Frederick Gerald Hudson Chalk , born Gerald Frederick Hudson Chalk and known as Gerry Chalk, (7 September 1910 – 17 February 1943) was an English amateur

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er. He was a right-handed batsman who played

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

for

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

Kent County Cricket Club Kent County Cricket Club is one of the eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Kent. A club representing the county was first founded in 1842 but Ken ...

and MCC between 1931 and 1939, captaining both Oxford and Kent. Chalk died in 1943, shot down over northern France whilst serving as a Spitfire pilot in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

Early life

Chalk was born in

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne un ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

in 1910. He was the son of Arthur and Edith Chalk of Cooden Beach in

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

.Chalk, Frederick Gerald Hudson

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

. Retrieved 2017-04-16. He was coached at Uppingham by

Punter Humphreys Edward Humphreys (24 August 1881 – 6 November 1949), known as Punter Humphreys, was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club between 1899 and 1920. He played nearly 400 first-class matches ...

who had been a professional in the

sides which won four

County Championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

titles in the years before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

.Humphreys, Edward
Obituaries in 1949, ''

Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "Bible of cricket" (or variations thereof) has been applied to ''Wi ...

'', 1950. Retrieved 2017-04-16. He attended

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils 13–18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oakham School. ...

where he played cricket, leading the school in

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

in 1928.Frederick Chalk
Obituary, ''

'', 1945. Retrieved 2017-04-16. He went up to

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

in 1930.

Cricket career

Chalk won his cricket Blue in 1931 as a freshman at Oxford, making his

debut for the university against

in May.Gerry Chalk
CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-04-16. He played in 46 first-class matches for the university, captaining the side in 1934.OUCC captains
, University Cricket at Oxford. Retrieved 2017-04-16. He scored a century in the 1934

University Match The University Match is an annual cricket fixture between Oxford University Cricket Club and Cambridge University Cricket Club. First played in 1827, it is the oldest varsity match in the world. Until 2001, when first-class cricket was reorga ...

, an innings which

Wisden ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "Bible of cricket" (or variations thereof) has been applied to ''Wi ...

described as "brilliant", and made six centuries for the university side. Having first played for Kent's Second XI in the

Minor Counties Championship The NCCA 3 Day Championship or National County Championship is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national counties (previously ca ...

in 1928, Chalk made his first-class debut of the county in July 1933 against

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

at the

Bat and Ball Ground Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-ou ...

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Roche ...

. Working as a teacher at

Malvern College Malvern College is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging coeducational boarding school, boarding and day school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school ...

from 1934 to 1938,G/C Charles Appleton CBE DSO DFC
RAF Commands Archive. Retrieved 2017-04-16. he played for the county on a fairly regular basis during the summer holidays each season until 1938 when he was appointed

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the side. He played throughout the next two seasons, making a total of 101 appearances for the county. Chalk made 1,000 runs both seasons he was captain of Kent and was described as "skilful" in defence, with the ability to score effectively and field well. He scored five centuries for Kent, with his highest score of 198 being made at

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) (historic spelling ''Tunbridge'') is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Mall ...

against

in 1939. He was considered an "excellent captain in the field" who was effective at managing his bowling attack and who was aggressive in pursuing victories. In 1939 he promoted fast scoring bowler Alan Watt to bat alongside

Arthur Fagg Arthur Edward Fagg (18 June 1915 – 13 September 1977) was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club and the English cricket team, and became an umpire after retiring as a player. A right-handed opening batsman who first pla ...

in Kent's second innings at Colchester. Fagg scored a double century in both innings of the match, the only time this has been achieved in first-class cricket.Mukherjee A (2016
Arthur Fagg scores double-hundred in each innings
Cricket Country, 2016-07-15. Retrieved 2017-04-16. He scored a century in the penultimate match of Kent's 1939 season in August against

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

at Dover, carrying his bat through Kent's first innings against

Hedley Verity Hedley Verity (18 May 1905 – 31 July 1943) was a professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Yorkshire and England national cricket team, England between 1930 and 1939. A Left-arm orthodox spin, slow left-arm orth ...

