Brigadier Jack Rose Compton Gannon (1 November 1882 – 25 April 1980) was an Irish first-class cricketer and

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer. He served initially with the British Army's

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot a ...

before joining the Indian Army's 23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force). He saw active service in the

First World War 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 ...

and the

Third Anglo-Afghan War The Third Anglo-Afghan War was a short war which began on 3 May and ended on 8 August 1919. The new Amir of the Emirate of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan declared a Jihad against the British in the hope to proclaim full independence, as well as ...

and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

. Gannon later served as assistant military secretary to the British commander-in-chief in India before his retirement in 1933. He was recalled to service in the Second World War and was recognised for his contributions to the war on the western front by two further mentions in dispatches and appointment to British and Dutch honours. In retirement he was manager of

The Hurlingham Club The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive private social and athletic club located in the Fulham area of London, England. Founded in 1869, it has a Georgian-style clubhouse set in of grounds. It is a member of the Association of London Clubs. Hi ...

– an exclusive sports club – and honorary secretary of the

Hurlingham Polo Association The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) is the governing body for polo in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and a number of other countries. The Federation of International Polo produces the International Rules of Polo through ...

. Gannon played eight first-class cricket matches 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 ...

and the

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, language, faith, historical continuity, etc. There are ...

Early life and career

The son of John Gannon, he was born in Ireland in November 1882. He was educated in England at

Sutton Valence School Sutton Valence School (SVS) is a private school near Maidstone in southeast England. It has 560 pupils. It is a co-educational day and boarding school, boarding school. There are three senior boarding houses: Westminster, St Margaret's and Sutto ...

, before attending the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

as a gentleman cadet. Upon graduating he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in October 1902 with the

. He was seconded to serve with the 23rd Cavalry (Frontier Force) in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

in 1906, where he gained the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in January 1906, backdated to January 1905. He formally transferred to the Indian Army in October 1906. Gannon was present in England in 1908, when he made three appearances in

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 the

(MCC) at

Lord's Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket List of Test cricket grounds, venue in St John's Wood, Westminster. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex C ...

against

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 ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

and the

Gentlemen of Philadelphia The Philadelphian cricket team was a team that represented Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in first-class cricket between 1878 and 1913. Even with the United States having played the first ever international cricket match against Canada in 1844, t ...

. He played three more first-class matches for the MCC in 1910, as well as appearing in that same year for the

Gentlemen of England Cricket, and hence English amateur cricket, probably began in England during the medieval period but the earliest known reference concerns the game being played c.1550 by children on a plot of land at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Surre ...

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

against Oxford University. He married Dorothy Mary Robertson in 1910, the daughter of the first-class cricketer George Robertson. Gannon was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

in October 1911.

First World War

Present in England at the outbreak of the war Gannon served initially attached to the British Army's

4th Hussars The 4th Queen's Own Hussars was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1685. It saw service for three centuries, including the World War I, First World War and the World War II, Second World ...

, who had made a request for available cavalry officers. He was posted to the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

later and was appointed an adjutant on 27 September 1916. He was promoted to the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in October 1917. By June 1918 he was back in India holding the appointment of temporary commandant, Muttra Remount Depot. Whilst serving in British India Gannon appeared in a first-class cricket match for the

against the

Parsees The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, whe ...

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, which was to be his final appearance in first-class cricket. In his eight-match first-class cricket career he scored 158 runs, with a highest score of 48. Shortly after the end of the First World War, he served in the

as a temporary Lieutenant-Colonel and assistant director of Remounts India from 12 June to 15 September 1919. He was mentioned in dispatches by General

Sir Charles Monro General Sir Charles Carmichael Monro, 1st Baronet (15 June 1860 – 7 December 1929), was a British Army General in the First World War. He held the post of Commander-in-Chief, India, in 1916–1920. From 1923 to 1928 he was the Governor of Gibra ...

in connection to this campaign. Gannon served under Monro again as assistant director of Remounts, Waziristan Force (sourcing replacement horses for the cavalry in the field) from 3 October 1919 to 31 May 1920 and held the

temporary rank Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of La ...

