Norman Martin Mischler (9 October 1920 – 10 September 2009) 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 Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

officer. Mischler served in the British Indian Army during the Second World War. While in British India he played first-class cricket for the

Europeans cricket team The Europeans cricket team was an Indian first-class cricket team which took part in the annual Bombay tournament and Lahore tournament. The team was founded by members of the European community in Bombay who played cricket at the Bombay Gymkhan ...

, before returning to England where he played first-class cricket for Cambridge University and the Free Foresters. He was a leading figure in the chemical industry.

Early life and military service

Mischler was born at Paddington in October 1920 to Martin Mischler and his wife, Martha Sarah Lambert. He was educated at St Paul's School. After leaving St Paul's he enlisted in the ranks of the British Army as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

. He was commissioned during the Second World War 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 ...

as of 17 August 1941 and joined the

Royal Indian Army Service Corps The Indian Army Service Corps (IASC) is a corps and an arm of the Indian Army which handles its logistic support function. It is the oldest and the largest administrative service in the Indian Army. While the history of supply and transport serv ...

. In December 1941, he made his debut in first-class cricket for the

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (2004) ...

against the

Parsees Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim co ...

in the 1941–42 Bombay Quadrangular at Bombay. He made two further first-clas appearances for the Europeans, both against the

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

in the

Madras Presidency Matches The Madras Presidency Matches were annual first-class cricket matches played in Madras (now Chennai) from the 1915–16 season to 1951–52 between the cricket teams of Indians and the Europeans (i.e., Europeans who were living in India). The ...

of 1942 and 1943. By the end of the war he had been mentioned in dispatches twice, once as a temporary

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 May 1946, and secondly as a temporary

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 ...

in September 1946. Both were for service in Burma.

Return to England

He returned to England in 1946, where he began studying at

St Catharine's College, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...

. While studying at Cambridge he played first-class cricket for Cambridge University in the 1946 and 1947 seasons, making eighteen appearances. He scored 434 runs for Cambridge, at an average of 14.96, with a high score of 76. He made three further appearances in first-class cricket for the Free Foresters against Cambridge University in 1949, 1950 and 1951. Mischler played as a wicket-keeper during his first-class career, taking 35

catches Catch may refer to: In sports * Catch (game), children's game * Catch (baseball), a maneuver in baseball * Catch (cricket), a mode of dismissal in cricket * Catch or reception (gridiron football) * Catch, part of a rowing stroke In music * Cat ...

and making 10

stumping Stumped is a method of dismissing a batsman in cricket, which involves the wicket-keeper putting down the wicket while the batsman is out of his ground. (The batsman leaves his ground when he has moved down the pitch beyond the popping crease ...

s. After graduating from Cambridge, Mischler worked in the chemical industry, most notably for

Hoechst Hoechst, Hochst, or Höchst may refer to: * Hoechst AG, a former German life-sciences company * Hoechst stain, one of a family of fluorescent DNA-binding compounds * Höchst (Frankfurt am Main), a city district of Frankfurt am Main, Germany ** Fra ...

. He was vice-chairman of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in London from 1974 to 1984, for which he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Officer's Cross) in 1985. He died at London in September 2009.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mischler, Norman 1920 births 2009 deaths Cricketers from the City of Westminster People from Paddington People educated at St Paul's School, London British Indian Army officers Indian Army personnel of World War II English cricketers Europeans cricketers Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Cambridge University cricketers Free Foresters cricketers Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century English businesspeople