship debut the latter year against Bedfordshire at Bedford School. In a good start for the county, he scored 30 and 85 in his two innings. He finished the season with 388 runs at an average of 29.84.

He played a couple of first-class matches for Oxford University in 1935 without securing his place in the team. In 1936 he played for the Minor Counties representative side against the University. Although he scored few runs for Oxfordshire that summer, 1937 saw much improvement and in the final match of the season, against Berkshire at Christ Church, Webb carried his bat in making 121 not out. This turned out to be his final match for the county as he moved away from the area. In total he played 22 Minor County Championship matches, scoring 855 runs at an average of 24.43. He had generally been selected as a batsman, only keeping wicket when Will Inge was unavailable.

George Webb died on 7 August 1947 in hospital at Hill End, St Albans and is buried in Golders Green Crematorium. During the Second World War he had reached the rank of Major in the Royal Army Service Corps. His presence on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website indicates that his death was war related although I have not yet managed
to establish the cause.