Charles Owen Hezlet, DSO (16 May 1891 – 22 November 1965) was an Irish amateur golfer and part-time soldier. He was runner-up in the 1914

Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 19 ...

and was in the British

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

team in 1924, 1926 and 1928.

Military career

Hezlet was commissioned into the part-time Antrim Royal Garrison Artillery (

Special Reserve The Special Reserve was established on 1 April 1908 with the function of maintaining a reservoir of manpower for the British Army and training replacement drafts in times of war. Its formation was part of the military reforms implemented by Ri ...

) in 1911, served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and won a DSO while commanding a siege battery in 1918. He ended the war with the rank of Major. He was re-commissioned on the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and on 1 December 1940 he took command of the newly-formed

66th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery 66th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, was an air defence unit of the British Army formed in Northern Ireland during World War II. It served in the Belfast Blitz and then defended 'Hellfire Corner' in East Kent. Later it participated ...

, at

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

and commanded the regiment during the

Belfast Blitz The Belfast Blitz consisted of four German air raids on strategic targets in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, in April and May 1941 during World War II, causing high casualties. The first was on the night of 78 April 1941, a small attack ...

, He remained in command until May 1942, after the regiment had crossed to

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

to train for active service overseas.

Golf career

In 1914 he was runner-up in the

, losing 3&2 to James Jenkins. He was also runner-up in the 1923 and 1925 Irish Amateur Open Championship and the 1923 Welsh Open Amateur Championship. He won the Irish Amateur Open Championship in 1926 and 1929 and was in the

team in 1924, 1926 and 1928. He was also a member of a team of four amateurs that played in South Africa in 1927/28.

Amateur wins

*1920 Irish Amateur Close Championship *1926 Irish Amateur Open Championship *1929 Irish Amateur Open Championship

Results in major championships

''Note: Hezlet only played in the Open Championship.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut

Team appearances

Amateur *

(representing Great Britain): 1924, 1926,

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...

Family

Hezlet had three sisters who were also well-known amateur golfers:

May May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May ...

, Violet and

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. Hezlet married Annie Maitland Stuart in 1920. She died of pneumonia in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

, France, in 1931 aged 30.Annie Hezlet at

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hezlet, Charles Irish male golfers Amateur golfers People from Sheerness British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery officers Royal Garrison Artillery officers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Deaths from pneumonia in England 1891 births 1965 deaths