John Boothby

Major-General John George Boothby (22 June 1824 – 27 April 1876) was a British Army officer and an English first-class cricketer.

The son of The Reverend Brooke Boothby, he was born in June 1824 at Southwell, Nottinghamshire. He was educated at Charterhouse School,^[1] after which he attended the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He graduated from there as a second lieutenant into the Royal Artillery in June 1844,^[2] with promotion to first lieutenant following in April 1846.^[3] Shortly before the commencement of the Crimean War, he was promoted to second captain in August 1852.^[4] Boothby served in the conflict and saw action at the battles of Alma and Balaclava, and the Siege of Sevastopol.^[5] He was twice promoted during the war, being made a brevet major in December 1854,^[6] and promoted to captain in September 1855.^[7] For his contribution to the war, Boothby was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour by France and was decorated with the Order of the Medjidie, 5th Class by the Ottoman Empire.^[8][9]

Boothby played first-class cricket in England for the Marylebone Cricket Club in 1858 and 1859, making two appearances against Cambridge University at Cambridge and Kent at Maidstone.^[10] scoring 10 runs with a highest score of 5.^[11] As his military career progressed, Boothby became a brevet lieutenant colonel in March 1862,^[12] before gaining the full rank in August 1866.^[13] Having completed five years as a lieutenant colonel in September 1871, he was made a colonel in the Army under the provisions of the Royal Warrant.^[14] Boothby retired from active service on full pay in July 1875, at which point he was granted the honorary rank of major-general.^[15] He died in April 1876 at Charlton, Kent.^[5]