Catalogue for the auction of
Cricket, Football & Sporting Memorabilia

Rony Stanyforth After University chose to join the Army. With the Great War just weeks away and given the life expectancy of young officers Stanyforth was fortunate to survive the conflict. He was wounded in 1915, mentioned in dispatches in 1917 and awarded the Military Cross. Remaining with the Army as peace returned Stanyforth found himself in Ireland during the period of martial law imposed in 1919 and 1920. After that the by now Captain Stanyforth did take up a more congenial position, that of equerry to the Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V. His background in the military and with the royal family doubtless afforded Stanyforth increased opportunities to play the game and he was involved also with the MCC. Through the early 1920’s he played for both the Army and the MCC and in the winter of 1926/27 he was able to leave his military duties to tour South America with a strong MCC side led by ‘Plum’ Warner, then 53. He was then invited to tour with M.C.C. to South Africa. The first choice as captain was F.S. Jackson, but he had a nervous breakdown and withdrew. So Stanyforth captained M.C.C. on the tour to South Africa in 1927/28 and led England in four Tests, an unusual appointment since, at that time, he had never played in a first class cricket match, most of his matches being military ones