Harold Grocott (9 March 1876 – 11 February 1960) was a New Zealand lawn bowls player who competed for his country at the

1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...

Early life and family

Born in England, in the London district of St Pancras, on 9 March 1876, Grocott was the son of Joseph Henry Grocott and Hannah Dryden. He was baptised at

Holy Trinity Church, Marylebone Holy Trinity Church, in Marylebone, Westminster, London, is a Grade I listed former Anglican church, built in 1828 and designed by John Soane. In 1818 Parliament passed an act setting aside one million pounds to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon. ...

on 4 June 1876. In 1877, the family emigrated to New Zealand, where Joseph and Hannah were married the same year. Harold's younger brother,

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

, was born in

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in 1880, and soon after, they moved to

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. On 4 March 1901, Harold Grocott married Elizabeth Bazley at First Church, Dunedin. The couple went on to have one son—Eric Harold Grocott, who was appointed a

Companion of the Queen's Service Order The Queen's Service Order, established by royal warrant of Queen Elizabeth II on 13 March 1975, is used to recognise "valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the pu ...

for community service in the

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—and one daughter.

Professional career

By 1902, Grocott was in charge of Wilkinson and Sons' branch chemist shop in George Street, Dunedin, and was living above the shop. Two years later, he had his own chemist's shop in Roxburgh, building a large new house and shop in Scotland Street, and he took on Sydney Smith, who would go on to become a renowned forensic scientist and pathologist, as an apprentice. Grocott sold the business in 1907. After a short period in

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...

where he owned a pharmacy, Grocott later moved to

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, purchasing

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's pharmacy business and optometry practice in 1911. Manning went on to serve as mayor of Hamilton from 1912 to 1915. In 1920, Grocott travelled to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where he passed the examinations set by the

Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, UK. The company was founded by a Royal Charter of Charles I in 1629 AD; it was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1809. The company was e ...

, gaining him Fellowship in Optometry of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers (FSMC). He was also admitted to the Freedom of the City of London by redemption, in the Company of Spectacle Makers, and was appointed as a Fellow of the British Institute of Opticians. Grocott retired to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

in the early 1930s.

Lawn bowls

A member of the Carlton Bowling Club in Auckland, Grocott was selected to represent New Zealand in the men's fours at the

in London, alongside two other bowlers from Carlton, namely

George Pollard George Pollard may refer to: *George Pollard (bowls) (1874–1963), New Zealand lawn bowls player * George Pollard (painter) (1920–2008), American portrait painter *George Pollard (politician) (1864–1937), British physician and politician *Geor ...

, and George Carter (skip), and

Billy Dillicar William Wood Dillicar (21 June 1881 – 28 July 1962) was a New Zealand lawn bowls player who competed for his country at the 1934 British Empire Games. Early life and family Born on 21 June 1881, Dillicar was the son of Richard and Mary Ann D ...

from Hamilton's Whitiora Bowling Club. At the Games, they won four of their nine round-robin matches to finish in fifth place.

Other activities

Grocott was an active

Rotarian Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

in Hamilton. He attended the Rotary International Convention in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

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, in 1926, where he was appointed as a member of the elections committee for the convention.

Death

Grocott died in Auckland on 11 February 1960, and he was buried at Purewa Cemetery. He had been predeceased by his wife, Elizabeth, in 1946.

References

External links

Photograph of Harold Grocott and other members of the New Zealand lawn bowls team at the 1934 British Empire Games in London, ''Northern Advocate'', 14 September 1934, p. 10
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grocott, Harold 1876 births 1960 deaths People from St Pancras, London Sportspeople from the London Borough of Camden English emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand pharmacists Optometrists New Zealand male bowls players Bowls players at the 1934 British Empire Games New Zealand businesspeople Burials at Purewa Cemetery Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand people