incomplete, updated by BillJ 96/06/14

Family stories

You may have wandered in here by accident: this is a page of personal info, containing rather boring details of roots and anecdotes, including an entry for an alleged Great-uncle, a cricketer.
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JAMES, William

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WOOLLEY, Frank Edward

Bibliography (I have copies of those asterisked).
He issued two books: 

	*The King of Games; pub by Stanley Paul and Co, undated (ca. 1935/6).
	*Early Memoirs of Frank Woolley (as told to Martha Woolley), 
                       pub by The Cricketer, 1976.
Other relevant biographies appear in:
	*Encyclopedia Britannica (under Cricket) ca. 1963; 
	*Woolley, the Pride of Kent, by Ian Peebles, Pub by The Cricketer and 
                       Hutchinson and Co, 1969. (09 097340 2); 
        *The Cricketing Career (1906-1926) of  Frank Woolley, by F.H. Haigh
                       pub by J. A. Jennings Ltd, Canterbury, 1927;
	*Frank Woolley, by Oliver Warner, pub by Phoenix House Ltd, 1952.; 
	*Who's Who. 129th Annual, Pub by Adam and Charles Black, London. 1977;
	Great Men of Kent, by A.A. Thompson; 
	Good Days, Full-Score, etc. by Neville Cardus; 
	A Sort of Cricketer, by E.W. Swanton; 
	Cricket Scores of Frank E. Woolley, by A.K. Mowll. (I suspect that only 
                     one copy of this work exists, and it is at Lord's.)
Notes by W. James:
As I was the only person in our immediate family to play cricket, my father and aunt (V) spoke to me many times about my relationship to FEW, through my paternal grandmother (Victoria Sarah Anne Woolley). [I have yet to verify their precise relationship.] So over the years I find that I now have several bits of memorabilia, as well as copies of both of his books, and several others of those listed above. My plan is to elaborate this website from time to time with interesting facets of FEW's personal writings, philosophy and experiences. For example, his two books are very different in style, mirroring the changes in human values and in cricket attitudes over the same long period - I will comment on this as soon as I get a chance. Look for the contributions at the end.
Like modern stars in certain sports he seems to have started practicing his sport interminably when very young (six), and turned professional when in his mid-teens (16), and consequently, no doubt like many others at the time, did not complete what today would be considered his school education. Photos of FEW may be found in many books, and seen on the walls of rooms in the stands at the Lawrence ground in Canterbury, which I visited, when I also visited the cricket ground at Tonbridge Wells. FEW seems to have been a tall, imposing and quietly-spoken gentleman whose 91 years spanned incredible changes in urban life. I believe that there is more memorabilia, including a bronze bust at Lord's, which I have yet to visit. I suspect there is some movie footage, but I have not seen any. FEW was a strikingly handsome man, and a stylish player to watch, and enjoyed great popularity over a particularly long career (35 years) as a professional cricketer, and playing at international or Test level. A cricket pavilion and two streets were named in his honour, and a memorial service was conducted at Canterbury Cathedral, though he died in Canada. He is listed in all historical summaries of cricket that I have read.
On the Web, FEW is listed in the Kent County Cricket Club Hall of Fame, and also in the CricInfo profiles; both bookmarks are listed in my links.

I have elaborated the following from Who's Who (1977):
Born in Tonbridge, Kent, 27 May 1887; [died in Halifax, Nova Scotia, October 18, 1978]
4th of 4 sons of Charles William Woolley and Louise Lewis Woolley;
married 1st, Sibyl Fordham (died 1962), Ashford, Kent; two daughters, one son ;
2nd, Martha Wilson Morse, Chester, NS, widow of Major Sydney J. Morse.

Education: in Tonbridge, Kent.