's bowling, and played his final first-class match against

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

later the same month.Gill M (2005) ''Growing into War'', pp.62–63. The History Press.
Available online
Retrieved 2017-04-16.) As well as playing for Oxford and Kent, Chalk played in two

Gentlemen v Players Gentlemen v Players was a long-running series of cricket matches that began in July 1806 and was abolished in January 1963. It was a match between a team consisting of amateurs (the Gentlemen) and a team consisting of professionals (the Players ...

matches and played four times for

Marylebone Cricket Club The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's, Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London, England. The club was the governing body of cricket from 1788 to 1989 and retain ...

(MCC). He appeared for an England XI against the touring Indians in 1936 and for the Gentlemen of England in against

Don Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. His cricketing successes have been claimed by Shane ...

's Australian side in 1938. Chalk's extended family of cricket-playing relatives included his uncle Harold Prest who played for Kent either side of

. He married Rosemary Foster, the daughter of

Geoffrey Foster Geoffrey Norman Foster (16 October 1884 – 11 August 1971) was an English first-class cricketer who played for Worcestershire County Cricket Club, Worcestershire and Kent County Cricket Clubs, as well as appearing a number of times for Oxford ...

who had played for both Kent and

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...

.Foster, Geoffrey N
Obituaries in 1971, ''

'', 1972. Retrieved 2017-04-16. His brother-in-law

Peter Foster Peter Clarence Foster (born 26 September 1962) is an Australian career criminal who has been imprisoned in Australia, United Kingdom, the United States, and Vanuatu for a variety of offences related to weight loss and other scams as well as a ...

played under Chalk's captaincy at Kent in 1939.Foster, Peter Geoffrey
Obituaries in 1994, ''

'', 1995. Retrieved 2017-04-16. As well as playing cricket, Chalk was a

hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...

player. He played for Oxford University and the Surrey county side, winning a hockey Blue.

Military service and death

At the outbreak of

World War II 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 ...

, Chalk joined the

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

as a gunner before transferring to the RAF. He won the Distinguished Flying Cross in June 1941 serving as a rear gunner in 218 Squadron during a bombing raid on

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

. The citation for the award described his "cool and accurate fire" which " undoubtedly saved his aircraft and probably destroyed the attacker". He took a pilot's course and was promoted to Flight Lieutenant in 1942, commanding a flight of

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

fighters in 124 Squadron. His aircraft was shot down over

Louches Louches () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography A village some 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Calais, on the D225 road. Population Places of interest * The church of St.Omer, da ...

in northern France, probably by a Fw 190 of

JG 26 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 (JG 26) ''Schlageter'' was a German fighter-wing of World War II. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran, Freikorps member, and posthumous Nazi martyr, arrested and executed by the French fo ...

, on 17 February 1943. He was one of 4 British pilots shot down that day, with 2 dying, one being fatally wounded, and another evading capture.81389 F/L Frederick Chalk DFC
RAF Commands Archive. Retrieved 2017-04-16. He was officially listed as

Missing in Action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty (person), casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoner of war, prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been ...

and his obituary appeared in

in 1945, having been listed as presumed dead in January 1944.Ogley R (1997)
''Kent: A Chronicle of the Century. Volume Two: 1925-1949''
p.137. Froglets. His body was identified in the 1980s and his remains transferred to the Terlincthun British Cemetery near

Wimille Wimille (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about north of Boulogne, on the banks of the river Wimereux. The river Slack forms the northern boundary of the commune. Population The inhab ...

in 1989, having originally been listed on the

Runnymede Memorial The Air Forces Memorial, or Runnymede Memorial, in Englefield Green, near Egham, Surrey, England is a memorial dedicated to some 20,456 men and women from air forces of the British Empire who were lost in air and other operations during World War ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chalk, Gerry 1910 births 1943 deaths English cricketers People educated at Uppingham School Free Foresters cricketers Oxford University cricketers Kent cricketers Kent cricket captains Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Royal Air Force personnel killed in World War II Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Gentlemen cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford Missing in action of World War II British Army personnel of World War II Honourable Artillery Company soldiers Royal Air Force officers Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in France Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1943 Aviators killed by being shot down Royal Air Force pilots of World War II British World War II fighter pilots People from Sydenham, London Cricketers from the London Borough of Lewisham Military personnel from the London Borough of Lewisham 20th-century English sportsmen