Sydney Albert 'Syd' Middleton DSO, OBE (24 February 1884 – 2 September 1945) was an Australian Army officer and national representative

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 and rower. He won a gold medal in rugby at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

and competed in

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically atta ...

at the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

. He captained the

Wallabies A wallaby () is a small or middle-sized macropod native to Australia and New Guinea, with introduced populations in New Zealand, Hawaii, the United Kingdom and other countries. They belong to the same taxonomic family as kangaroos and so ...

in a Test series in 1910. As a rower he was twice an Australian national champion and won the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event 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 cl ...

at the

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 1912. He had a distinguished career in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

being awarded the DSO and later an OBE.He was a member of the AIF crew which won at the 1919 Peace Regatta and brought the

King's Cup __NOTOC__ King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to: Sports Football * Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football * King Cup (sometimes named King's Cup), Saudi Arabian men's football nati ...

to Australia.

Rugby

Middleton commenced his rugby career with the

Glebe Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...

Rugby Club—the Sydney suburb of his birth. His first representative appearance was for

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in the interstate series against

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

in 1908 which performance saw him selected for New South Wales against the touring Anglo-Welsh side of 1908. He was in the right place at the right time and was selected in Australia's inaugural national rugby team to tour the northern hemisphere – Dr Paddy Moran's First

. The tour was a long one—36 matches and Middleton would prove to be a reliable member of the party appearing in 31 of the Wallabies matches. He was the second tallest player in the squad which meant he featured in the Australian line-out. But he was also a robust defender at his physical peak and he was selected in every one of the tour's first eighteen games. 1908 Wallaby crop

1908 Olympics

At the time the rugby tournament for the London Olympics game may not have appeared to be of great significance. Australia had already beaten Cornwall, the British county champions early in the tour and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

had all turned down the

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...

's invitation to participate in the Olympic bouts. Neither the tour captain Moran, nor the vice-captain Fred Wood played, so Middleton's club captain

Chris McKivat Christopher Hobart McKivat (alternatively spelled McKivatt, pronounced ; 27 November 1880 − 4 May 1941) was an Australian rugby union and rugby league player – a dual-code rugby international. He represented the Wallabies in over 20 Tests ...

led the Wallabies to an easy 32–3 victory and to Olympic glory, with each Wallaby in that match thereafter an Olympic gold medallist. Syd Middleton made his Test debut on that tour at Rectory Field, Blackheath in the Test against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in January 1909. At the tour's end McKivat would lead fourteen of the Wallabies into the professional ranks with the fledgling

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

code in Sydney, but Middleton was not interested. He stayed loyal to the amateur game and was rewarded in 1910 when he captained New South Wales in matches against the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...

and the New Zealand Māori. That year he captained the Australian national side in three Tests against the

, one of which was won. All told he made 33 national appearances for Australia including four Tests, three as captain.

Rowing

Middleton retired from rugby in 1911 and concentrated on rowing. He had been a member of the

Sydney Rowing Club Sydney Rowing Club is the oldest rowing club in New South Wales, Australia formed in 1870. It has occupied its current site on Port Jackson's Parramatta River at Abbotsford Point since 1874. The club has a focus on its high performance and elite ...

for some time and regularly appeared in the New South Wales state selection eight between 1906 and 1911. He competed the New South Wales men's eights which contested the annual Australian Interstate Regatta in 1906, 1907 and 1910, 1911. Those New South Wales crews were victorious in 1910 and 1911. Aust Olympic VIII 1912

In 1912 he was a member of the Australian men's eight which racing as a

entrant, won the

on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

at the

. The eight then moved to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

for the

, where after beating a Swedish eight in the first round they were beaten by a Great British crew in the second round - the same

Leander Leander is one of the protagonists in the story of Hero and Leander in Greek mythology. Leander may also refer to: People * Leander (given name) * Leander (surname) Places * Leander, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Le ...

eight they'd beaten at Henley a few weeks earlier.

War service

He enlisted in the AIF in 1915 as a 2nd-Lieutenant with B Company, 19th Battalion and embarked from Sydney on board ''HMAT Ceramic'' on 25 June 1915. He served at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

and in

. He was promoted to Major, 17th Battalion in May 1917. He was mentioned in despatches in 1918, was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

in 1919 for bravery in action and in 1920 he was awarded 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 ...

. His recommendation for the DSO recorded: "The battalion owes much of its success to the splendid example set by this very fine type of officer. He was in command of the 17th Bttn. on 14 May 1918 east of Heilly, near Amiens when the enemy made a very determined attack on the front held by the 17th Bttn and the manner in which he handled the situation and quickly restored the line showed great initiative and leadership." Middleton wrote from Gallipoli to the sporting journal The Referee:

AIF Sports Control Board

After the armistice Middleton was integrally involved, as organising secretary of the AIF Sports Control Board in arranging sporting events for the allied troops prior to their demobilisation. Patterson, Scott (2019) ''The Oarsmen'', Hardie Grant Books

Rowing

Middleton took a keen interest in the trials and selection of the overall rowing squad as they began to assemble in February 1919 to train for the 1919 Henley Royal Peace Regatta planned for July 1919 and he took personal responsibility for finding their accommodations, boat fleet and coaching staff. However Middleton had a broader mandate for the Sports Control Board and it wasn't until May 1919 when the rugby carnival had completed, and the boxing and athletics events had concluded that Middleton himself joined the AIF Rowing Section as a competitor. Middleton was in the six seat of the AIF #1 eight by the time of the Marlowe Victory Regatta on 21 June 1919 and then for the Henley Peace Regatta in July 1919 Middleton was again at six, balancing up the power from his old New South Wales King's Cup and Australian Olympic team-mate Henry Hauenstein in the five seat.

The King's Cup

The AIF#1 crew won the cup for eight-oared boats, which was presented by

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

; and, in time, from this, the "''

''" has become the trophy presented to the winning men's eight at the annual

Australian Rowing Championships Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

.Peace Regatta at Guerin-Foster
/ref>

Life post-war

Middleton had met Marion Streatfield, a nurse when at the war's end having commenced his work with the Sports Control Board, he was admitted to the 10th British Red Cross Hospital in Le Treport, France suffering from catarrhal jaundice. They were married in September 1921 in London and lived in Iverna-Gardens, South Kensington. They had one son John Peter who served as a second lieutenant with the 12th Royal Lancers in

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in Italy from 1944. Syd Middleton died suddenly on 2 September 1945.

Honours and awards

1914–15 Star The 1914–15 Star is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces who served in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915. The me ...

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

* Victory Medal

Footnotes

References

* Collection (1995) ''Gordon Bray presents The Spirit of Rugby'', Harper Collins Publishers Sydney * Howell, Max (2005) ''Born to Lead – Wallaby Test Captains'', Celebrity Books, Auckland NZ

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Middleton, Sydney 1884 births 1945 deaths Australian male rowers Australian rugby union players Australia international rugby union players Olympic rugby union players for Australasia Olympic rowers for Australasia Rugby union players at the 1908 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Australasia Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Australian rugby union captains Australian Army officers Australian military personnel of World War I Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Rugby union players from Sydney Rugby union number eights Sportsmen from New South Wales

Rugby

1908 Olympics

Rowing

War service

AIF Sports Control Board

Rowing

The King's Cup

Life post-war

Honours and awards

See also

Footnotes

References

External links