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{{short description|English cricketer and soldier}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox cricketer
| name = Walter Kempster
| image =
| country = England
| full_name = Walter Francis Herbert Kempster
| birth_date = 18 May 1909
| birth_place = [[Qinhuangdao|Chinwangtao]], [[Hebei|Beizhili]], [[Qing dynasty|China]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1952|6|26|1909|5|18|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[All Stretton]], [[Shropshire]], England
| nickname =
| family =
| batting = Unknown
| bowling =
| role =
| club1 = [[Europeans cricket team|Europeans]]
| year1 = 1929/30
| columns = 1
| column1 = [[First-class cricket|First-class]]
| matches1 = 1
| runs1 = 10
| bat avg1 = 5.00
| 100s/50s1 = –/–
| top score1 = 10
| hidedeliveries = true
| catches/stumpings1 = 1/–
| date = 24 December
| year = 2023
| source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/walter-kempster-30255 Cricinfo
}}

'''Walter Francis Herbert Kempster''' {{postnominal|DSO|OBE}} (18 May 1909 – 26 June 1952) was an English first-class [[cricket]]er and an officer in the [[British Army]].

==Life and military career==
Kempster was born in China at [[Qinhuangdao|Chinwangtao]] in May 1909. He was educated in England at [[Cheltenham College]],<ref name="BOOK">{{cite book|title=Register, 1919-1951, Additions and Corrections, 1841-1919|date=1953|page=85|publisher=[[Cheltenham College]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5lu2NRky5woC|language=en}}</ref> where he played for and captained the college [[cricket]] team.<ref name="OBIT">{{cite web|url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/228425.html|title=Wisden - Obituaries in 1952|publisher=[[ESPNcricinfo]]|accessdate=24 December 2023}}</ref> From there, he progressed to the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst|Royal Military College at Sandhurst]],<ref name="BOOK"/> from where he graduated into the [[King's Shropshire Light Infantry]] (KSLI) as a [[Second lieutenant#United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries|second lieutenant]] in January 1929.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33462|date=1 February 1929|page=772}}</ref> Shortly after gaining his commission, Kempster served in the [[North-West Frontier Province]] of [[British India]], where the [[Afridi Redshirt Rebellion, Indian North West Frontier 1930–1931|Afridi Redshirt Rebellion]] was taking place. For his service there, he gained a medal and clasp.<ref name="BOOK"/> While serving in India, he made a single appearance in [[first-class cricket]] for the [[Europeans cricket team]] against the [[Muslims cricket team|Muslims]] at [[Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore#Cricket ground|Lahore]] in the 1929–30 [[Lahore Tournament]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/13/13824/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Walter Kempster|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=24 December 2023|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed [[duck (cricket)|without scoring]] by [[Mohammad Nissar]], while in their second innings he was dismissed for 10 runs by [[Jahangir Khan (cricketer)|Jahangir Khan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Scorecards/13/13359.html|title=Europeans v Muslims, Lahore Tournament 1929/30|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=24 December 2023|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Kempster was also well known in army cricket, having represented the [[British Army cricket team]] several times. ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack|Wisden]]'' described him as a "sound and attractive [[batting (cricket)|batsman]]".<ref name="OBIT"/>

In the KSLI, he was promoted to [[Lieutenant (British Army and Royal Marines)|lieutenant]] in January 1932.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=33795|date=2 February 1932|page=707}}</ref> Kempster was seconded to the [[Royal West African Frontier Force|Sierra Leone Battalion]] in April 1937,<ref>{{cite book|title=Blue Book|date=1937|page=114|publisher=[[United States Government Publishing Office]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p04VAQAAMAAJ|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34389|date=16 April 1937|page=2467}}</ref> an appointment which last until 1938.<ref name="BOOK"/> It was while seconded that he was promoted to [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] in December 1937.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34489|date=4 March 1938|page=1425}}</ref> By December 1938, he had returned to the KSLI and was made an [[Adjutant#UK and other Commonwealth countries|adjutant]] in December 1938.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=34587|date=6 January 1939|page=126}}</ref> Kempster served in the [[Second World War]] with distinction. He was [[mentioned in dispatches]] in March 1945 for gallant and distinguished service in the [[North-West Europe campaign of 1944–45|North-West Europe campaign]], at which point he held the temporary rank of [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|brigadier]];<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=36994|date=20 March 1945|page=1560|supp=y}}</ref> he was further recognised for his service during the campaign by being made an [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] in the same month and a Companion of the [[Distinguished Service Order]] in August 1945.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37004|date=27 March 1945|page=1704|supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37235|date=21 August 1945|page=4263|supp=y}}</ref>

Following the end of the war, Kempster was promoted to [[Major (United Kingdom)|major]] in January 1946.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=37451|date=29 January 1946|page=755|supp=y}}</ref> He was later given the [[Military rank#Types of rank|war substantive]] rank of [[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant colonel]], prior to his promotion to [[Colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] in December 1950.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=39137|date=30 January 1951|page=593|supp=y}}</ref> He was specially employed in January 1951, and was given the temporary rank of [[Major general (United Kingdom)|major general]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=39168|date=9 March 1951|page=1285|supp=y}}</ref> In December 1951, he was promoted to [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|brigadier]],<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=39409|date=14 December 1951|page=6575|supp=y}}</ref> prior to his death in June 1952 at [[All Stretton|All Stretton, Shropshire]].<ref name="BOOK"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{cricinfo|id=30255}}
*[https://generals.dk/general/Kempster/Walter_Francis_Herbert/Great_Britain.html Generals of World War II]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kempster, Walter}}
[[Category:1909 births]]
[[Category:1952 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Qinhuangdao]]
[[Category:People educated at Cheltenham College]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:King's Shropshire Light Infantry officers]]
[[Category:English cricketers]]
[[Category:Europeans cricketers]]
[[Category:Royal West African Frontier Force officers]]
[[Category:British Army brigadiers of World War II]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:British Army brigadiers]]

Walter Kempster - Revision history

TonjaGerow46: Drafted a entry more to come...