Major Booth
Booth in 1912 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 10 December 1886 Pudsey, Yorkshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 1 July 1916 (aged 29) near Serre, Somme, France | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium-fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut | 13 December 1913 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 3 March 1914 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricketArchive, 20 August 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Major William Booth (10 December 1886 – 1 July 1916) was a cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1908 and 1914, a season in which he was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.
Note that "Major" was a given name, not a military rank. His international career was restricted to the 1913–14 tour of South Africa, which was the last Test match tour before the First World War. After receiving a commission in the West Yorkshire Regiment, Booth became Second Lieutenant Major Booth, and died just under a year later. Having gone 'over the top' on 1 July 1916, the first day of the Somme offensive near Serre, he was severely wounded. He was taken into a crater where in his dying moments he was held by Abe Waddington, who survived the war and went on to play for Yorkshire and England himself. After his death his sister would light a candle in his room every night in the hope that he would return.