Robert Thomas Hanford Leivers (27 December 1914 – 28 August 1964) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

who competed for

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

and in the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

. He was born in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

and died in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

. In 1932 he finished fifth with the British relay team in the 4×200 metre freestyle relay event. He also participated in the 400 metre freestyle competition was eliminated in the first round. Four years later he was a member of the British relay team which finished sixth in the 4×200 metre freestyle relay contest. He also finished sixth in the 1500 metre freestyle event and seventh in the 400 metre freestyle competition. At the

British Empire Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

in 1934 he won a silver medal as part of the English team in the 2×220 yards relay race. In 1938 he won the 1500 yards contest and finished second in the 400 yards event and as member of the English relay team he won his second gold medal. During his athletic years he was famous for his friendly rivalry with fellow Potteries swimmer

Norman Wainwright Norman Wainwright (4 July 1914 – 2 May 2000) was an English freestyle and backstroke swimmer who competed for Great Britain in the 1932 Summer Olympics, in the 1936 Summer Olympics, and in the 1948 Summer Olympics. He was born in Stoke-on ...

; they both trained at

Longton Longton may refer to several places: * Longton, Kansas, United States * Longton, Lancashire, United Kingdom * Longton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom See also * Longtan (disambiguation) * Longtown (disambiguation) Longtown may refer to several plac ...

Swimming Baths, which have now been demolished. Bob lived in

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

where he ran the family business, Leivers Butchers with shops in

Longton, Staffordshire Longton is one of the six towns which amalgamated to form the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910, along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Burslem and Stoke-upon-Trent. History Longton ('long village') was a market town in the parish of S ...

and Meir,

. He married Winifred May Leivers (née Degg) and fathered two children; Patricia Ann McLaughlin (née Leivers) and Robert Thomas Hanford Leivers.

External links

* *
"In the Swim" (1934), British Pathé newsreel of Bob Leivers swimming at Winsford, Cheshire
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leivers, Bob 1914 births 1964 deaths Sportspeople from Nottingham English male freestyle swimmers Olympic swimmers for Great Britain Swimmers at the 1932 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1934 British Empire Games Swimmers at the 1938 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England European Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming English butchers Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games