Jack Sydney Bates Gentry (4 October 1899 – 16 April 1978) 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 an officer in the British Army. The son of Frederick Bates, he was born at

Wanstead Wanstead () is a town in East London, England, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It borders South Woodford to the north, Redbridge, London, Redbridge to the east and Forest Gate to the south, with Leytonstone and Walthamstow to the west. It is ...

in October 1899, but grew up in

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

. He was educated at Christ's Hospital, where he represented the school cricket team. Following the completion of his education, he was commissioned into the Hampshire Regiment as a temporary

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 February 1919. He made his debut in first-class cricket in the

1919 County Championship 1919 was the 26th season of County Championship cricket in England and the first since 1914. The authorities had doubted if cricket would remain popular after a four-year break and the strain of war. It was decided that County Championship matc ...

, playing a single match for Hampshire against Essex at

. Gentry gained employment with the

Port of London Authority The Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust established on 31 March 1909 in accordance with the Port of London Act 1908 to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and its ...

in the 1920s, and subsequently qualified to play for

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. ...

. He made eight first-class appearances for the county in 1922 and 1923, before making a final appearance in first-class cricket for Essex against Yorkshire at Leyton in the

1925 County Championship The 1925 County Championship was the 32nd officially organised running of the County Championship. Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club is one of 18 first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of ...

. Playing as a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, '' Wisden'' described Gentry as an extremely accurate spinner, but one who lacked the spin of greater spin bowlers. It was noted that he was more effective on hard wickets rather than softer ones. Across twelve first-class matches, he took 36 wickets at an average of 22.05, with best figures of 4 for 36. During the Second World War, Gentry served with 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 ...

, having gained a commission as a

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 August 1938, with promotion to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

following just weeks before the outbreak of the war. He was

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

in both December 1940 and 1941. He was made an MBE in September 1942, in recognition of distinguished service in the Middle Eastern campaign. He spent the remainder of the conflict stationed in British India, where he held the appointment of deputy port director for the Port of Calcutta. In recognition of this role, he was made an CIE in the

1946 Birthday Honours The 1946 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 13 June 1946 for the United Kingdom and British Empire. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new h ...

. Following the war, Gentry was appointed general manager of The Tees Conservancy Commission, a role he held from 1946 to 1966. In recognition of his nearly–twenty years service with the commission, he was made a CBE in the

1965 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1965 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. The appointments were made to celebrate t ...

. He also served as a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. Gentry died in April 1978 at Loxwood, Sussex, following a long illness.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gentry, Jack 1899 births 1978 deaths People from Wanstead Cricketers from the London Borough of Redbridge People educated at Christ's Hospital Royal Hampshire Regiment officers English cricketers Hampshire cricketers Surrey cricketers Essex cricketers Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of World War II Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English justices of the peace