Edward D'Arcy McCrea (7 February 1896 – 22 December 1940) was an Irish tennis player. He competed in the

mixed doubles Mixed doubles or mixed pairs is a form of mixed-sex sports that consists of teams of one man and one woman. This variation of competition is prominent in curling and racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis, and badminton (where it is known ...

, men's singles and men's double at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

. He was active from 1919 to 1928 and contested 10 career singles finals and won 8 titles. He died during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Tennis career

McCrea played and won his first tournament in 1919 at the County Dublin Championships where he reached the finals and defeated John King Maconchy in four sets. In 1920 he won two singles titles at the East of Ireland Championships (against Val Miley), and the County Dublin meeting (against Jack Miley). In 1921 he then took part in the Irish Championships where he reached the semi finals but lost to Cecil Campbell. He then traveled to

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

to take part in the North of England Championships where he progressed to the final, but was defeated by the South African international Brian Norton. In early 1922 he traveled to Spain to take part in the Barcelona International tournament on clay, where he progressed to the semi finals and lost to

Manuel Alonso Areizaga Manuel Alonso de Areizaga (12 November 1895 – 11 October 1984) was a Spanish tennis player. He was the first Spanish tennis player of international stature. Biography Alonso was born at San Sebastián on 12 November 1895. He won the Spanish ...

. He next played at the East of Ireland Championships where he won the title for the second time (against Bunny Ireland). He then took part in the Derbyshire Championships in

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

, and was successful in winning that title (against Britain's George Fletcher). 1923 for McRea successfully defended his Buxton title winning the Derbyshire Championships for the second time (against Portuguese player José Domingo). He finished the season playing at the North of England Championships where he reached the final, but lost to the Anglo-Indian tennis player Sydney Jacob. McRea then entered a period of semi retirement where he did not compete in many tournaments. In 1927 after a four break he took part in two events that season. At the Irish Championships in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

he lost a five set semi final against Pat Hughes. That year he won his final singles title at the Northern Championships in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

where he won the title (against Douglas Arthur Hodges) in five sets. He played his final tournament at the 1928 Irish Lawn Tennis Championships where he lost in the quarter finals stage to Alexander Pitt.

Personal life

McCrea studied at

Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...

and graduated in 1920. Designated a

Master of Surgery The Master of Surgery (Latin: Magister Chirurgiae) is an advanced qualification in surgery. Depending upon the degree, it may be abbreviated ChM, MCh, MChir or MS. At a typical medical school the program lasts two to three years. The possessi ...

in 1922, he became a fellow of the

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) is a not-for-profit medical professional and educational institution, which is also known as RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. It was established in 1784 as the national body ...

the same year. Settling in

, he worked at Salford Royal Hospital and taught

physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...

at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

. McCrea died on 22 December 1940 in the midst of the

Manchester Blitz The Manchester Blitz (also known as the Christmas Blitz) was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the German ''Luftwaffe''. It was one of three major raid ...

. Whilst hosting a party at his home in

Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...

, a

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

parachute mine A parachute mine is a naval mine dropped from an aircraft by parachute. They were mostly used in the Second World War by the Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. ...

struck the house and exploded, killing all inside.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCrea, D'Arcy 1896 births 1940 deaths Tennis players from Dublin (city) Olympic tennis players for Ireland British civilians killed in World War II Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Academics of the University of Manchester Tennis players at the 1924 Summer Olympics 20th-century Irish surgeons Irish male tennis players Deaths by German airstrikes during The Blitz Irish civilians killed in World War II 20th-century Irish medical doctors Irish Free State sportsmen British male tennis players