Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

10 Chapter One Beginnings: Jack John David Benbow Robertson was born on 22 February 1917 at 21 Devonshire Road, Chiswick, 6 not far from a public park known as Turnham Green. He was the only child of John Richard Benbow Robertson and Georgina Robertson (formerly Webster). They ran a wine merchants at nearby 34 Devonshire Road, and would continue to do so until the 1960s. During the First World War Jack’s father had served as a gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery. Soon after enlisting in May 1916 he was engaged at the Battle of the Somme, and the following year, soon after Jack’s birth, in another major offensive, the Battle of Arras. Turnham Green was formerly a hamlet on the main road west out of London. An English Civil War battle was fought nearby in 1642, and during that century highwaymen operated in the area. By the time young Jack arrived things had quietened down a bit, although Chiswick High Road, on which the green is situated, was by now a busy shopping thoroughfare. The green was used for local community activity and was the home of Turnham Green Cricket Club, until they moved to the grounds of Chiswick House in 1946. Nearby was a famous theatre, the recently opened Chiswick Empire, and living close to the Thames Jack also no doubt saw the Boat Race a few times. Why Benbow became a family name is unclear. Jack’s son, Ian Anthony Benbow, does not know why. The most famous Benbow is probably John, the English admiral who died in 1702 aged 49 as a result of injuries received in action. He is buried in Kingston, Jamaica, where Jack would play for England in March 1948. In his playing days Jack appeared in Wisden as ‘J.D.’. In 1980, however, thanks to Rob Brooke’s investigations, Jack was one of a number of cricketers who were given their proper certified initials. But a new editor, John Woodcock, disapproved, and in 1982 players, including Jack, reverted to their familiar, if formally incorrect, initials. (Although in the 2013 Wisden Jack appears variously as both J.D. and J.D.B!) It was probably not surprising that Jack became a cricketer. His father, a very good player himself, had joined the local team two years before his son was born and would go on to be one of its leading members. And Lord’s was not that far away. In fact in his 1951 benefit brochure Jack says, ‘I have a dim but confirmed memory of being at Lord’s when Middlesex beat Surrey to win the Championship in 1921.’ Twenty-six years later, the next time Middlesex won the Championship, he would of course have 6 A long straight road bounded on both sides by solid, brick-built, terraced houses.