William Miles Kington DSO (25 April 1876 – 20 October 1914) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Miles Kington | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 April 1876 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 20 October 1914 (aged 38) Zonnebeke, West Flanders, Belgium | ||||||||||||||
| Batting | Unknown | ||||||||||||||
| Relations | William Kington (father) Philip Kington (uncle) Beresford Baker (uncle) | ||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||
| 1911/12 | Europeans | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Source: Cricinfo, 21 November 2022 | |||||||||||||||
The son of the cricketer William Kington, he was born at Cheltenham in April 1876. He was educated at Glenalmond College, before attending the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.[1] He graduated from there into the Royal Welch Fusiliers as a second lieutenant in September 1896,[2] with promotion to lieutenant following in March 1899.[3] Kington served in the Second Boer War, where he was present at the Relief of Ladysmith and the Battle of Colenso.[1] He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in October 1902, having previously been mentioned in dispatches in September 1901.[4][5] In August 1902, he was seconded for service with the South African Constabulary,[6] an appointment which lasted until 1904.[1] He was promoted to captain in April 1906,[7] having spent the period since his service in South Africa as an adjutant to Volunteer and Territorial Battalions.[1]
While serving in British India, Kington made a single appearance in first-class cricket for the Europeans in 1911 against the Parsees at Poona in the Bombay Presidency Match.[8] Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed for 3 runs by M. D. Parekh in the Europeans first innings, while in their second innings he was dismissed for a single run by the same bowler.[9] Kington served in the First World War with the Royal Welch Fusiliers, travelling with them to France in August 1914. He was killed in action in October 1914, while attacking a German position near Zonnebeke in Belgium, during the course of which he was struck by a shell and killed instantly.[1] His body was never recovered, with him being commemorated on the Menin Gate. Kington was survived by his wife, Edith, and their son.[1] His uncle's, Philip Kington and Beresford Baker, both played first-class cricket.
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f McCrery, Nigel (30 July 2015). Final Wicket: Test and First Class Cricketers Killed in the Great War. Pen and Sword. p. 15. ISBN 978-1473864191.
- ^ "No. 26774". The London Gazette. 4 September 1896. p. 4989.
- ^ "No. 27061". The London Gazette. 10 March 1899. p. 1672.
- ^ "No. 27353". The London Gazette. 10 September 1901. p. 5941.
- ^ "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6902.
- ^ "No. 27460". The London Gazette. 1 August 1902. p. 4966.
- ^ "No. 27914". The London Gazette. 18 May 1906. p. 3467.
- ^ "First-Class Matches played by William Kington". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ^ "Europeans v Parsees, Bombay Presidency Match 1911/12". CricketArchive. Retrieved 21 November 2022.