First appointment as Professional, Kent County Cricket Club, 1903;
subsequently played 67 times for England in 32 years;
played in 54 consecutive Test Matches (world record);
scored over 60,000 runs in 1st class cricket,
took over 2,500 wickets,
made 1,007 catches (world record)
and 156 centuries;
scored over 2000 runs and took 100 wickets in 4 successive seasons (world record);
on 8 occasions, scored over a century and took 10 wickets in same match (world record);
in Tasmania, 1912, scored highest-ever (305) in 4 hrs 15 mins not out (unequalled record);
played greatest innings at Lords against Australia (93-95), 1921;
scored 50 runs and took 5 wickets, Gravesend, 1937 (aged 50!);
Captained The Players at Lords for last time, Sept. 1938, then retired.
[Note by WJ: presumably these records still held in the 1977, about 50 years after being set, but may no longer apply.]

Served War of 1914-18, HMS King George V.

Clubs of which he was a member are: 

	(Hon. Life Mem.) MCC; 
	(Hon. Life Mem.) Band of Brothers; 
	Men of Kent; 
	Kent County Cricket; 
	Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.
From his obituary notice in Wisden:
"Frank Edward Woolley, who died aged 91, was beyond doubt one of the finest and most elegant left-handed all-rounders of all time. In a first-class career extending from 1906 to 1938 he hit 58,969 runs - a total exceeded only by Sir Jack Hobbs - including 145 centuries, to average 40.75; he took 2,068 wickets for 19.85 runs each, and he held 1,015 catches, mainly at slip, a record which remains unsurpassed. Even more impressive than the number of runs Woolley amassed was the manner in which he made them. Standing well over six feet, he was a joy to watch. He played an eminently straight bat, employed his long reach to full advantage, and used his feet in a manner nowadays rarely seen".

R.L.Arrowsmith writes:
"Frank Woolley was a slow left-arm bowler with a beautiful action who took over 2,000 wickets and was at one time perhaps the best of his type in the world. He caught during his career far more catches than anyone else, except wicket-keepers, yet it is as a batsman that he is primarily remembered. Few now alive have seen a player who approached him in ease and grace, and his average rate of scoring has been exceeded only by Jessop ("the Croucher") and equalled by Trumper. His philosophy was to dominate the bowler. "When I am batting," he said, "*I* am the attack." "At Tunbridge Wells in 1924, he came in at 29 for two to join George Wood, who was in grevious difficulties with (Maurice) Tate, then at his best. As he passed Wood, he said: "Push a single, Mr. Wood, and leave me to deal with Chubby." The single was duly obtained and Tate's next two balls were driven for four. Great trier though he was, Tate, always demonstrative, flung the ball down, exclaiming, "I can't bowl to this chap."

More notes by W. James:
First of all, I have decided to abstract some homespun philosophy from his writings, rather than further catalog his cricket statistics. Here is some old fashioned advice to young readers, that appealed to me, now in 1996 revealing perhaps more than was intended, about the personal values and zeitgeist of the 49-year old FEW:
One more topic which concerns the budding professional cricketer. I am and have always been a non-smoker, but I have never been a teetotaller. I would no sooner tell a youngster he must never smoke than I would tell him he must never drink, even though I consider smoking more harmful to the wind and the heart of an athlete than I think alcohol in moderation can ever be. But I do most seriously counsel the strictest moderation in both drinking and smoking, with their almost inevitable accompaniment of late hours. Our forefathers' "Early to bed and early to rise", when acted on, did not help doctors to make fortunes. Strictly followed, it will not keep them now in Rolls-Royces. Eat heartily at the right time of whatever you like best, avoiding only pastries, sweets, ices and sticky things of any kind. Beef is bad to beat, especially if backed with good English cheese and bread of farmhouse type.
As a final hint, try to "be British" through and through. You can't do better than try to stick to that prescription. It's a winner every time in the end." [Extracted from The King of Games, 4th Ed. pp 30-31 ]. Why do I get the feeling that in June 1996 John Major would agree, at least till the Europeans stop worrying about British beef and BSE?


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