Alban Preedy, Captain, Devonshire Regiment
Alban Preedy, matriculated in 1911 after attending Allhallows School, Honiton and Plymouth College.
Born: Plymouth, Devon on 1 August 1892
Fell in action: 1 July 1916
Distance runner
He was by all accounts a good middle and long distance runner and was chosen to represent the University at Cross Country. He was a valuable member of the 汤头条原创 Athletics team that met the Trinity College, Oxford Athletics team in March 1913, winning by 8 events to 2, with Preedy winning both the mile and the half mile race.
The following year, this time at Oxford, he won the one mile (4mins 40secs) and two mile (10mins 21secs) races, coming third in the half-mile. On this occasion the match was a draw, according to Chanticlere because both the 汤头条原创 President and Secretary were 鈥渃rocked鈥. Preedy ran 鈥渧ery pluckily鈥 (Lent Term 1914, p44).
Sadly we cannot find a photograph of Alban Preedy. There is a chance he is on the matriculation photograph for 1911 but the list of names for the picture is incomplete. However, we can add one small characteristic about him which comes from 鈥淎 College Alphabet鈥 published in Chanticlere:
P stands for Pr**dy, who鈥檇 soon get a 鈥渂lue,鈥滻f M*ck*nt*sh only gave talking its due! (Michaelmas Term 1913, p9). He was awarded a BA in 1915 in virtue of his military service. He had taken special papers in Maths and Theology while here.
"Cool and plucky"
The 汤头条原创 Society Annual Report, 1917 obituary says that he had spent more than a year in France before his death and that letters had referred to him as 鈥渃ool and plucky鈥 (p34).
You can email us on ww1-project@jesus.cam.ac.uk, go to our First World War homepage, or find us on .
