Obituary ..... TURNER, BRIGADIER ARTHUR JERVOIS, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. and Croix de Guerre, who died at Graffham, Sussex, on September 8 1952 aged 74, was born at Mussorie, India, one of several cricketing sons of major J. T. Turner, who, with other members of the Hong Kong cricket team, lost his life in the wreck of the Bokhara in 1892 when returning from a match with Shanghai. An all-rounder, A. J. Turner was educated at Bedford Modern School, where he gained a place in the eleven in 1892 when thirteen. He played four seasons for the school, being captain in 1895. For Woolwich and the Army he also earned a reputation as a cricketer, and after occasional appearances for Bedfordshire he assisted Essex between 1897 and 1910. In his first season of first-class cricket he hit 40 and 111 against Yorkshire at Huddersfield. He played for Gentlemen v. Players at The Oval in 1898 and was invited for the Lord's match the following summer, but because of military duties could not accept. Besides his cricketing abilities, Turner was an excellent Rugby footballer and played for Blackheath and Kent. He served with the Royal Artillery in the South African War and, while on the General Headquarters Staff in France during the first World War, was four times mentioned in dispatches. Arthur Turner England Full name Arthur Jervois Turner Born June 10, 1878, Mussoorie (now Musuri), United Provinces, India Died September 8, 1952, Graffham, Sussex (aged 74 years 90 days) Major teams Army, Essex, Free Foresters, Gentlemen, Gentlemen of the South, South of England Batting style Right-hand bat Bowling style Right-arm medium (underarm) Fielding position Wicketkeeper Education Bedford Modern School Relation Brother - JT Turner, Brother - WMF Turner, Nephew - AJD Turner Arthur Jervois Turner (10 June 1878-8 September 1952) was an English cricketer and soldier. A right-handed batsman, right-arm underarm medium pace bowler and occasional wicket-keeper, he played first-class cricket for various teams between 1897 and 1914, predominately for Essex. He also played for the Egypt national cricket team. His other sporting interests included Rugby Union, and he played for Blackheath and Kent at that sport. Born in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh in 1878, Arthur Turner was the son of a JT Turner, who played cricket for Hong Kong and died on the SS Bokhara on the way back from playing a match for Hong Kong against Shanghai. His younger brother Walter also played cricket for Essex, whilst another brother John played first-class cricket in India, as did his nephew Antony. He was educated at Bedford Modern School, gaining a place in the school's cricket team when aged 13. He played four seasons for the school, captaining them in 1895. He died in Sussex in 1952. After gaining a reputation as a cricketer at school and with the Army, Turner played occasionally for Bedfordshire before making his first-class debut for Essex in a County Championship match against Hampshire in June 1897. He played nine further County Championship matches for Essex that season and a dozen in the 1898 season, also playing in that year's Gentlemen v Players match at The Oval. He played ten County Championship matches in 1899, also playing twice against Australia - once for Essex and once for the South of England. He also played for a Home Counties team against the Rest of England and was invited to play in that year's Gentlemen v Players match at Lord's but could not accept the invitation due to military duties. He played no first-class cricket in 1900 or 1902, playing eight County Championship matches for Essex during the 1901 season. His appearances for Essex became more sporadic from this point, playing just twice in 1903, seven times in 1904, five times in 1905 and just once in 1906. After missing the 1907 season, he played four County Championship matches for Essex in 1908, also playing for the British Army cricket team against the Navy at Lord's and for the Royal Artillery against Philadelphia that season. He played just two County Championship matches in 1909, also playing for Essex and the South of England against Australia and for the Gentlemen of the South against the Players of the South. His final matches for Essex were in the 1910 season, playing five times for them in the County Championship, his last match coming against Yorkshire in August. He still played four more first-class matches, playing for a combined Army/Navy team against a combined Oxford/Cambridge University team in 1911, for the Army against the Navy in 1913 and for the Free Foresters against Oxford University and for the Army against Cambridge University in 1914. He played no more first-class cricket after World War I, though he continued to play cricket at a minor level. He played for the Army against a Public Schools team in 1920, and for the Royal Artillery against West Kent in 1925. In 1929, he played a match for Egypt against HM Martineau's XI in Cairo and his last recorded match was for the Army against the West Indies in May 1939 when he was 60. In his 77 first-class matches, Arthur Turner scored 4053 runs at an average of 34.05, including eleven centuries. His highest score was 124 for Essex against Warwickshire in 1899. Whilst he was considered an all-rounder at school, Turner's underarm bowling was rarely used at first-class level. In all he took fifteen first-class wickets, with a best innings bowling performance of 3/47 for Essex against Lancashire in 1898. After taking 14 wickets in his first three seasons, he took only one more first-class wicket in his career. Turner served in the South African War with the Royal Artillery. He later served in France during the First World War and was decorated with the Croix de guerre. He was also decorated with the Distinguished Service Order, the Order of St Michael and St George and the Order of the Bath. He achieved the rank of Brigadier.
