Frank Miller Bingham (17 September 1874 – 22 May 1915) was an English medical doctor, all round sportsman and army officer who was killed in the First World War.[1] As a cricketer, he played for Derbyshire in 1896.

Frank Bingham
Personal information
Full name
Frank Miller Bingham
Born(1874-09-17)17 September 1874
Alfreton, Derbyshire, England
Died22 May 1915(1915-05-22) (aged 40)
Ypres salient, Belgium
BowlingRight-arm medium
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1896Derbyshire
Only FC28 May 1896 Derbyshire v MCC
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 1
Runs scored 17
Batting average 8.50
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 11
Catches/stumpings 0/–
Source: CricketArchive, April 2012

Life and cricket career

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Bingham was born in Alfreton, Derbyshire, the son of Dr Joseph Bingham. He was educated at St Peter's School, York, and qualified as a doctor at St Thomas's Hospital.

Bingham made one first-class appearance for Derbyshire, against Marylebone Cricket Club during the 1896 season. He made seventeen runs, batting in the lower order.[2] He also played rugby union for Blackheath F.C. and Middlesex. He was in practice at Alfreton for four years and then went to Lancaster.

Military career and death

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Bingham was an enthusiastic Territorial Army officer. He was first commissioned as a medical officer with the rank of lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps on 24 March 1910,[3] unusually he transferred to 5th Battalion, King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster) on 26 November 1910 as a line officer,[4] and so in the First World War served as a combatant rather than as a military doctor. He was promoted captain in 1914 and commanded a company. He took part in the Second Battle of Ypres in May 1915 and was killed on a reconnaissance mission after stopping to dig a man out of a collapsed trench. After digging the man out, Bingham and his men were spotted, and Bingham was shot in the heart, killing him instantly.[5][6] He has no known grave, but is commemorated on the Menin Gate.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Cricketers who died in World War 1 — Part 1 of 5". Cricket Country. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  2. ^ Frank Bingham at Cricket Archive. Cricketarchive.com (22 May 1915). Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  3. ^ "No. 28371". The London Gazette. 13 May 1910. p. 3389.
  4. ^ "No. 28440". The London Gazette. 25 November 1910. p. 8691.
  5. ^ "Letter sent home by Frank Miller Bingham". www.oucs.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  6. ^ Newspaper Obituaries of Frank Miller Archived 14 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Oucs.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
  7. ^ Casualty details—Bingham, Frank Miller, Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved on 9 November 2009.
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  • [1] World War I letter