| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Geoffrey Acworth Rimbault | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 17 April 1908 Streatham, Surrey, England | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 20 October 1991(1991-10-20) (aged 83) Bovey Tracey, Devon, England | ||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||
| 1934/35 | Europeans | ||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Source:ESPNcricinfo,25 April 2019 | |||||||||||||||
Geoffrey Acworth RimbaultCBE DSO MC DL (17 April 1908 – 20 October 1991) was anEnglish first-class cricketer andBritish Army officer. Starting his military career as anon-commissioned officer, he was latercommissioned in June 1928. He spent the majority of his military career with theLoyal Regiment (North Lancashire), serving in theSecond World War during which he was awarded theDistinguished Service Order. He retired from active service in 1961, but served as the Loyal Regiment's finalregimental colonel until 1970. During his military career he playedfirst-class cricket inBritish India for theEuropeans cricket team, as well as appearing in England for theBritish Army cricket team. In later life, he served as a deputy lieutenant of Surrey.
The son of Arthur Henry Rimbault, he was born atStreatham and educated atDulwich College.[1] From Dulwich he served as anon-commissioned officer in theTerritorial Army with the cavalry squadron in both theInns of Court Regiment and the12th London Regiment (The Rangers).[1] He became acommissioned officer when he was made asecond lieutenant in The Rangers in June 1928.[2] He transferred to theLoyal Regiment (North Lancashire) in February 1930.[3] with promotion to the rank oflieutenant coming in February 1933.[1] While serving inBritish India, Rimbault made his debut infirst-class cricket for theEuropeans against theHindus atBombay in the1934–35 Bombay Quadrangular.[4] He was appointed as a staff captain to British Troops inPalestine andTransjordan in September 1936,[5] and was awarded theMilitary Cross in November of the same year.[6] Returning to England, he was appointed as an instructor at theSmall Arms School atHythe, Kent in May 1938.[7] He made a second appearance in first-class cricket in the same year, appearing for theBritish Army cricket team againstCambridge University atFenner's.[4] He was promoted to rank ofcaptain in August 1938.[8]
Rimbault served with the Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire) during theSecond World War, seeing action inNorth Africa,Anzio,Italy andPalestine.[1] He held several commands during the course of the war, including as commanding officer of the 1st Battalion The Loyal Regiment.[1] He was awarded theDistinguished Service Order in the1945 Birthday Honours for gallant and distinguished service during the Italian campaign.[9] He was promoted to the rank ofmajor after the war in July 1946.[10] He was made abrevetlieutenant colonel in July 1951,[11] with him obtaining the full rank in August 1952.[12] He was made aCBE in the1954 Birthday Honours.[13] He was promoted to the rank ofcolonel in December 1954,[14] with promotion to the rank ofbrigadier coming in June 1958.[15] In February in 1959, he was made the regimental colonel of the Loyal Regiment, a ceremonial position he would hold until 1970.[16]
He retired from active in July 1961, at which point he was placed on theReserve of Officers list.[17] He joined theMercers' Company in 1961, the same year in which he took up the position of director of theArmy Sport Control Board.[1] He exceeded the age for recall in April 1966, upon which he was removed from the list.[18] He relinquished his ceremonial position asregimental colonel of the Loyal Regiment in March 1970,[19] at which point the regiment was amalgamated withThe Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) to form theQueen's Lancashire Regiment. In the same year he was made adeputy lieutenant of Surrey.[20] He was amaster of the Mercers' Company in 1970–71, and relinquished his position as director of the Army Sport Control Board in 1973. He was a life vice-president ofSurrey County Cricket Club and served as its president in 1982–83.[1] He died atBovey Tracey in October 1991, at the age of 83.