great find for old cricket fans

[Ken Gargett]

i’ve had an old notebook from my grandfather sitting around for a few years (he died in the 60’s so not sure where it was between then and now). he started it at two different ends. at one end, is cricket scores. he would listen to the radio and score, as though he was at the ground. ball by ball. tho not sure how he has the ‘35 series in south africa? it runs from then to early 60's though lots are skipped.

fascinating stuff.

he was always sports mad. from mum’s side, played lots of sports and had an almost full set of wisden when he died. dad never forgave my grandmother as she boxed them up and gave them to charity with the clothes etc.

in south africa in '35 (no bradman), interesting to see how dominant mccabe was then and also in england in '38. and an attack of fleetwood-smith, grimmet and o’reilly not bad.

the '38 series in england interesting too. bill brown features – he was a good mate of dad’s. they played together (end of brown’s career, start of dad’s but were friends for life. bill brown would always go to the shield games and would have a chat with anyone - really lovely old gentleman - and he used dad’s golf cart/buggy till they both pegged it). the poms had some batsmen in 38 – hutton, edrich, compton, hammond, paynter. i guess we had bradman so that sort of evens things.

amazing that in the 7-903 that edrich, paynter and compton contributed a total of just 13 runs. and there were 50 sundries????? just listed as sundries so not sure what sort but it can hardly have been a dud pitch if the poms scored 900. and i had not realised that fingleton and bradman didn’t bat in either innings in that game. both injured.

anyway, thought you some of you guys might be interested.

from the other end of the notebook, he wrote a diary of his 3 1/2 years in the trenches in WWI from Gallipoli to france. think i might need a big glass of wine to sit down with that. can’t imagine it will be light reading.

[NJP]

Thanks kenny,Very special things to have. Now you have reminded me to find my grandfathers scrap book from his time boxing and the the war.

[Munts]

So let me get this straight... did you mean.

1. A great find for old fans of cricket; or
   
2. A great find for fans of cricket which is old; or
   
3. A great find for multiple old apparatus that creates a current of air for cooling or ventilation designed for cricket; or
   
4. A great find for multiple apparatus that creates a current of air for cooling or ventilation designed somehow for old cricket.
   

[Ken Gargett]

Thanks kenny,Very special things to have. Now you have reminded me to find my grandfathers scrap book from his time boxing and the the war.

funny you mention boxing - that was another of his great faves. i don't have many memories of him as i was so young but i do remember him sitting by the radio scoring a boxing match. can't have been easy doing it purely on commentary but i gather he was never too far out.

[CaptainQuintero]

I love finding old things like that, I came across my Grandmother's ration book for food and tobacco from the second world war last year, I showed it her (She's still kick around at 94) and she remembers the bombs falling and houses nearby being flattened, queuing up for cuts of horse meat around the block, 1 egg a week per person etc etc, it's funny my Auntie who is in her 60's can still remember the crater that were 20 feet across still being there in Sheffield in the 70's. Sometimes I still come across the of burnt out building from that time that has been missed and fallen forgotten behind newer buildings.

It would be really interesting if you shared the diary from WW1, maybe a weekly supplement on here? I understand if you wanted to keep it private though, I always wanted to talk to my grandad who died a couple of years ago who was in Burma in the second world war but he really wouldn't mention it apart from the odd comment like birds stealing his diner in the jungle, never anything in detail which is kind of sad, in a lot of ways. It's wonderful that your Grandad recorded his experiences though, even if it ends up being hard reading.

[Ken Gargett]

could end up being terribly dull!

it is amazing what is out there but i suspect that so much gets lost.

quite a few years back, i was up in port moresby with he law firm i was with at the time. they asked if i'd like to see the start of the kokoda track. i had always thought that i was way up in the highlands but actually started on the edge of moresby itself. shows how close australia came to japanese occupation as that was the next step.

the start is marked by the cemetery that australia stil maintains.

i was keen to see it as i was named after my dad's uncle who was killed on the track. the family always assumed his body had been lost in the jungles as never told different yet there in the cemetery was his grave.

took back photos to the family - dad, uncles, aunts. incredibly emotional for them.

will post after i have read some of it.

[CaptainQuintero]

I'll be looking forward to it!

[mazolaman]

Yep, another interested party here.

I think the throwing away of the Wisdens is grounds for divorce!

Most of the people from the wars who I've met, including recently in the former Yugoslavia, were trying too hard to forget it, rather than recount it..which is fair enough. I guess a diary is a good way to get it out.

[Danston]

Interesting stuff Ken, The wisdens would have been a great read

[Ken Gargett]

Yep, another interested party here.

I think the throwing away of the Wisdens is grounds for divorce!

Most of the people from the wars who I've met, including recently in the former Yugoslavia, were trying too hard to forget it, rather than recount it..which is fair enough. I guess a diary is a good way to get it out.

only reason she tossed them was because my grandfather had passed on. don't think she would have dared, or even thought of it otherwise.

but if it happened today, i'd say divorce would be the nicest outcome.

[mazolaman]

from the other end of the notebook, he wrote a diary of his 3 1/2 years in the trenches in WWI from Gallipoli to france. think i might need a big glass of wine to sit down with that. can’t imagine it will be light reading.

I thought this may be of interest to you, and other Aussies.

We've just been to visit Ypres.

A very sobering experience, with a visit to Tyne Cot, 11000 British and Commonwealth troops' graves from WW1.

Men from NZ, Canada, Australia, West Indies, India, Newfoundland...

Anyway, there is also a cemetary dedicated to the Australian 5th, who retook the mound at the http://en.wikipedia....of_Polygon_Wood.

Here is the monument to the Australian dead.

It's very moving to visit these cemetaries, even for a cynical old git like me. To see the numbers of Australians and New Zealanders who died here, a long way from home, along with many other nations who had come here only to die.

There are approx 11000 buried here, and the names of approx 36000 missing inscribed on the back wall, mainly British, but also Irish, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, West Indian, Indian.

[Ken Gargett]

fantastic stuff.

actually over at mum's as power out with the floods and asked her and Ypres was one of the places her father fought.

i remember how extraordinary the port moresby cemetry was.