Brian Butler (cricketer)

Brian Danvers Butler (18 April 1876 – 18 August 1916) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.

Brian Butler
Personal information
Full name
Brian Danvers Butler
Born18 April 1876
Swithland, Leicestershire, England
Died18 August 1916(1916-08-18) (aged 40)
Longueval, Somme, France
BattingRight-handed
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1913–1914Marylebone Cricket Club
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 2
Runs scored 42
Batting average 10.50
100s/50s –/–
Top score 29
Catches/stumpings –/–
Source: Cricinfo, 23 March 2021

The son of the Earl of Lanesborough and his wife, Anne Elizabeth Clarke, he was born in April 1876 at Swithland Hall in Leicestershire.[1] In the early years of the 20th century, Butler played cricket for Leicestershire Second XI, though he never featured for the first XI.[2] He later moved to East Grinstead in Sussex, where he was a popular figure who played for East Grinstead Cricket Club, in addition to being a keen golfer.[3] A member of the Marylebone Cricket Club since 1909,[1] Butler made two appearances in first-class cricket for the club in 1913 and 1914, playing against Hampshire on both occasions.[4]

Butler served in the British Army during the First World War, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps in April 1915.[1][5] He was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant in September 1915.[6] Butler fought on the Western Front and was killed in action during the Battle of the Somme on 18 August 1916.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Renshaw, Andrew (2011). Wisden on the Great War: The Lives of Cricket's Fallen 1914-1918. Vol. 2nd. Pen and Sword. p. 211. ISBN 978-1526706980.
  2. ^ "Earl of Lanesborough (John Vansittart Danvers Butler)". CricketEurope. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  3. ^ East Grinstead. West Sussex Gazette. 7 September 1916. p. 7
  4. ^ "First-Class Matches played by Brian Butler". CricketArchive. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  5. ^ "No. 29122". The London Gazette. 9 April 1915. p. 3455.
  6. ^ "No. 29506". The London Gazette. 14 March 1916. p. 2791.
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