Francis George Mann, (6 September 1917 – 8 August 2001) was an English

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 str ...

er, who played for

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He was born at

Byfleet Byfleet is a village in Surrey, England. It is located in the far east of the borough of Woking, around east of West Byfleet, from which it is separated by the M25 motorway and the Wey Navigation. The village is of medieval origin. Its win ...

, Surrey and died at Stockcross, Berkshire. As a cricketer, George Mann was a right-handed middle-order batsman. His father, Frank Mann, also captained England, making them the first father and son to both captain England. Colin and Chris Cowdrey are the only other father and son to have done this for England.

Early life and education

Mann was born on 6 September 1917 in

, Surrey, England.'MANN, (Francis) George', ''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to i ...

'', A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 1920–2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014; online edn, April 201
accessed 24 Nov 2017
/ref> The son of Frank Mann, he was the brother of John Pelham Mann. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, an all-boys

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

, and captained the school's cricket XI in 1936. He was also a member of the Eton College Contingent of the

Officer Training Corps The Officers' Training Corps (OTC), more fully called the University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), are military leadership training units operated by the British Army. Their focus is to develop the leadership abilities of their members whilst ...

, and reached the rank of cadet under-officer. He studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

(BA) degree. While at

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, he earned two cricketing blues, having represented the university in 1938 and 1939.

Military service

Mann served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, having joined up before the outbreak of war. On 8 July 1939, he was commissioned in the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designate ...

as a second lieutenant. He transferred to the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

on 13 March 1940. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

(MC) in 1942. On 28 June 1945, the then temporary major Mann was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

(DSO) "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Italy". Mann maintained his links with the army after the war. On 8 July 1949, he was moved from the Supplementary Reserve of Officers to the Regular Army Reserve of Officers, and was granted the

honorary rank Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a m ...

of major. Having reached the age limit, he resigned his commission on 6 September 1967 and was permitted to retain his honorary rank.

Cricketing career

Mann captained England in each of his seven

Test match Test match in some sports refers to a sporting contest between national representative teams and may refer to: * Test cricket * Test match (indoor cricket) * Test match (rugby union) * Test match (rugby league) * Test match (association football) ...

es, winning two, and drawing the other five; his father had also been captain in every Test he played in. ''

Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...

'' said of Mann: "as a captain he was ideal, zealous to a degree, and considerate in all things at all times". After leading England in South Africa in 1948/49, Mann led his side for two Tests in the following summer, before he stood down, citing inability to participate regularly due to his family's brewing business commitments ( Mann, Crossman & Paulin). Mann was chairman of the

Test and County Cricket Board The Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) was the governing body for Test and county cricket in Great Britain between 1968 and 1996. The TCCB was established in 1968 to replace the functions of the Board of Control for Test Matches (established ...

(TCCB) from 1978 to 1983. He was therefore chairman during the controversy over the

rebel tour The South African rebel tours were a series of seven cricket tours staged between 1982 and 1990. They were known as the rebel tours because the international cricketing bodies Sporting boycott of South Africa, banned South Africa from competitiv ...

which

Geoff Boycott Sir Geoffrey Boycott (born 21 October 1940) is a former Test cricketer, who played cricket for Yorkshire and England. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's m ...

and

Graham Gooch Graham Alan Gooch, (born 23 July 1953) is a former English first-class cricketer who captained Essex and England. He was one of the most successful international batsmen of his generation, and through a career spanning from 1973 until 2000, h ...

led to South Africa in 1982.

Later life

Mann was a main board director and retained his position on the new company board when his family brewery merged with

Watney Combe & Reid Watney Combe & Reid was a leading brewery in London. At its peak in the 1930s it was a constituent of the FT 30 index of leading companies on the London Stock Exchange. It produced Watney's Red Barrel. History The Watney family were the mai ...

in 1958. He was non-executive Deputy Chairman of the Extel Group from 1980 to 1986. Mann died on 8 August 2001 in Stockcross, Berkshire, England.

Personal life

In 1949, Mann married Margaret Hildegarde Marshall Clark. Together they had four children: three sons and one daughter. His wife predeceased him, dying in 1995. Mann's son,

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

, was sentenced for thirty-four years in Equatorial Guinea in 2008, on charges related to an attempted coup in 2004, but was pardoned on 2 November 2009.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, George 1917 births 2001 deaths England Test cricket captains Middlesex cricket captains Cambridge University cricketers Free Foresters cricketers Chairmen of Middlesex County Cricket Club Presidents of Middlesex County Cricket Club Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club Scots Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Recipients of the Military Cross Masters of the Worshipful Company of Brewers People educated at Eton College Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Gentlemen cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers Royal Welch Fusiliers officers English cricketers Middlesex cricketers Military personnel from Surrey North v South cricketers 20th-century English businesspeople Marylebone Cricket Club South African Touring Team cricketers England Test cricketers