Major-General Geoffrey Grahame Rawson (2 December 1887 – 14 January 1979Cricinfo profile /ref>) was a British Army officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars and had a notable
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 ...
He was born as the son of an Indian Civil Servant and went to England where he was educated at Cheltenham College. Upon his graduation from the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...
, in 1908, Rawson was commissioned into the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
as a
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
. He was promoted lieutenant on 18 August 1910. By 20 November 1915, over fifteen months after the outbreak of the First World War, he had been promoted to
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 ...
, and he was then given command of a signals
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...
majority
A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from #Related terms, related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-WebsterMilitary Cross (MC) in the 1916 King's Birthday Honours. His temporary rank became a
brevet
Brevet may refer to:
Military
* Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay
* Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college
* Aircre ...
on 3 June 1917. He was appointed assistant director, army signals (with the acting rank of lieutenant-colonel) on 19 April 1917, relinquishing the post (and the rank) on 13 November 1917. He was then appointed a Staff Captain at the War Office on 6 April 1918. He formally transferred from the Engineers to the newly established
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...
on 22 March 1921, and since taking up the post of Staff Captain, had been appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
.
On 1 April 1921 he was promoted from Staff Captain to Deputy Assistant Adjutant General, still at the War Office, holding the post until 29 January 1923. By 1928 he was substantive lieutenant-colonel and commanded a signals regiment for four years until 15 May 1932, when he was promoted to colonel and placed on the half pay list. On 5 December 1932 he was appointed chief instructor at the School of Signals, holding the post until 5 December 1936. On 30 June 1937 he was appointed deputy director of the signals department at the War Office, and was granted the temporary rank of brigadier; he became director, with the acting rank of major-general, on 3 January 1941. He held the additional honorary appointment of Aide-de-camp to George VI between 1 August 1938 and April 1941, vacating the appointment when his acting rank of major-general was made substantive. The promotion was back-dated to 14 January 1941, with seniority from 14 June 1938. He was appointed
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion may refer to:
Relationships Currently
* Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance
* A domestic partner, akin to a spouse
* Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach
* Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...
(CB) in the 1941 King's Birthday Honours. He retired on 2 December 1944, and was appointed Colonel Commandant of the Royal Corps of Signals on 31 December 1944, holding the role until 18 September 1950.
Cricket career
A right-handed batsman, Rawson played three first-class matches during the
1921 English cricket season
1921 was the 28th season of County Championship cricket in England. Australia emphasised a post-war superiority that it owed in particular to the pace duo of Gregory and McDonald. Having won 5–0 in Australia the previous winter, the Australian ...
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...