The Men

The Men

Sunday 19 January 2014

* Captain Charles Stewart Marchant

Charles Stewart Marchant was born on 21st June 1895 and he attended The High School from 1911 to 1913.  He was killed in action on 4th June 1917.  He was a keen cricketer and the Marchant Cup, for highest batting average, is named in his honour.


Note taken from 'The Erasmian' June 1917 p50
' Charles Stewart Marchant (1911-13), 2nd Lieut., Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was killed in action near Wytschaete on June 4th. He was struck in the 'heart by a fragment of a shell and was killed instantaneously. He was the elder son of Mr. T. F. Marchant, of Greenmount Road, Terenure, and was one of the best athletes that the school has turned out. He played for the first eleven for three years, and was a left-handed batsman with a beautiful style. In his last year, in which we reached the schools final against St. Columba's, he had the top average of 1764, and played for Leinster in the Inter-provincial. Since leaving he has played for Clontarf. He was also on the first fifteen for three years, and was a very good wing three-quarters. He joined the South Irish Horse at the outbreak of the war, and owing to his good shooting (thanks to the Rifle Club) he was one of the first to be sent to France. He proved a first-rate soldier. He was for a long time unwilling to take a Commission, but eventually did so in the Royal Dublin's at the end of last year. At the time of his death he was acting as Intelligence Officer to his battalion, and had been recommended for a permanent Commission. His younger brother Stanley is at Sandhurst.'

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'Charles Stewart Marchant was born on 21 June 1895 to Thomas and Kathleen Marchant of 16
Castlewood Park, Rathmines, a couple of hundred yards from Leinster Cricket Club. Stewart played for High School and in 1914 joined Clontarf – and before his 19th birthday was opening the batting for the first team. In what would be his only season, he played in 14 games, scoring 237 runs at an average of 19.75 with a top score of 49. Stewart joined the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. He was killed in action on 4th June 1917, aged 21, and was buried in Loker Churchyard in Flanders.

The Marchant Cup was presented to the Leinster Cricket Union at their Annual General Meeting held in the Engineer’s Hall, Dawson Street in January 1922. John Aston of Clontarf presented the trophy on behalf of the Marchant family to the Union. Aston had proposed young Stewart Marchant as a member to the club. In a touching speech he spoke about the loss of a young man who had shown not just bravery in his military life but also of the loss of a talented sportsman.

The trophy was then presented by His Honour Judge Green, a vice president of the Union, to Bob Lambert for his amazing 1921 season when he had an incredible average of 217, aged 46 (he started the season with eight “not outs” and made 664 runs before he was out). It was also stipulated that should the Union ever be dissolved the Cup will be returned to the Marchant family.'

Source:http://www.cricketleinster.ie/news/the-men-behind-the-trophies

He is buried at LOKER Churchyard (West Vlaanderen Belgium) See here: http://www.inmemories.com/Cemeteries/loker.htm

However, Clontarf’s association with the Marchant Cup is an extremely close one, in that the person the trophy honours was, in fact, a Clontarf member and player. The trophy was presented to the Leinster Cricket Union in 1922 by Thomas Frederick Marchant in memory of his son, who had been killed in World War 1.
Charles Stewart Marchant, (known as Stewart) was born on 21 June 1895 to Thomas and Kathleen Marchant of 16 Castlewood Park, Rathmines, only a stone’s throw away from Leinster Cricket Club. Stewart joined Clontarf CC in 1914 and before his 19th birthday was opening the batting for the first team. He did so with some success too, in his first and what would be only season, he played in 14 games, scoring 237 runs at an average of 19.75 with a top score of 49. Between 1914 and 1918, there was to be no cricket and like many young men, Stewart joined the Royal Dublin Fussilers. Sadly, he was killed in action on 4th June 1917 and was buried in Belgium.
Source: http://clontarfcchistory.blogspot.ie/2013/01/the-marchant-cup-and-clontarf.html

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