Bernhard Walter Bentinck (16 July 1877 – 27 June 1931) was an English first-class

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

er, barrister and an officer in the First World War, serving with the British Army and the newly formed Royal Air Force. The son of Walter Theodore Edward Bentinck, he was born in July 1877 at South Warnborough, Hampshire. He was educated at Winchester College, before going up to Exeter College, Oxford to study law. He played first-class cricket for Hampshire in 1900 and 1902, against

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

and

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

respectively. He had little success in his two first-class matches, scoring 26 runs with a highest score of 15. He was described by '' Wisden'' as "possessing a fine

drive Drive or The Drive may refer to: Motoring * Driving, the act of controlling a vehicle * Road trip, a journey on roads Roadways Roadways called "drives" may include: * Driveway, a private road for local access to structures, abbreviated "drive" ...

". He played his club cricket for Alton Cricket Club, being dismissed in unusual fashion while playing for them when he was bowled by Henry Roberts after the ball had deflected off, and killed, a swallow. A member of the Middle Temple, he was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1902, where he practiced on the Western Circuit. Bentinck served in the

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

with the 13th Battalion in the First World War, being appointed a temporary lieutenant in February 1915, with appointment to the temporary rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in October of the same year. He transferred to the newly formed Royal Air Force in April 1918, retaining the temporary rank of captain. His military service finished in February 1919. Bentinck died at

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

in June 1931. His brother-in-law was

Charles Seymour Charles Seymour (January 1, 1885 – August 11, 1963) was an American academic, historian and the 15th President of Yale University from 1937 to 1951. As an academic administrator, he was instrumental in establishing Yale's residential colleg ...

, a fellow first-class cricketer.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bentinck, Bernhard 1877 births 1931 deaths People from Hart District People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford English cricketers Hampshire cricketers Members of the Middle Temple English barristers Rifle Brigade officers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Bernhard Cricketers from Hampshire