Glamorgan County Cricket Club is proud to be linking with The Royal British Legion and supporting its `Thank You` movement, with the Welsh county’s Vitality Blast match against Surrey at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on Friday, August 17th being the Club’s designated ‘Thank You’ match as the Welsh county pays tribute to its players who were killed during the War besides remembering those – both military and civilian - who played their part on the home front.
The ‘Thank You’ movement was launched by The Royal British Legion on August 3rd to honour not only the 1.1 million British and Commonwealth Armed Forces who lost their lives in the First World War, but also those who returned to build a better life for the benefit of future generations. Amongst the other high-profile organizations to already be supporting the movement are the English National Ballet, Diwali in the Square, Highclere Castle, GCHQ, Cadbury, Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer, the Coventry Building Society, the Rugby Football Union, and Ancestry UK.
Glamorgan have chosen the match on Friday August 17th to be their designated ‘Thank You’ match as Surrey were the Welsh county’s last opponents in the Minor County Championship before the outbreak of War in 1914. In that game 104 summers ago, Glamorgan met Surrey 2nd XI on 3rd and 4th August 1914 at Cardiff Arms Park – a contest which the Welsh county duly won by 81 runs.
Norman Riches who led Glamorgan in the match against Surrey 2nd XI, served as an Army medic during the War, before returning home and proudly leading the Welsh county in their inaugural County Championship fixture in 1921, again at the Arms Park, against Sussex. In contrast, all-rounder James Maxwell, who took three wickets in the victory over Surrey 2nd XI saw active service in the Middle East with the Royal Garrison Artillery. However, whilst serving in Palestine, James was shot in the arm and leg, forcing him to return home. His wounds healed but he was unable to play professional cricket again.
Charles Byrne, Director General of The Royal British Legion, said: “We all have a connection to the First World War, for me it is Private Ross Ryan, my grandfather, and we all have a reason to say ‘Thank You’ to this special generation. Whether your personal ‘Thank You’ is an event dedicated to those who made a difference in your community, a visit to a place of significance, or a simple tweet, there’s no limit to the ways people can take part. We are making a plea to every single person across the UK to get involved and take a moment in this very significant year to say ‘Thank You’.”
For further information and to find out how you can get involved in the ‘Thank You’ movement, please visit http://www.rbl.org.uk/thankyou