John Hulton

John Meredith Hulton CBE DSO (8 January 1882 – 13 July 1942) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer.

The son of Campbell Arthur Grey Hulton, he was born in January 1882 at Whalley Range, Lancashire and was educated at Charterhouse School.[1] After completing his education, Hulton chose a career in the military. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Fusiliers in September 1900.[2] He immediately served in the Second Boer War, during which he was promoted to lieutenant in May 1901.[3] Following the war Hulton transferred to the Royal Sussex Regiment in July 1903; because he was transferring from a militia battalion, he entered the Royal Sussex Regiment as a second lieutenant.[4] Having returned to England, Hulton played three first-class cricket matches for the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1903 and 1905, playing against London County in 1903, and in 1905 Kent and Leicestershire.[5] His three matches yielded him 127 runs, with a highest score of 65 against Kent at Lord's.[6][7]

He gained promotion to lieutenant in September 1906,[8] before gaining the temporary rank of captain while seconded as an adjutant in the Territorial Force in November 1912.[9] Hulton served with the Royal Sussex Regiment in the First World War. In the first year of the conflict he gained the full rank of captain in November 1914.[10] He later served in the Gallipoli campaign, seeing action during the Landing at Suvla Bay in August 1915 and the subsequent Battle of Scimitar Hill on 21 August with the 1/4 Royal Sussex Regiment, where he testified to confusion in the midst of the battle and the retreating wounded soldiers of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.[11] By July 1916, he was seconded to headquarters as a brigade-major,[12] but had returned to the Royal Sussex Regiment by January 1917, when he was promoted to major.[13] Two months later he was appointed to the general staff,[14] with secondment to the Welch Regiment following later in 1917. He was appointed to the temporary rank of lieutenant colonel in September 1917 while commanding a battalion,[15] but relinquished the rank in November 1917 upon him ceasing to be in command of a battalion.[16] His relinquishment was shortlived, as the following month he was reinserted into the temporary rank while once again commanding a battalion.[17] Hulton was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in the 1918 Birthday Honours for valuable services rendered in connection with military operations in Egypt,[18] in addition to being decorated by Egypt with the Order of the Nile, 3rd Class.[19]

Shortly after being wounded at the Battle of Beersheba, Hulton volunteered for General Alfred Knox's mission to Eastern Russia during the Russian Civil War. There he commanded a training school on Russky Island and fought against General Radola Gajda's coup attempt in November 1919. For his services during the Russian Civil War he was made a CBE and was additionally decorated in August 1921 by the Empire of Japan with the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class.[20] He was made a brevet lieutenant colonel in January 1923 and transferred to the Tank Corps in July 1923.[21][22] Hulton transferred to the Tank Corps in July 1923.[23] He was the chief instructor at the Royal Corps Central Schools at Bovington Camp from 1931 to 1935.[24] He retired from active service in May 1935, at which point he held the rank of colonel[25][26] Hulton died at Poole in July 1942.[24]His brother, Campbell Blethyn Hulton, was also a first-class cricketer.