John Louis Crommelin-Brown (20 October 1888 – 11 September 1953) was an English schoolmaster, poet and

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

er who played for

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

between 1922 and 1926. Crommelin-Brown was born in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and educated first in Edinburgh at the

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

and Cargilfield School and then in England at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

. On leaving Winchester in 1908 he published ''Wykehamian Poems and Parodies'' which included parodies of

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...

and

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

. He went to

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where he wrote lyrics for the

Cambridge Footlights Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club, commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, is an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University. History Footlights' inaugural ...

During the

First World War 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 ...

he served as a lieutenant in the

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

and wrote war poetry. Crommelin-Brown became a master at

Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, Independent school (United Kingdom), independent, Day school, day and boarding school in the English Public school (United Kingdom), public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, ...

and made his debut for Derbyshire in the 1922 season. In his debut match against

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

he scored 56 and took a wicket. He did not play again until the 1924 season, and he only played during the school holidays in that and the

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

and 1926 seasons. He was a right hand batsman and played 28 innings in 16 first-class matches. His highest score was 74 and his average 25.34. He bowled rarely, taking one wicket in total. Crommelin-Brown died at Old Town,

Minehead Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the boundary with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National P ...

, Somerset, England, aged 64. Crommelin-Brown's son-in-law

John Eggar John Drennan Eggar (1 December 1916 – 3 May 1983) was an English schoolmaster and first-class cricketer who played for Oxford University and Hampshire in 1938 and for Derbyshire from 1946 to 1954. Eggar was born in Nowshera, British India, t ...

, another Repton master, played cricket for Derbyshire after the Second World War.The Times Obituary John Eggar Saturday 7 May 1983

Publications

*''Wykehamian Poems and Parodies'' *''Dies Heroica: War Poems 1914–1918'' *''Three Little Fairy Songs. 1. The Fairy Children. 2. Canterbury Bells. 3. Blue-Bell, Dew-Bell.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crommelin-Brown, John 1888 births 1953 deaths People educated at Edinburgh Academy People educated at Cargilfield School People educated at Winchester College Alumni of the University of Cambridge Derbyshire cricketers Royal Garrison Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War I British World War I poets 20th-century male writers People from Delhi Military personnel of British India