Harry Altham

Harry Surtees Altham CBE DSO MC (30 November 1888 – 11 March 1965) was an English first-class cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. He was born in Camberley in November 1888. Shortly after completing his education in 1908, Altham played first-class cricket for Surrey, prior to his matriculation to Trinity College, Oxford. There, he played first-class cricket for Oxford University Cricket Club from 1909 to 1912, gaining two blues.

After graduating from Oxford, he became a schoolmaster at Winchester College, where he would be employed for over 30 years. Altham served with distinction in the First World War with the King's Royal Rifle Corps, being awarded both the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Order. Following the war, he played county cricket for Hampshire, and after retiring from playing he became a noted administrator and historian.

As a historian, he is best known for publishing four editions of A History of Cricket between 1926 and 1962. In an administrative capacity, he held the presidencies of both Hampshire and the Marylebone Cricket Club, in addition to being a Test selector for the England cricket team in 1954. Altham died from a heart attack two-hours after addressing a cricket society in Sheffield on 11 March 1965. Wisden posthumously described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket".