Francis Gould (cricketer)

Francis Hunt Gould (16 October 1881 – 6 June 1915) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.

The son of a British Army captain, he was born at Ross-on-Wye in October 1881. He was educated at Repton School.[1] After completing his education, he enlisted in the British Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 3rd (Militia) battalion of the Hampshire Regiment in March 1900;[2] both his parents were from Andover in Hampshire.[1] He was promoted to lieutenant in June 1902, and transferred to a posting with the regular army in the Middlesex Regiment in January 1903, at which point he returned to the rank of second lieutenant.[3][4] He was re-promoted to lieutenant in December 1905.[5] Gould later served with the regiment in British India, where he played club cricket for the Ballygunge district of Calcutta.[1] He made a single appearance in first-class cricket while in India for the Europeans cricket team against the Hindus at Poona in the 1913/14 Bombay Presidency Match.[6] Batting twice in the match, he was dismissed for 4 runs by Palwankar Baloo in the Europeans first innings, while in their second innings he was unbeaten on 27.[7]

Seven months after his promotion to captain in January 1914 the First World War began.[8] He returned home with the Middlesex Regiment, which was immediately sent to the front in France. Gould was killed on 6 June 1915 in an accident at Armentières. He is buried at the Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery.[1]