David Gay

Major David William Maurice Gay MC (2 April 1920 – 10 July 2010) was a decorated British Army officer, English cricketer, and later an educator. Gay served with distinction in World War II, earning the Military Cross during the course of the war. Following the war, he played first-class cricket, before embarking on a career as a teacher, which eventually led him to New Zealand, where he lived out the remainder of his life.

Early life and war service Born in Kensington, London on 2 April 1920, he was the son of Stuart Eddington Gay of Rye, Sussex, and Margaret Muriel Kennedy. He was educated at Shrewsbury School, where he excelled at sports, including cricket, which he played for the school.

After leaving Shrewsbury School, Gay joined the Merchant Navy as an ordinary seaman in December 1938. Two months after joining, the ship he was on caught fire near the Pitcairn Islands and took three days to be extinguished. He served with the Queen's Bays in the North African Campaign, and took command of Troop B Squadron in August 1942. He fought in all the major battles of the campaign, from both Battles of El Alamein, in which he was wounded,

He continued the war in Italy, on one occasion he was carrying out a night-time reconnaissance on foot with the Gurkhas to establish a point for crossing the River Marano. During this mission, he was mistaken for a German soldier by one of the Gurkhas, who silently crept up behind him with his kukri poised to strike Gay. The Gurkha placed his hands on Gay's shoulders, felt his pips he was wearing and realised his mistake before he could strike.

Post-war Following the end of the war, Gay continued in military service with the Queen's Bays. In 1947, he was promoted to the rank of Captain. Having been a talented sportsman before the war, Gay featured in first-class cricket, being selected in 1949 to play for the Combined Services against the touring New Zealanders at the Garrison Ground 2. Gay was dismissed for a duck in the Combined Services first-innings by Ces Burke, while in the New Zealanders first-innings he bowled 31 overs of his right-arm medium pace, though without taking a wicket. He made a second first-class appearance for the Combined Services in the same season against Hampshire at the United Services Recreation Ground, Portsmouth. He again made a duck in the Combined Services first-innings, falling to the bowling of Clifford Walker. He claimed two wickets in Hampshire's first-innings, those of David Blake and Reginald Dare, finishing the innings with figures of 2/61 from 23 overs, while in their second-innings he took figures of 4/57 from 15 overs. In that same season, he played two first-class matches for Sussex in the County Championship against Glamorgan at The Saffrons, Eastbourne, and Surrey at the County Ground, Hove. Following retirement from the army, he embarked on a career in teaching. He taught at Chafyn Grove School in Salisbury, Wiltshire, for seven years. He then moved to New Zealand, where he taught for 24 years at the Southwell Preparatory School in Hamilton. Gay and Innes had two children, Susan, born 1953, and Richard, born 1954. Gay survived Innes, who died on 30 March 1998 at Cambridge, Waikato. Gay died at Hamilton, Waikato, on 10 July 2010. His obituary featured in The Daily Telegraph on 2 August 2010.