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There is something magical about blue plaques. They are portals into the past and you never know which personality, invention or event you are going to stumble upon next.
The other day, while walking around my home town of Cirencester, I spotted a plaque on the wall of the local school. As always, I strolled over to have a closer look. The name Walter Reginald Hammond looked familiar but I wasn't sure why. When I read the next line I got excited. I love cricket and to see that a world renowned player and captain of England went to school nearby was very cool. I had to know more.
That evening, back at home with a cup of coffee and my laptop, I began a fascinating research journey. Not only did I dig deeper into the life of one of the greatest cricketers of all time, but I discovered some fascinating South African links along the way.
Cirencester School and Blue Plaque (The Heritage Portal)
The more articles and statistics I digested, the more I realised that I had stumbled upon a legend of the game. Walter Hammond scored 50,493 runs between 1920 and 1951, with 167 centuries and an average of 56.10. In Tests he scored 7,249 runs (22 centuries) at 58.45. His Test average places him among the elite batsmen in cricket history. To put this in perspective, only a handful of players who have played significant numbers of Tests have bettered that figure. Jacques Kallis, arguably South Africa's greatest batsman, averaged a very impressive 55.37 during his Test career.
Hammond's 336 not out against New Zealand was the highest individual score in Test cricket for five years. He dominated county cricket too, topping the first-class tables for what would be the first of eight successive seasons. His prowess wasn't limited to batting either - he was a useful medium-pace bowler and one of the finest slip fielders the game has seen, taking over 800 catches in his first-class career.
Wally Hammond in full swing (Wikipedia)
South African readers may recognise his name as he played a starring role in the famous Timeless Test of 1939 in Durban (140 runs in the second innings), a match that stretched over ten days and was only declared a draw because the England team had to catch their ship home.
For many years, Hammond held the record for most Test centuries by an England batsman, a mark that stood until the recent generation of Joe Root, Alastair Cook, and Kevin Pietersen surpassed it.
Wally Hammond (Wikipedia)
What really captured my attention in Hammond's story was the South African connection. I was reading his Wikipedia page and noticed that he passed away in Kloof. I had stayed in Kloof while on rugby tour when I was at school and had visited several times while living on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast in later years. Again, I had to know more.
It appears as though it was love that led him to move to South Africa. Several sources mention that he had likely met his second wife, Sybil Ness-Harvey, during England's tour of South Africa in 1938-39. After the war, they had attempted to live in England, but it appears as though Sybil was unhappy and wanted to return home. The couple moved to Natal and he found work with Denham Motors, working for local businessman Norman Marshall for several years. Hammond and Sybil started a family in South Africa - their son Roger was born in 1948, followed by daughters Carolyn and Valerie in 1950 and 1952 respectively.
In February 1960, Hammond was involved in a serious car accident while driving from his home in Hillcrest to Pietermaritzburg. On an unfamiliar stretch of road, he swerved to avoid a cyclist, lost control, and his car rolled down an embankment. The accident coincided with Denhams Motors closing. Post recovery (which took close to a year), Hammond found work in sports administration at the University of Natal with a special focus on cricket, of course.
Some of those who knew him in South Africa remarked on his reluctance to discuss his cricketing achievements. Even Hammond's children knew little of their father's sporting greatness. Perhaps he was grappling with how to define himself beyond his sporting achievements or maybe he was just humble and had moved onto the next chapter not wanting to live in the past. While on a very different level, I can identify with this. I remember stumbling across some of my dad's old photographs when I was a teenager. There were several shots of him playing rugby against English and British Lions legends but he had never mentioned this to me despite me being obsessed with the game. Just another element that has pulled me into Hammond's life.
The story takes a touching turn in the months before his death. I found myself tearing up as I read about it. In 1965, the England cricket team was touring South Africa. Word reached the squad that the great Wally Hammond was living nearby in Natal. They invited him to visit their dressing room, where the former captain shared a few stories with a new generation of England cricketers. Some had even been inspired to play the game after watching Hammond in action.
Hammond suffered a heart attack and passed away in Kloof in July 1965. His funeral was attended by several cricketers including former South African Test captains Dudley Nourse and Allan Melville.
The anecdotes in this article are only a fragment of Hammond's story. I'm still blown away that a simple walk around town and a moment's curiosity led me down such a deep rabbit hole to a story that spans continents and decades. For me, having lived in both places, there is an additional layer of resonance to his story.
Next time you pass a blue plaque, stop and read it. You never know whose story might be waiting to unfold.
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