Hector Gordon Jelf (6 May 1917 – 11 December 1997) 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 and British colonial official in Africa. The son of Sir Arthur Selbourne Jelf, he was born at Putney in May 1917. He was educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

, before going up to Exeter College, Oxford. While studying at Oxford, he played first-class cricket for Oxford University in 1938, making two appearances against Yorkshire and a combined Minor Counties team. Playing as a wicket-keeper, he scored 48 runs, took five catches and made a single stumping. After graduating from Oxford, he served in the Colonial Service in

British West Africa British West Africa was the collective name for British colonies in West Africa during the colonial period, either in the general geographical sense or the formal colonial administrative entity. British West Africa as a colonial entity was orig ...

. In the Second World War he was an emergency commission 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 ...

in the African Colonial Force in the first month of the war. Jelf resumed his duties in the Colonial Service after the war, holding a number of positions within the Nigerian colonial government, eventually rising to become the permanent secretary to the ministry of education from 1959–64. He was made a CBE in the

1962 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1962 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to the ''Lon ...

. Jelf died in England at

St Leonards-on-Sea St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as St Leonards) is a town and seaside resort in the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. It has been part of the borough since the late 19th century and lies to the west of central Hastings. The origina ...

in December 1997.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jelf, Hector 1917 births 1997 deaths People from Putney Cricketers from the London Borough of Wandsworth People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford English cricketers Oxford University cricketers English civil servants British Army personnel of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Military personnel from the London Borough of Wandsworth British colonial army officers