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Hector Jelf

1917 – 1997

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About Hector Jelf

Lived 1917 – 1997 (aged 80). Hector Jelf was a British cricketer and civil servant.

Hector Gordon Jelf (6 May 1917 – 11 December 1997) was an English first-class cricketer and British colonial official in Africa.

The son of Sir Arthur Selbourne Jelf, he was born at Putney in May 1917. He was educated at Marlborough College, before going up to Exeter College, Oxford. While studying at Oxford, he played first-class cricket for Oxford University in 1938, making two appearances against Yorkshire and a combined Minor Counties team. Playing as a wicket-keeper, he scored 48 runs, took five catches and made a single stumping.

After graduating from Oxford, he served in the Colonial Service in British West Africa. In the Second World War he was an emergency commission as a second lieutenant in the African Colonial Force in the first month of the war. Jelf resumed his duties in the Colonial Service after the war, holding a number of positions within the Nigerian colonial government, eventually rising to become the permanent secretary to the ministry of education from 1959–64. Jelf died in England at St Leonards-on-Sea in December 1997.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Exeter College, Marlborough College
Awards
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Also known as
Hector Gordon Jelf

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Hector Jelf's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Hector Jelf?

(1917-1997)

When was Hector Jelf born?

Hector Jelf was born on 6 May 1917 in Putney.

When did Hector Jelf die?

Hector Jelf died on 11 December 1997 in St Leonards.

What was Hector Jelf's occupation?

Hector Jelf was a cricketer and civil servant.

What nationality was Hector Jelf?

Hector Jelf was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Hector Jelf

· Wikidata: Q94581055

· DBpedia: Hector Jelf

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Hector Jelf. https://biography.guide/hector-jelf/

MLA: "Hector Jelf." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/hector-jelf/.

Chicago: "Hector Jelf." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/hector-jelf/.

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