Charles Burgess Fry
1872 - 1956

Charles Burgess Fry was an extraordinary Englishman.

He was born in West Croydon in 1872 and went to Oxford achieving first-class marks in Latin and Greek. He was a social star, having friends in the British cabinet and was an accomplished writer, journalist and sportsman.

He made his debut as an England cricketer, opening against Australia with WG Grace, going on to score six first-class centuries in successive innings, a record still unique in cricketing history.

He also played football for England and in an FA Cup Final for Southampton. He equalled the world record in the long jump.

He met Hilter in 1934 and, if all that sounds improbable, he was also invited to become king of Albania!

His life's work for 42 years, Fry became the director of the Mercury Training School on the River Hamble and ran the establsihment with his wife Beatrice.

His life though was not without many controversies which are well documented in an excellent biography by Iain Wilton.

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