Lives in Cricket No 25 - Tom Richardson

117 Bout-du-Monde THE PRINCE AND ‘RAZOR’ In forwarding a cheque for £3 3s to W.C.(‘Razor’) Smith yesterday, the Prince of Wales asked the Surrey bowler if he would let him know how it came about that the nickname ‘Razor’ was given him. Smith’s own version is as follows: During a match many years ago, Tom Richardson (whose death by a sad coincidence is confirmed today) commented several times on Smith’s leanness. He eventually remarked that he could not see Smith at all when he was standing sideways and added that if he were stropped once more he would be thin enough to shave with. 274 Learning that there were insufficient funds to bring the body back to England, within a week the newspaper established a fund for the purpose of doing that and, in accordance with Richardson’s own wishes, have him buried in the soil of his native county. Any residue would be used to establish a fund for Richardson’s dependents. The response from individuals and commercial organisations was instant and generous. ‘Razor’ Smith was one of the first contributors and Mr R.W.Inman touches the right note when he states in his letter: “Gladly I enclose my mite, and sorry am I that I cannot do more. I had the pleasure of seeing the splendid man play in many great matches, and I also had the gratification of seeing much of him during his proprietorship of the Prince’s Head, and ever did I find him one of the best. Only a few days ago, I invited him to join me in a drink. Little did I imagine how near his end he was. 275 Within a couple of days, however, St John Harmsworth, whose Perrier Water Company already headed the subscription list with a donation of £10, had agreed to meet the full costs of embalming, repatriating the body and the funeral, an eventual commitment of £133 2s 9d. St John Harmsworth, in his mid-thirties at the time, had invested in the company of the mineral water spring at Vergèze. He renamed it ‘Perrier’ after Dr Louis Perrier who had started marketing the water in 1894. Harmsworth sold his share in the family newspaper business (his brothers became newspaper barons Lords Northcliffe and Rothermere) to buy the source and in 1906 formed La Compagnie de la Source Perrier . He was personally responsible for the distinctively shaped bottle based on the popular exercise clubs of the time which Harmsworth himself had used as part of his rehabilitation from an accident. He wrote to the Sporting Life in the following terms: Poynters Hall, Totteridge, Herts To the Editor of the “Sporting Life” Dear Sir I have been following with very sympathetic interest your “Tom Richardson” fund. 274 5 July 1912 275 Sporting Life 9 July 1912