Wilfred Bannerman

Wilfred Elles Bannerman[lower-alpha 1] (8 September 1888 – 8 February 1944) was a New Zealand cricketer. He played in three first-class cricket matches for Otago between the 1911/12 and 1914/15 seasons.[1]

Wilfred Bannerman
Personal information
Full name
Wilfred Elles Bannerman[lower-alpha 1]
Born(1888-09-08)8 September 1888
Ophir, New Zealand
Died8 February 1944(1944-02-08) (aged 55)
Martinborough, New Zealand
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
RelationsHugh Bannerman (brother)
Ronald Bannerman (brother)
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1911/12–1914/15Otago
FC debut23 December 1911 Otago v Canterbury
Last FC17 February 1915 Otago v Southland
Career statistics
Competition First-class
Matches 3
Runs scored 24
Batting average 6.00
100s/50s 0/0
Top score 9
Balls bowled 204
Wickets 4
Bowling average 32.50
5 wickets in innings 0
10 wickets in match 0
Best bowling 3/75
Catches/stumpings 3/–
Source: Cricinfo, 1 January 2022

Early life

Bannerman was born at Ophir in Central Otago in 1888, the second son of William and Agnes Bannerman. His father worked for the Bank of New Zealand and Bannerman worked as a bank clerk.[2][3] He had two brothers, the journalist Hugh Bannerman and the lawyer Ronald Bannerman; all three of the brothers attended Otago Boys' High School in Dunedin.[4][5]

Cricket

Bannerman played club cricket for Carisbrook Cricket Club[6][7] and for the Bank of New Zealand,[8][9] and made his Plunket Shield debut for Otago in December 1911 in a match against Canterbury. He played in two more first-class matches for Otago, one against Canterbury in December 1912 and the last against Southland in February 1915, as well as playing in at least two non first-class matches for the side.[10]

War service

By the time Bannerman played his final first-class match World War I had broken out and, shortly after his final match for Otago, he joined the New Zealand Army. He passed his medical in April 1915[11] and was posted to the Otago Infantry Regiment.[4] He was promoted to lance-corporal and later in the year embarked for Egypt where he served until he was declared unfit for active service on account of flat feet and varicose veins in his left foot―conditions which had been noted when he attested but which had been exacerbated by his service. He was sent back to New Zealand, arriving in 1917, and was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.[2]

Family and later life

Both of Bannerman's brothers also served during World War I. His younger brother Ronald joined in 1916, serving in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force where he became a flying ace and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar. During World War II he rejoined the Royal New Zealand Air Force, reaching the rank of Air Commodore.[12] His old brother Hugh attested in 1917 and served as a lieutenant in 7 battalion, Otago Regiment. He was killed in action on the Ypres Salient shortly after arriving in Belgium in December 1917.[13][14]

Bannerman died at Martinborough near Wellington in 1944. He was aged 55.[1]

Notes
  1. Bannerman's middle name is spelled Elles according to his army records, where it has been corrected to be spelled this way on occasions. A number of sources spell it Ellis.

References
  1. Wilfred Bannerman, CricInfo. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  2. BANNERMAN, Wilfrid Elles - WW1 8/2839 - Army, Army Record, New Zealand Archives. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  3. Otago and Southland men expected to Port Chalmers today, Otago Daily Times, 14 May 1917, p. 3. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  4. Wilfred Elles Bannerman, Online Cenotaph, Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  5. McCarron T (2010) New Zealand Cricketers 1863/64–2010, p. 15. Cardiff: The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. (Available online. Retrieved 8 June 2022.)
  6. Local grade cricket: Carisbrook A v Carisbrook B, The Evening Star (Dunedin), 14 March 1910, p. 1. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  7. Grange v Carisbrook A, The Evening Star (Dunedin), 20 March 1911, p. 4. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  8. Cricket, Clutha Leader, 13 March 1908, p. 5.
  9. Cricket, Evening Star (Dunedin), 21 March 1908, p. 6. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  10. Wilfred Bannerman, CricketArchive. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  11. Otago's quota, Evening Star (Dunedin), 28 April 1915, p. 6. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  12. Ronald Bannerman, Online Cenotaph, Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  13. James William Hugh Bannerman, Online Cenotaph, Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  14. McCrery N (2015) Final Wicket: Test and first class cricketers killed in the Great War. Barnsley: Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1473864191
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