CB Fry

This is the first post on cricketers who I believe were intresting characters. Charles Burgess Fry born in Croydon in 1872 & died in Hampstead in 1956. Fry was a cricketer, politician, diplomat, academic, teacher, writer, editor & a publisher. John Arlott described him with the words " Fry could be autocratic, angry & self willed, he was also magnanimous, extravagant, generous, elegant, brilliant & fun... He was probably the most variously gifted Englishman of any age"

Fry's achievements on the sporting field included representing England at both cricket & football, an FA Cup Final appearance & equalling the then world record for the long jump. He also reputedly turned down the throne of Albania.

Fry was a strong supporter of Adolph Hitler as was another cricketer one Arthur Gilligan who played for Sussex. Fry somewhat naively accepted an invitation to visit Germany in the 1930's, ostensibly to discuss youth education ( he ran a youth training ship with his wife) he met Hitler & other leading Nazis including Rudolph Hess & von Ribbentropp. He remained a supporter of Hitler until well into the Second World War. Subsequently he stood unsuccessful as a Liberal MP. Sir Alec Douglas-Hume who was PPS to Neville Chamberlain met Hitler during the Munich crisis. Hume was the only Prime Minister to have played first class cricket, which he did for Oxford, Middlesex & the MCC with whom he toured Argentina.

Back to Fry his party trick was he claimed was to leap from a stationary position backwards onto a window sill, a feat allegedly he could still perform into his 70's. Another Fry story was again allegedly that he was staying in Brighton & had gone for a walk on the beach in the early morning & suddenly removed all his clothes trotting around stark naked.
His autobiography Life Worth Living was written in 1938 & is by common consent a wonderful read. It was also full of inaccuracies & exaggeration, all in Fry's favour.