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{{short description|English cricketer and soldier}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Richard Taite
| image =
| country = England
| full_name = Richard Hamish Taite
| birth_date = 5 April 1911
| birth_place = [[Westminster]], [[London]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1969|4|5|1911|4|5|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Huttons Ambo]], [[Yorkshire]], England
| nickname =
| family =
| batting = Unknown
| bowling = Unknown
| role =
| club1 = [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]]
| year1 = 1938/39
| columns = 1
| column1 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches1 = 1
| runs1 = 38
| bat avg1 = 19.00
| 100s/50s1 = 0/0
| top score1 = 38
| deliveries1 = 72
| wickets1 = 0
| bowl avg1 = –
| fivefor1 = –
| tenfor1 = –
| best bowling1 = –
| catches/stumpings1 = 0/–
| date = 6 December
| year = 2023
| source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/richard-taite-35367 Cricinfo
}}

'''Richard Hamish Taite''' {{postnominal|OBE}} (5 April 1911 – 5 April 1969) was an English first-class [[cricket]]er and an officer in the [[British Army]]. Taite served in the army from 1931 until 1959, seeing action in both the [[Second World War]] and the [[Korean War]]. In May 1945, he was the officer who received the German surrender of [[Amsterdam]], for which he was later decorated by the Dutch government. In cricket, Taite played [[first-class cricket]] in [[British India]] for the [[Europeans cricket team]].

==Life and military service==
The son of Geoffrey Taite and Natalie LeDoux, he was born at [[Westminster]] in April 1911. He was educated at [[Cheltenham College]], where he played for the cricket and [[rugby union|rugby]] teams.<ref name="CHEL">{{cite book|title=Register, 1919-1951, Additions and Corrections, 1841-1919|date=1953|page=152|publisher=[[Cheltenham College]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5lu2NRky5woC|language=en}}</ref> From there, he attended the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst|Royal Military College at Sandhurst]] and graduated into the [[King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster)|King's Own Royal Regiment]] (KORR) in August 1931,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33748|date=28 August 1931|page=5623}}</ref> with promotion to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] in August 1934.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34082|date=28 August 1934|page=5461}}</ref> He was later seconded to serve in [[British India]], where he was attached to the [[Chennai|Madras]]-based [[Southern Provinces Mounted Rifles]] with the local rank of [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34522|date=17 June 1938|page=3894}}</ref> While serving there, he made a single appearance in [[first-class cricket]] for the [[Europeans cricket team]] against the [[Indians cricket team|Indians]] at [[M. A. Chidambaram Stadium|Madras]] in the 1938–39 [[Madras Presidency Match]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/14/14681/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Richard Taite|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=6 December 2023|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Batting twice in the match, he top-scored with 38 in the Europeans first innings before being dismissed by [[Gopalaswami Parthasarathy (diplomat)|Gopalaswami Parthasarathy]], whilst in their second innings he was dismissed [[duck (cricket)|without scoring]] by [[C. R. Rangachari]]. With the ball, he bowled 12 wicketless [[over (cricket)|overs]] in the Indians first innings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/16/16875.html|title=Europeans v Indians, Madras Presidency Match 1938/39|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=6 December 2023|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Shortly after his lone first-class appearance, Taite returned to the KORR and was promoted to captain in August 1939.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34660|date=29 August 1939|page=5916}}</ref> He served throughout the [[Second World War]], taking part in the [[Normandy campaign]] with the [[34th Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|34th Armoured Brigade]], where he saw action at the [[Operation Astonia|Battle of Le Havre]] in September 1944.<ref name="NETH">{{cite web|url=https://de-dam-zevenmei1945.nl/en/hamish-taite-may-7th-1945/|title=Hamish Taite and May 7th 1945|website=www.de-dam-zevenmei1945.nl|accessdate=6 December 2023}}</ref> In the last days of the war, Taite served with the [[49th (West Riding) Infantry Division|49th Reconnaissance Regiment]]. In April 1945, he took part in the [[Liberation of Arnhem]], where it was noted that he commanded his squadron with skill, determination and courage; he had taken over the command of the squadron mid-battle, following the wounding of its commander. Following the Allied victory at Arnhem, Taite led his squadron against the [[Grebbe Line]] and thereafter organised German surrenders at [[Hilversum]] and [[Bussum]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/101094/Taite-Richard-Hamish.htm|title=Taite, Richard Hamish|website=www.tracesofwar.com|accessdate=5 December 2023}}</ref> On the evening of e 7 May, he led a detachment of his squadron into [[Amsterdam]], reaching the city centre hours after the [[1945 shooting on Dam square, Amsterdam|shooting on Dam square]], in which German soldiers killed 30 Dutch civilians. At sunset, Taite reached the [[Royal Palace of Amsterdam]], and there he received the surrender of the German Ortskommandant [[Oberstleutnant#Germany|Oberstleutnant]] Hans A. Schröder, in preparation for its occupation by the [[First Canadian Army]] the following day.<ref name="NETH"/> For his actions in the Netherlands, he was decorated by the Dutch with the [[Bronze Lion]] in July 1947.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=38018|date=15 July 1947|page=3324|supp=y}}</ref>

Ten months after the conclusion of the war, Taite was promoted to [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] in July 1946,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37635|date=28 June 1946|page=3371|supp=y}}</ref> with a further promotion to [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]] following in March 1952.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=39525|date=25 April 1952|page=2294|supp=y}}</ref> He served in the [[Korean War]], following which he was made an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] in December 1953, in recognition of gallant and distinguished service during the war.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=40036|date=4 December 1953|page=6651|supp=y}}</ref> He retired from active service in October 1959.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=41856|date=27 November 1959|page=6845|supp=y}}</ref> Taite died in April 1969 at [[Huttons Ambo|Huttons Ambo, Yorkshire]]; he was survived by his wife Cynthia (1914–2012), and their son Rodger and daughter Natalie.<ref name="NETH"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cricinfo|id=35367}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taite, Richard}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1969 deaths]]
[[Category:Cricketers from the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:People from Westminster]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Westminster]]
[[Category:People educated at Cheltenham College]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:King's Own Royal Regiment officers]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Europeans cricketers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Bronze Lion]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of the Korean War]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]

Richard Taite (cricketer) - Revision history

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