Abesh Purkait: wrote first entry w/ sources

2026-08-15T16:45:03Z

wrote first entry w/ sources

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{{short description|South African cricketer and soldier}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Sydenham Somers-Cox
| image =
| country = South Africa
| full_name = Sydenham John Somers-Cox
| birth_date = 18 July 1895
| birth_place = [[Johannesburg]], [[South African Republic]]
| death_date = 1972 (aged 76–77)
| death_place = [[Borrowdale, Harare|Borrowdale]], [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Rhodesia]]
| nickname =
| family =
| batting = Unknown
| bowling = Unknown
| role =
| club1 = [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]]
| year1 = 1917/18
| columns = 1
| column1 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches1 = 1
| runs1 = 2
| bat avg1 = 2.00
| 100s/50s1 = –/–
| top score1 = 1[[not out|*]]
| deliveries1 = 42
| wickets1 = 1
| bowl avg1 = 39.00
| fivefor1 = –
| tenfor1 = –
| best bowling1 = 1/39
| catches/stumpings1 = 2/–
| date = 25 December
| year = 2023
| source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/sydenham-somers-cox-34441 Cricinfo
}}

'''Sydenham John Somers-Cox''' {{postnominal|MC}} (18 July 1895 – 1972) was a South African first-class [[cricket]]er and an officer in both the [[British Army]] and the [[British Indian Army]].

The son of Sydenham Easton Southall-Cox, he was born at [[Johannesburg]] in July 1895. Upon the outbreak of the [[First World War]], he joined the [[British Army]] from the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst|Royal Military College]] as a [[Second lieutenant#United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries|second lieutenant]] with the [[Worcestershire Regiment]] in May 1915.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29159|date=11 May 1915|page=4539|supp=y}}</ref> He was made a temporary [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] in September 1915,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29376|date=19 November 1915|page=11577|supp=y}}</ref> prior to being appointed an [[Adjutant#UK and other Commonwealth countries|adjutant]] and temporary [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] in November 1915;<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29792|date=20 October 1916|page=10083}}</ref> he gained the full rank of lieutenant in October 1916.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29942|date=13 February 1917|page=1583|supp=y}}</ref> Somers-Cox was awarded the [[Military Cross]] in November 1916, for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when he organised the defence of his lines following the deaths of his [[Commanding officer#Army|commanding officer]] and senior ranked comrades, doing so with courage and fearlessness.<ref>{{London Gazette|city=Edinburgh|issue=13012|date=16 November 1916|page=2074}}</ref> In July 1918, he was appointed to the [[British Indian Army]] (BIA) as a lieutenant with the [[97th Deccan Infantry]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=30781|date=5 July 1918|page=7952}}</ref> In India, he made a single appearance in [[first-class cricket]] for the [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]] against the [[Parsis cricket team|Parsees]] at [[Bombay Gymkhana|Bombay]] in 1917–18 [[Bombay Tournament (cricket)|Bombay Quadrangular]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/14/14598/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Sydenham Somers-Cox|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 December 2023|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed for a single run in the Europeans first innings by [[M. B. Vatcha]], while in their second innings he was [[not out|unbeaten]] on a single run. Opening the bowling in the Parsees first innings, he took the wicket of [[Hormasji Kanga]] for the cost of 39 runs from seven [[over (cricket)|overs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/9/9496.html|title=Europeans v Parsees, Bombay Quadrangular Tournament 1917/18|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=25 December 2023|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Somers-Cox commanded a company in the [[129th Duke of Connaught's Own Baluchis|129th Baluchis]] until February 1919, by which point the war had ended.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31527|date=29 August 1919|page=10903}}</ref> In May 1919, he was promoted to captain,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31616|date=24 October 1919|page=13037}}</ref> followed by promotion to [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] in May 1933.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33950|date=16 June 1933|page=4041|supp=y}}</ref> Following a period as an instructor in the 1930s, he was promoted to [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]] in October 1937.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34466|date=24 December 1937|page=8074}}</ref> After serving in the [[Second World War]], he retired from the BIA in July 1946.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37658|date=19 July 1946|page=3743}}</ref> Somers-Cox later retired to the [[Harare|Salisbury]] suburb of [[Borrowdale, Harare|Borrowdale]] in [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Rhodesia]], where he died in 1972.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cricinfo|id=34441}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somers-Cox, Sydenham}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Johannesburg]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Johannesburg]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Worcestershire Regiment officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Baloch Regiment officers]]
[[Category:South African cricketers]]
[[Category:Europeans cricketers]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War II]]

Sydenham Somers-Cox - Revision history

Abesh Purkait: wrote first entry w/ sources