Francis Hugh Mugliston OBE (7 June 1886 – 3 October 1932) was an English cricketer.^[1] A right-handed batsman and right-arm slow-medium bowler, he played first-class cricket for various teams between 1905 and 1911, mainly for Cambridge University.^[2] He was an all-round sportsman at Cambridge University where he won Blues for cricket, Association football and golf.^[3]

Career

Born 7 June 1886 in Singapore, Mugliston was educated at Rossall School and at Pembroke College, Cambridge.^[3] He was captain of the Cambridge football team and also played soccer for Corinthian F.C., the amateur club, including a tour of South Africa with the team in 1907.^[3]

Mugliston's first recorded cricket match was for the Straits Settlements against the Federated Malay States in February 1905.^[4] The same year, he made his first-class debut, playing for Cambridge University against Warwickshire and Gloucestershire,^[5] also playing three matches for the Lancashire Second XI that year.^[4]

He played twice more for Cambridge University in 1906, also playing two County Championship matches for Lancashire against Somerset and Sussex that year. He played several first-class matches for the university side in 1907 and 1908, gaining his blue in both years.^[5] He also represented the university at golf and football.^[6]

He played his final five matches for Lancashire in 1908, following which he played first-class cricket sporadically between 1909 and 1911, including one match for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).^[5]

After cricket

After leaving Cambridge, he studied law and was called as a barrister to the Inner Temple in 1911; instead of practising law, however, he joined the Sudan civil service, though he was soon invalided home after catching dysentery.^[3] He joined the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in September 1914 and was severely wounded at Ypres the following year.^[3] Discharged from the army, he joined the Aliens branch of the Home Office and was deputy chief inspector of the Aliens department at the time of his death.^[3] He died 3 October 1932 in Mayfair, London. Francis Mugliston was indeed severely injured at Hooge (Ypres) on 27/28 June 1915. He was rescued by Private Jones (6 / DCLI), my Great Uncle. Under heavy rifle and shell fire Private Jones rescued two men who had been completely buried. He then proceeded to dress a severely wounded officer (Lieutenant Mugliston), carrying him (still under heavy fire) to a dressing station two miles away. For these acts of ‘conspicuous gallantry’ Private Jones was awarded the DCM - the first in Kitchener's New Army. A picture confirming this was published in the Daily Mirror. He was Gazetted on 6 September 1915. As an act of gratitude Lieutenant Mugliston presented my Great Uncle with a silver cigarette case inscribed with my Great Uncle's initials and ‘ From F.H.Mugliston , Hooge 1915 ‘ . Private Jones was transferred into the Machine Gun Corps and subsequently listed as ‘ Missing presumed K.I.A ‘.

His body was never found and he is recorded on the Thiepval Monument, Pier and Face 5C and 12C.

References