by Abhishek Mukherjee

1915. Europe had been ripped apart by The Great War. The obituaries section of Wisden 1915 swelled to an unprecedented 77 pages.

Harry, the eldest of the three cricket-playing Lees of Marylebone, had signed up.

Now Harry Lee was a peculiar character. He had already done the unthinkable by actually *asking for* his Middlesex cap. Plum Warner, perhaps too confused to protest, had obliged.

But that was not remotely close to the most bizarre thing Harry Lee did in his life.

The Battle of Aubers Ridge commenced on May 9, 1915. The Germans had prepared themselves well in advance after Neuve Chapelle. While Britain struck the initial blows, they lost about 11,000 men, including Somerset cricketer Cecil Banes-Walker.

The 13th Battalion took a major hit, losing 499 of their 550 men. Lee was presumed dead. His parents held his memorial service soon afterwards.

In reality, he was lying near-unconscious for three days in no-man’s land, a bullet having fractured his left femur. The first stages of gangrene had set in. The Germans eventually found him and sent him to Valenciennes in a cattle train.

What was the train like? Every single compartment (barring the OFFICERS ONLY one) was closed. Wounded soldiers were crammed inside. A single bucket was provided as a communal toilet. Lee lay on a sack of straw in excruciating pain before they transferred him to a French Red Cross train at Lille. There was no food. Several died during the journey.

Six weeks later he was handed over to the German Red Cross at Hannover. This time the train journey was on wooden bench with just a blanket under him. His leg was put on an iron case. No food was provided on the first day.

Lee decided to risk complications and acquire permission to return home soon afterwards. Once back, he was discharged on December 4. He was honoured with the Silver War Badge, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal.

Unfortunately, the leg never healed. One of his legs stayed permanently shorter than the other. Surely he would not play cricket?

Wrong. He scored a hundred for Army Service Corps against Lancing College in the next year. In 1917 he was playing full-fledged cricket.

Lee's friend Frank Tarrant had found employment in India. The Tarrants insisted Lee joined them in Calcutta.

But Lee had lost his mother, and had to look after his younger brothers, Jack and Frank (we will return to them in a bit).

When he was finally ready, he was supposed to take the Nyanza to Bombay. Instead, he boarded the Nagoya (a last-moment decision) that sailed directly to Calcutta. About 32 km after it set sail from Plymouth, the Nyanza was torpedoed, resulting in the death of 49.

Lee survived a second time. No, actually a third, for the Nagoya, too, was part of a convoy that was attacked en route, which resulted in the sinking of another ship.

Having cheated death thrice, Lee made the most of what was left of his cricket career. He played till almost 43, scored over 20,000 First-Class runs, and got 401 wickets. All this was mostly for Middlesex, for whom he played a crucial role in their famous title triumph of 1920.

By the end-1920s he became a much sought-after coach in South Africa, where he spent his winter. When England toured South Africa in 1930-31, a string of injuries forced the tourists to summon him as an emergency.

Lee did well in the tour matches, and with England trailing 0-1 after 3 Tests, he finally got a Test cap. He scored 18 and 1 and was dropped for good. Two seasons ago, another debutant had scored 18 and 1 and was dropped, but he did make a reasonably successful comeback. In fact, he ended up averaging 99.94.

But given that this was Lee, something unusual had to follow. MCC received a complaint from the Grahamstown College. To attend national duties, Lee had broken a clause in his coaching contract.

MCC could not expunge his record, but Lee did not get to keep his Test cap or blazer. Scant consolation came when Jack Hobbs gave him a tour tie.

Even then, playing Test cricket over 15 years after one's memorial was no mean achievement.

Harry Lee was born on October 26, 1890. He lived till ninety.

Remember the bit about the three brothers? Jack and Frank Lee both played for Somerset, and had reasonable careers.

On June 15, 1933, Harry was caught by Frank off Jack at Lord's