William O'Brien Lindsay

Sir William O'Brien Lindsay KBE (8 October 1909 – 20 October 1975) was the Chief Justice of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan from 1950 or 1954 to 1955, during the period when it was administered as an Anglo-Egyptian condominium. He served in the Sudan Political Service from 1932 to 1955, and later establishing a law firm in Nairobi, Kenya. Lindsay was a talented sportsman as a youth, playing first-class cricket for Oxford University, Scotland and Kent County Cricket Club.

Sir William Lindsay KBE
Chief Justice of the Sudan
In office 1954–1955
Preceded by	R. C. Stanley-Baker
Succeeded by	Mohamed Ahmed Abu Rannat
Personal details
Born	8 October 1909 Canterbury, Kent, England
Died	20 October 1975 (aged 66) Nairobi, Kenya

Early life and family

Lindsay was born in Canterbury, Kent, to Elsie Catherine Harriet (née Riddiford) and Michael Egan Lindsay. His parents were both New Zealanders by birth, with his mother being the daughter of Edward Joshua Riddiford and granddaughter of Henry Bunny, both prominent landowners there.[1] However, the couple's four children were all born in the United Kingdom – their father had served with the 1st New Zealand Contingent during the Second Boer War, then transferring to the British Army as an officer with the 7th Dragoon Guards and the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry in World War I. He became a Deputy Lieutenant of Fife.[2]

Sporting career

Cricket information
Batting	Right-handed
Role	Wicket-keeper
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1929–1932	Oxford University
1929	Scotland
1931	Kent
Career statistics
Competition First-class Matches 17 Runs scored 531 Batting average 19.66 100s/50s 0/1 Top score 63 Balls bowled 24 Wickets 0 Bowling average – 5 wickets in innings – 10 wickets in match – Best bowling – Catches/stumpings 10/2
Source: ESPNCricinfo, 15 August 2019

Like his older brothers, Lindsay was educated at Harrow School. He played for the school cricket team for three years, captaining it in 1928, his final year, when he averaged 55 runs per innings.[3][4] also representing a combined Public Schools side.[5] He went on to Balliol College, Oxford, and began playing for the Oxford University Cricket Club, making his first-class debut in June 1929, against Gloucestershire. A wicket-keeper and right-handed top-order batsman,[6] Lindsay went on to play three more first-class games during the 1929 season – two for Oxford (against the Free Foresters and Lancashire), and one for Scotland, his father's place of residence.[7] His sole appearance for Scotland came against the touring South African team, which was completed within two days as Scotland lost by an innings.[8]

Lindsay played only once at first-class level during the 1930 season, but the following year made five first-class appearances for Oxford, including in the annual University Match against Cambridge University (played at Lord's).[7] He also made two County Championship appearances for Kent, against Warwickshire and Middlesex within the space of five days. He kept wicket and opened the batting (with Colin Fairservice) against Warwickshire,[9] but Les Ames, the county's usual wicket-keeper, returned against Middlesex, with Lindsay playing solely as a batsman.[10][11] In 1932, Lindsay played in another five first-class fixtures for the university, and against Lancashire scored 63 runs, his first and only half-century.[12] His season included matches against two touring international teams, the Indians and the South Americans, with his game against the South American composite side being his final first-class match.[7]

Professional career and later life

In 1932, Lindsay joined the Sudan Political Service, which administered Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.[13] During the Second World War, he was twice given an emergency commission as a second lieutenant in the Sudan Defence Force.[14][15] Towards the war's end, in 1944, Lindsay transferred to the legal department of the civil service. He was appointed to the country's judiciary, as chief justice in 1950 according to one source[16] and 1954 according to another source.[13] He served until 1955, as one of the last British chief justices before the country was given independence in 1956 (Republic of the Sudan). Upon leaving office, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1955 Birthday Honours.[17] After retiring, Lindsay opened a law firm in Nairobi, Kenya, where he lived until his death in 1975 (aged 66).[4] He had married three times – firstly in 1937, to Sevilla Glass Hooper; secondly in 1962, to Elizabeth Doreen Sturman; and thirdly in 1975 (three months before his death), to Michaela Denis (the widow and partner of filmmaker Armand Denis).[1][18]

References

1. "Sir William O'Brien 'Wob' Lindsay" – Clan MacFarlane and associated clans genealogy. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
2. Michael Egan Lindsay – Online Cenotaph, Auckland Museum. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
3. Lindsey, Sir William O'Brien KBE, Obituaries in 1975, Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1976. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
4. William Lindsay, CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 August 2015. (subscription required)
5. Miscellaneous matches played by William Lindsay, CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 August 2015. (subscription required)
6. Jeater D (2020) County Cricket: Sundry Extras (second edition), p.102. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 23 December 2020.)
7. First-class matches played by William Lindsay, CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 August 2015. (subscription required)
8. Scotland v South Africans, South Africa in British Isles 1929, CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 August 2015. (subscription required)
9. Warwickshire v Kent, County Championship 1931, CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 August 2015. (subscription required)
10. Kent v Middlesex, County Championship 1931, CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 August 2015. (subscription required)
11. Carlaw D (2020) Kent County Cricketers A to Z. Part Two: 1919–1939, pp.113–114. (Available online at the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians. Retrieved 23 December 2020.)
12. Oxford University v Lancashire, University Match 1932, CricketArchive. Retrieved 13 August 2015. (subscription required)
13. Bell, Sir Gawain (1983). Shadows on the Sand: The Memoirs of Sir Gawain Bell. C. Hurst & Co. p. 85. ISBN 0905838920.
14. "No. 35890". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 February 1943. p. 643.
15. "No. 36711". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 September 1944. p. 4374.
16. Sudan Almanac. Khartoum, Sudan: Public Relations Office, Sudan Government, Khartoum, Sudan. 1951. p. 48.
17. "No. 40497". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 June 1955. p. 3278.
18. (12 May 2003). Michaela Denis – The Telegraph Obituaries. Retrieved 13 August 2015.

External links

• William O'Brien Lindsay at ESPNcricinfo