Lives in Cricet No 33 - Jack Robertson and Syd Brown

37 as other soldiers on a daily basis. This would be augmented by training in the movement of casualties in various ways over varying types of terrain and obstacles. With a first-class ground on the doorstep Aldershot was a good posting for a cricketer. Hampshire had played three championship matches at the Officers’ Club Ground in the early days of the century, and during the 1930s a number of touring sides had played the Army there. Syd would get to know the ground quite well. He would also demonstrate his prowess on the football field: in 1944 the 1st Depot RAMC team, of which he was a member, were Aldershot District League champions and cup finalists. The first-class game in Britain was of course curtailed for the duration of the war − at least until victory in Europe had been achieved. However, despite the need to serve King and Country, Jack and Syd, together with many other county colleagues, were still able to play a reasonable amount of good-standard cricket during this period, most of it of the one-day variety. 54 The situation had been different in the First World War, when relatively little cricket had been played. The general mood then, particularly in the early years, had been that during all the carnage it was not right for young men to be playing for the entertainment of others. (Although following the declaration of war on 4 August, according to Wisden , while lives were already being lost across the Channel, county cricket ‘struggled on gallantly’ during the rest of the month.) For a number of reasons cricket was viewed differently 25 years later; attitudes had changed. Enjoyment was not unpatriotic: it was therapeutic and helped maintain morale both among civilians and among servicemen on leave. Relaxation had many benefits, not the least of which was the contribution made by sport-watchers to charitable causes. However, unlike football, which as far as possible was still systematically structured with regional leagues and cup competitions, MCC did not provide the same organisational lead for cricket and it was left to the counties and other appropriate bodies to improvise matches. In the event a rich variety of fare was served up, and the cricket-watching public, many in uniform, showed their appreciation by attending in large numbers, and thus raising considerable money for the war charities. Although of course many cricketers were on active service abroad, the Allies did not invade north-west Europe until 1944, and so many cricketers were based in the United Kingdom and it was possible to get together some fairly strong sides. As well as the counties a wide range of other sides took to the field; many of the matches between representative sides, such as those put out by the British Empire and the London Counties elevens and the services, were clearly of first-class quality. The British Empire XI was strictly amateur; the London Counties XI was mainly composed of professionals who, their main source of income now cut off by the cessation of county cricket and the cancellation of contracts, could make a little money for themselves, while also raising money for charity. 54 The CricketArchive website records 39 non first-class matches for Jack and 25 for Syd during the War. Jack mainly played at Lord’s, Syd mainly at Lord’s or at the Officers’ Club ground, usually for Aldershot District. Intermission