James Herbert Ferrier Dryden (8 July 1907 – 29 October 1974) was a New Zealand

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

who won a silver medal at the

1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 ye ...

Early life

Born in

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

, England, on 8 July 1907, Dryden was the son of Margery Dryden (née Waddell) and Herbert Dryden. The family emigrated to New Zealand on the SS ''Westmeath'' in 1913, landing in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, and settling in

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

Wrestling

Dryden won the New Zealand amateur wrestling championship in the heavyweight division in 1937. He was then selected to represent his country at the

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, where he won the silver medal in the men's heavyweight (100 kg) category. In 1938 and 1939, Dryden successfully defended his heavyweight title at the national amateur championships. Dryden later contested a number of professional wrestling bouts, particularly in 1942 and 1943, including against

Lofty Blomfield Meynell Strathmore Blomfield (18 July 1908 – 29 June 1971) was a New Zealand professional wrestler, known by his ringname Lofty Blomfield, who was arguably the country's most popular wrestler during the 1930s and 40s. He competed primarily for ...

and

Ken Kenneth Kenneth Arthur Schischka (11 June 1912 – 16 October 1994), better known by his ring name Ken Kenneth, was a New Zealand professional wrestler. Championships and accomplishments * Dominion Wrestling Union **NWA Australasian Heavyweight Champi ...

Family and death

On 6 February 1929, Dryden married Lilian Anne Osborne at Carterton. In 1940, Dryden married Lynda Evelyn Phelps in

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

. Their son,

Alistair Dryden Alistair Garth Dryden (born 18 December 1942) is a former New Zealand rower. Dryden was born in 1942 in Auckland, New Zealand. The wrestler Jim Dryden (1907–1974) was his father. He received his education at King's College. At the 1962 Bri ...

, represented New Zealand twice at Olympic Games in rowing. Their grandson,

Murdoch Dryden Murdoch Dryden is a New Zealand rower. Dryden is the son of New Zealand Olympic rower Alistair Dryden and grandson of New Zealand amateur wrestling champion and Empire Games silver medallist Jim Dryden. At the 1995 World Rowing Championships in ...

, was also a representative rower. Dryden's third marriage was to Mary Alison Weedin in

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 1974. He died in Auckland on 29 October 1974, and was buried at Purewa Cemetery, Auckland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dryden, James 1907 births 1974 deaths Commonwealth Games silver medallists for New Zealand Wrestlers at the 1938 British Empire Games New Zealand male sport wrestlers Commonwealth Games medallists in wrestling New Zealand male professional wrestlers Burials at Purewa Cemetery Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games