Edwin William "Slip" Carr (9 June 1899 – 3 July 1971) was a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player who represented

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, an Australian 100 and 200-metre sprinter, and Olympic team member at the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

Early life

Born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, he attended

Sydney Grammar School (Praise be to God) , established = , type = Independent, day school , gender = Boys , religious_affiliation = None , slogan = , headmaster = R. B. Malpass , founder = Laurence Hynes Halloran , chairman = ...

. Carr absconded four times to enlist in the armed forces, WWI, eventually travelling to the middle east where he contracted malaria and was repatriated. He was a captain in eastern command in WWII and bitterly resented not being permitted to join the 'men at the front'.

Rugby union career

Carr, a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

, claimed a total of 4 international rugby caps for Australia.

Athletic career

Known for his speed Carr was nicknamed 'Slippery', shortened to 'Slip'. He was selected to represent Australia in the 100 and 200 metre events at the 1924 Olympic games, and was chosen to be the country's first flag bearer. As an active rugby player, he sustained two broken ankles which he carried to his representative duties at these Olympics. Subsequently, he determined to remain in Europe and pursued the best sprinters for ninety nine wins from one hundred and two starts. He returned to Australia after winning the Duke of Edinburgh's Cup which was awarded to him by the then Prince of Wales. Carr died in Ryde, New South Wales, Australia on 3 July 1971. In the 1924 Olympics, Carr ran 10.7 in his semi final finishing fourth and not qualifying for the final comprising the first three from each heat, the other heat being considerably slower. His semi-final time would have won Carr a minor medal in the final.

Notable relatives

Carr's eldest brother

Ernest Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic languages, Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman ...

played rugby for Australia,C Manly Biographical
/ref> his other brother Leo played representative tennis for N.S.W. and was a Captain engineer in the RAN who developed patented mechanical devices to the drive advantage of Australian naval vessels, being awarded the OBE. His son

Edwin Carr Edwin Carr may refer to: * Edwin Carr (composer) Edwin James Nairn Carr (10 August 1926 – 27 March 2003) was a composer of classical music from New Zealand. Biography Edwin Carr was born in Auckland and was educated at Otago Boys' High S ...

competed at the

1952 Helsinki Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

as well as at the Commonwealth Games. Edwin became a surgeon who gave his time to the Australian army medical corps with repeating tours to Vietnam.

References

External links

Sydney Morning Herald, 13 March 1924
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Slip 1899 births 1971 deaths Australian rugby union players Australia international rugby union players Australian male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes of Australia People educated at Sydney Grammar School Rugby union players from Sydney Rugby union wings