Victor Sergent

March 17th 1924

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Victor Sergent, whose death we recently reported, was a double international, playing for France at both cricket (1906-7) and association football (five times between 1907-13).

 

The Championship-winning Stad Raphaëlois XI of 1912

The Sergent brothers together with Lindsay (Pug) Wallace (who married their sister, Deta) played in the team that won the French Championship of 1912 – see above: Victor (standing, 2nd left), Noel (kneeling, left), Lindsay Wallace (kneeling, centre) and Dick (sitting, 2nd right).

‘The Draconian’ of August 1912 recorded their success thus:

The Stad Raphaëlois, the team that won the Championship of France at Association Football, contained 4 ODs. Victor Sergent (captain and full back), Noel Sergent (right half), Dick Sergent (inside left) and Lindsay Wallace (centre half). All four played in the final and the semi-final, winning the final after two hours play by 2-1 against the Association Sportive Française. Apropos of this, soon after the final, Victor Sergent was elected a conseiller municipal of St Raphaël at the head of the poll…

Les Sergents de Saint-Raphaël, Le Matin le 29 avril 1912 (Victor, Noel, Dick and Lindsay Wallace)

On receiving the news of his death, the Town Council of St Raphaël decided to honour Victor’s memory by changing the name of their football field and calling it ‘Stade Victor Sergent’.

 

March 11th 1924

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Victor Sergent (1886-1923)

Rather belatedly (for which apologies),  we announce the sad news that Victor died on December 28th 1923.

Victor, who was at the OPS (1894-1900), was one of three brothers (with Noel and Dick) and a sister (Deta), all of whom joined the school from their family home in France. On leaving the OPS Victor went on to Winchester as a Scholar, where he shone both academically and as an athlete.

On leaving Winchester, Victor opted to finish his education in France, rather than go up to Oxford.

GC Vassall, our editor, writes in the up-coming edition of ‘The Draconian’:

He went first to the Lycée Saint Louis in Paris, and afterwards to the École de la Rue Violet, where he studied engineering… he also played soccer for the Racing Club de France, and was in the side which won the French Cup. At this time he played for France on many occasions…

Sgt VLB Sergent (ASC)

Victor was in England when war broke out. He joined up with the MT in England and was at Bury St. Edmunds for a time, with the rank of sergeant [making him Sergeant Sergent!]. Later, in France, he was riding a motor-bicycle between two lorries carrying munitions, when his fork broke for reasons unknown, and he was knocked unconscious. When he woke up, he was lying in hospital with a hole in his knee.

Following a period of convalescence in England, he was sent out to Basrah in Mesopotamia, where he gained his commission. He was one of the famous expedition to the Caspian Sea through Persia, being in charge of a certain number of Ford cars, all of which completed the double journey.

After the war, Victor spent time working as a travelling agent for Agricultural and General Engineers in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. Returning home to France, Victor recently started a motor transport service with his brother Dick. They had made a good start and it had been going for about eight months when Victor developed broncho-pneumonia, from which he died after a short illness, aged 37.

Much more can be said of Victor, particularly as a footballer, but this must be for another day…