George Quinlan Roberts (23 February 1860 – 6 September 1943) was a Tasmanian-born
rower
Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...
who won events at
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...
in the 1880s. He later served as chief secretary of
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. It is one of the institutions that compose the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foun ...
in London from 1903 to 1928.
Early life and rowing
Roberts was born in
Tasmania
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, the eldest son of George Valentine Roberts(1835-1909)of
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
and his wife Elizabeth Benn (1841-1917). Elizabeth’s father, John Benn (97th Reg. Of Foot)was a military pensioner who came out to Tasmania in 1850 as a guard on a Convict ship,’Eliza’ with his wife and daughter. He was given 5 acres of land at Oatlands, Tasmania in return for 12 days service to the government each year. John Benn died of pulmonary consumption in 1855 and his daughter, Elizabeth came under the guardianship of Constable Michael Quinlan, as his adopted daughter. His father was a member of the Board of Education. George Valentine Roberts was a teacher at Oatlands and later became head teacher at the Queen’s Orphan School at St. John’s New Town, Hobart and later headmaster of Trinity Hill School and the Battery Point Model School before retiring in 1898 to grow fruit in Lenah Valley, Hobart. Roberts went to England where he entered
Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...
in 1879 at the age of 19. At Oxford, he rowed for his college and was a member of the
coxless four
A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain.
The crew consists of four rowers, each having one oar. There are two rowers on th ...
which won the
Stewards' Challenge Cup
The Stewards' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless fours at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two or more clubs may combine t ...
at Henley in 1881 and 1882. He was a member of the winning
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
crew in the
1883 Boat Race. With several of his Hertford friends, Roberts then rowed for
Twickenham Rowing Club
Twickenham Rowing Club was founded on 26 July 1860 so is jointly with Thames Rowing Club the third oldest rowing club on the Thames. The club is on Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, south-west London. Its boat code is TWK.
Club colours
The club col ...
. In 1883 for Twickenham he partnered
D E Brown to win the
Silver Goblets
The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing club
A rowing club ...
at Henley beating
James Hastie and H B Tween in the final.
Hospital administration
![Royal London Hospital from Whitechapel Road](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8e/Royal_London_Hospital_from_Whitechapel_Road.jpg)
After Oxford, Roberts went into hospital administration. In 1892 he was appointed house-governor of
London Hospital
The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and Tower Hamlets and spe ...
and over the years trained the rowing crews of the London Hospital. By 1903, he was secretary at
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. It is one of the institutions that compose the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foun ...
. He was appointed a Commander of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
in the
1919 New Year Honours
The 1919 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Jan ...
for his efforts during the First World War.
In 1920, he published a brief history of St Thomas' Hospital. Roberts belonged to the
Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers
The Worshipful Company of Pattenmakers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Pattenmakers, who were incorporated by Royal Charter in 1670, were makers of wooden-soled overshoes. Pattens in previous times were helpful to p ...
and was appointed master in 1926.
Family and later life
Roberts married Mary Waters at
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable as ...
in 1891. They had two sons, one of whom was killed in the First World War.
He retired in 1928. He was widowed in 1935 and died in Oxford in 1943.
See also
*
List of Oxford University Boat Race crews
This is a list of the Oxford University crews who have competed in The Boat Race since its inception in 1829. A coxswain or oarsman earns their rowing Blue by rowing in the Boat Race.
Rowers are listed left to right in boat position from bo ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, George Quinlan
1860 births
1943 deaths
Australian male rowers
Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Oxford University Boat Club rowers
Sportspeople from Hobart