Albert George Gillespie (7 June 1912 – 7 August 1938) was an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
first-class cricketer and
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
officer.
Gillespie was born in the
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
suburb of
Rose Park.
He studied medicine in Adelaide and
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, before moving to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 1937 to further his studies.
With the looming threat of Nazism across Europe, Gillespie cut short his studies to enlist in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
, joining as an acting
pilot officer
Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...
in February 1937. He played
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 ...
in August of the same year for a
Combined Services cricket team
The Combined Services cricket team represents the British Armed Forces. The team played at first-class level in England for more than forty years in the mid-twentieth century. Their first first-class match was against Gentlemen of England at Lo ...
against the touring
New Zealanders
New Zealanders ( mi, Tāngata Aotearoa), colloquially known as Kiwis (), are people associated with New Zealand, sharing a common history, culture, and language (New Zealand English). People of various ethnicities and national origins are citiz ...
at
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. Batting twice during the match, he scored a single run in the Combined Services first-innings before being dismissed by
Lindsay Weir, while in their second-innings he was dismissed by
Jack Cowie
John Cowie (30 March 1912 – 3 June 1994) was a New Zealand cricketer who played in nine Tests from 1937 to 1949. His Test opportunities were restricted by New Zealand's limited programme, and his cricket career was interrupted by World War I ...
for 10 runs.
He also bowled fifteen
overs across the match, taking the wicket of
Martin Donnelly in the New Zealanders first-innings.
He was confirmed in the rank of pilot officer in November 1937.
Gillespie was one of five fatalities when the
Handley Harrow he was aboard crashed in heavy fog and rain during exercises near
Great Barton
Great Barton is a large village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk, England, about East of Bury St Edmunds on the A143.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket
Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – S ...
during the early hours of August 7, 1938.
He was subsequently buried at
St Nicholas' Church, Feltwell
St Nicholas Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Feltwell, Norfolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conser ...
.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Albert
1912 births
1938 deaths
Cricketers from Adelaide
University of Adelaide alumni
University of Melbourne alumni
Australian expatriate sportspeople in England
Royal Air Force officers
Australian cricketers
Combined Services cricketers
Accidental deaths in England
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1938