of lieutenant-colonel during this time and was again mentioned in dispatches. Gannon served as assistant military secretary to the army's commander in chief in India ( Lord Rawlinson) from 1920 to 1925. For his service in this role and in connection with the Prince of Wales's visit to India he was recognised with appointment as Member of the fourth class (now called a lieutenant) of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

on 11 March 1922. He was appointed a brevet lieutenant colonel in July 1925 and was later promoted to the full rank in October 1928. He was the commanding officer of

12th Cavalry (Frontier Force) The 12th Cavalry Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) is an armoured regiment of Pakistan Army. It was formed in the British Indian army in 1922 by the amalgamation of 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (Frontier Force) and 25th Cavalry (Frontier Force) ...

from 1927 to 1932. Gannon was placed on the Indian Army's unemployed list of officers on 1 November 1932 and retired on 7 September 1933 with the rank of lieutenant-colonel.

Second World War

Despite having reached the age limit for reserve officers on 1 November 1937 Gannon was recalled to active service and granted the temporary rank of colonel 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 ...

. He served as assistant military secretary of the British Home Forces from the outbreak of the war. As a cavalryman, sportsman and Indian Army officer it was considered that he was lucky to have kept his job after the rise of General

Bernard Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and the ...

– who held such men in disdain. In July 1943 he was appointed deputy military secretary for the

21st Army Group The 21st Army Group was a British headquarters formation formed during the Second World War. It controlled two field armies and other supporting units, consisting primarily of the British Second Army and the First Canadian Army. Established ...

. Gannon was particularly valued for his knowledge of the personalities and capabilities of the officers in this command and his advice was sought on candidates to fill any vacant positions. He was described as indispensable to Montgomery in this regard, though the general teased him about his cavalry background and sporting priorities. By 1944 at the age of 62 and five years older than Montgomery, he was probably the oldest officer still on his staff. Gannon was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

on 11 June 1942 as part of

1942 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1942 were appointments by King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 5 June 1942 for the United Kingdom and Canada. The re ...

. Gannon was promoted to be a Commander of the

on 1 February 1945 for services in Europe following the

Invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...

. He was mentioned in dispatches on 9 August 1945 and again on 4 April 1946 for further service during the North West Europe campaign. He was appointed to the acting rank of brigadier and received the appointment of Knight Commander of the

Order of Orange Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

with Swords from the Dutch queen in 1946.

Personal life

Gannon was a keen polo player, achieving a handicap of seven, and being on the winning teams in the Inter-Regimental Tournament in India in 1924 and 1925. He was active in the administration of the sport, serving as honorary secretary of the British governing body – the

– from 1934 until his death. He was also manager and secretary of

and president of the National Pony Society. He was described as instrumental in organising the polo events at the 1936 Olympic Games. He wrote entries on the sport in the ''

Encyclopaedia Britannica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

'' and published his military and sporting memoirs in 1976 entitled ''Before the Colors Fade''. In addition to polo and cricket Gannon was also a keen pigsticker and shooter and was a member of the

Cavalry Club The Cavalry Club was a London gentlemen's club, which was established in 1890. In 1975, it merged with the Guards' Club, and became the Cavalry and Guards Club, which still exists today. When the Cavalry Club first occupied the site, on Piccadi ...

. During his time in India he had been master of both the

Quetta Quetta is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Balochistan. It is the ninth largest city in Pakistan, with an estimated population of over 1.6 million in 2024. It is situated in the south-west of the country, lying in a ...

and

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

hunts. Gannon died on 25 April 1980 at the King Edward VII Hospital near

Midhurst Midhurst () is a market town and civil parish in the Chichester District in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother (Western), River Rother, inland from the English Channel and north of Chichester. The name Midhurst was first reco ...

in Sussex.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gannon, Jack 1882 births 1980 deaths People educated at Sutton Valence School Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Irish cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Gentlemen of England cricketers Europeans cricketers South Staffordshire Regiment officers British Indian Army officers Indian Army personnel of World War I British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Afghan War Members of the Royal Victorian Order Indian Army personnel of World War II Knights of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Officers of the Order of the British Empire Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Legion of Merit Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Irish polo players Place of birth missing 20th-century Irish military personnel 19th-century British Army personnel