Lieutenant (A)
Peter Thorp Eckersley
MP
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Born
| 2 July 1904
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Died
| 13 August 1940 (aged 36)
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Resting place
| Tyldesley Cemetery
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Alma mater
| Trinity College, Cambridge
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Known for
| Cricket
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Spouse
| Audrey E. J. Eckersley
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In office
14 November 1935 ? 13 August 1940
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Preceded by
| Edward Fielden
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Succeeded by
| Thomas Hewlett
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Peter Thorp Eckersley
(2 July 1904 ? 13 August 1940)
[1]
was the captain of
Lancashire County Cricket Club
from 1929 to 1935, who retired for a career as a
Conservative Party
politician.
Early life
[
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]
Eckersley was born on 2 July 1904 to William Eckersley
CBE
and Eva Mary Eclersley (nee Thorp) at
Lowton
in the north west of England. For his education he attended
Rugby School
, where he played for the first XI in
cricket
.
[2]
Cricket career
[
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]
Lancashire
[
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]
He began playing cricket at Leigh Cricket Club before joining
Lancashire County Cricket Club
in 1923. Eckersley went up to
Trinity College Cambridge
but made his debut for Lancashire against his
university
on 9 May 1923. Over the course of his
first-class cricket
career he made 5,629 runs (his record score being 102), scoring 25 fifties, took 141 catches and took seven
wickets
for 348 runs conceded. His final first-class match took place on 31 August 1938 when he appeared for an England XI against a touring Australian team.
[2]
Exhibition matches and tours
[
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]
Eckersley was selected for the
Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) 1926/27 tour to
India
and
Ceylon
. He played 26 matches on the tour before returning to club cricket with Lancashire in April 1927. He also appeared for The Gentlemen against The Players, against Jamaica for
L.H. Tennyson
's XI and toured South America with Sir J. Cahn's XI.
[2]
Post-playing career
[
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]
Business
[
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]
He worked in
Stockport
as a director at a coach building company called G.W. Smith and Co.
[2]
Politics
[
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]
Having unsuccessfully fought
Leigh
in
1931
, he was elected at the
1935 general election
as
Member of Parliament
(MP) for
Manchester Exchange
.
[3]
Aviation
[
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]
He and his wife, Audrey E. J. Eckersley, were the
Lancashire Aero Club
members. He regularly flew himself to cricket matches, becoming known as the 'Flying Cricketer'.
[2]
Second World War
[
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]
Eckersley joined the Fleet Air Arm and was based at HMS Raven where he was in training.
[2]
He died on 13 August 1940 in a flying accident near
Eastleigh
,
Hampshire
[4]
[5]
becoming the fourth MP to be killed in
World War II
. A stained glass window to his memory is in
Chowbent Unitarian Chapel
in
Atherton
.
[6]
He is buried at Tyldesley Cemetery in the care of the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
.
[5]
References
[
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]
External links
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]