Reginald Hands
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| Batting style | Right-hand bat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling style | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Cricinfo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Reginald Harry Myburgh Hands (26 July 1888 – 20 April 1918) was born in Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa, son of Sir Harry Hands KBE and Lady Aletta Hands (née Myburgh) OBE, and died in France as a result of injuries sustained on the Western Front during the first Great War, aged just 29.[1] His death was an indirect cause of the entire tradition of the Two-minute silence, instigated by his father when Mayor of Cape Town.
Reginald was educated at Diocesan College, Rondebosch. He then went up to University College, Oxford in 1907 as a Rhodes Scholar, earned a degree in jurisprudence and became a lawyer, being called to the bar (Middle Temple) in May 1911.[2]
He was a South African cricketer who played in one Test match in February 1914. Not surprisingly given the period, his entire first-class cricket career lasted just 15 months in which time he played a few matches for Western Province in the Currie Cup (1912–13) and against the visiting M.C.C. led by J.W.H.T. Douglas (1913–14). During that English tour, Hands made his only Test appearance in the fifth match of the series, played at Port Elizabeth. A useful right-handed batsman, he scored 0 and 7 in a match won convincingly by the visitors by 10 wickets. He was dismissed stumped in both innings.[3] No mention of his representative appearance was made in his Wisden obituary, nor that his brother, P.A.M. Hands, also played in that same Test.
Reginald Hands was also a talented rugby forward and played two international matches for England in 1910 against France and Scotland, as well as playing for Blackeheath and Manchester. He (along with his two brothers, also Rhodes Scholars) had previously won his rugby blues at Oxford University in 1908 and 1909.
At the outbreak of war he joined the Imperial Light Horse and went with them to German South West Africa (now Namibia). He transferred to SA Heavy Artillery and was posted to the Western Front, where he was seconded to the Royal Garrison Artillery. He was promoted to Captain and became second in command of his battery. During the Germans' final large offensive, begun on 21 March 1918, he was gassed, and succumbed to the effects of gas poisoning on 20 April 1918 at Boulogne-sur-Mer.[1] He was awarded the 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his military service. He is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France [Grave VII. A. 39].[2]
References (footnotes)
- 1 2 "Geni.com profile".
- 1 2 "Lest We Forget:The 27 England Rugby Internationals who died in World War 1" (PDF).|work=Mike Hagger
- ↑ Walmsley, Keith (2003). Mosts Without in Test Cricket. Reading, England: Keith Walmsley Publishing Pty Ltd. p. 457. ISBN 0947540067..
References (general)
- World Cricketers - A Biographical Dictionary by Christopher Martin-Jenkins published by Oxford University Press (1996)
- The Wisden Book of Test Cricket, Volume 1 (1877–1977) compiled and edited by Bill Frindall published by Headline Book Publishing (1995)
- Who's Who of Cricketers by Philip Bailey, Philip Thorn & Peter Wynne-Thomas published by Hamlyn (1993)
- www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players
- The Complete Who's Who of England Rugby Union Internationals by Raymond Maule published by Breedon Books Publishing Company Ltd. (1992)