The 69th

Boat Race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

took place on 30 March 1912 with a re-row on 1 April. Held annually, the event is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of

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 ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

along the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race. Umpired by former Cambridge rower Frederick I. Pitman, this year's race ended with Cambridge sinking and Oxford waterlogged. Pitman declared the result as "No Race" and in the subsequent re-row on the following Monday, the race was won by Oxford by six lengths. Oxford's fourth consecutive victory took the overall record in the event to 38–30 in their favour.

Background

Harcourt Gilbey Gold, Vanity Fair, 1899-03-23

The Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. There are separate men's ...

is a side-by-side rowing competition between the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

(sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place on the

Championship Course The Championship Course is a stretch of the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney in London, England. It is a well-established course for rowing races, particularly the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course is on the tidal reaches of th ...

on the

in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities; it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and, as of 2014, broadcast worldwide. Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the previous year's race by lengths. Oxford, however, held the overall lead with 37 victories to Cambridge's 30 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877). Oxford's coaches were G. C. Bourne who had rowed for the university in the

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in t ...

and 1883 races, Harcourt Gilbey Gold (Dark Blue president for the 1900 race and four-time Blue), and W. F. C. Holland who had rowed for Oxford four times between 1887 and 1890. Cambridge were coached by John Houghton Gibbon who rowed for the Light Blues in the

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and 1900 races. For the ninth year the umpire was old

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Frederick I. Pitman who rowed for Cambridge in the

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, 1885 and 1886 races. Author and former Oxford rower George Drinkwater noted that the Dark Blue crew was "by no means so quick in the water, but they possessed greater ease of movement". Despite being struck by influenza, the training was never really hampered. Conversely, Cambridge suffered "misfortune after misfortune".Drinkwater, p. 128 They persisted with D. C. Collins at stroke "in spite of his inexperience" but he was replaced by Sidney Swann. F. E. Hellyer was selected to row at number seven yet was forced to depart, suffering from influenza; his replacement in L. S. Lloyd was considered "far too light". C. F. Burnand was also forced to leave the crew through illness. Despite this, upon arrival at

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

, the Light Blues "made astonishing improvement", and it was "only on account of their weight" that Oxford went into the race as favourites.

Crews

The Oxford crew weighed an average of 12 st 5.875 lb (78.7 kg), per rower more than their opponents. Cambridge saw five competitors return to the boat, including R. W. M. Arbuthnot at stroke, rowing in his fourth consecutive race. Oxford's crew also contained five participants with Boat Race experience, including Robert Bourne who was making his fourth appearance in the event. Seven of the Oxford crew were educated at Eton College.Burnell, p. 70 Three participants in the race were registered as non-British: Oxford's Charles Littlejohn was Australian while Cambridge's

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C. A. Skinner hailed from South Africa and their number two D. C. Collins came from New Zealand. Bourne RC Vanity Fair 1911-03-29

Race

Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station, handing the Middlesex side of the river to Cambridge. In very rough conditions, Pitman started the race at 11:43 a.m., with both coxes initially steering their crews away from each other. The Light Blues started better before Oxford passed them to lead after the first minute, their

Henry Bensley Wells opposite the Cambridge stroke Swann. By the end of Fulham wall, the Dark Blues were clear of Cambridge but both crews had taken on board a large volume of water. Bensley-Wells steered his boat close to the shore for shelter, moving out only to pass below the centre arch of

Hammersmith Bridge Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the River Thames in west London. It links the southern part of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, on the north side of the river, and Barnes in the London Borough ...

before heading back towards the shore once again. Following discussion with his stroke Robert Bourne, Bensley-Wells steered into the shore whereupon the crew disembarked to empty their vessel of the river water. After getting back onto the river, the Oxford boat was approached by the umpire's launch and informed by Pitman that Cambridge had sunk off Harrods Furniture Depository and that he was declaring "No Race". Despite this, Oxford finished the course and paddled to

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many cen ...

. Prior to this year's event, there had been one sinking in the history of the race: Cambridge sank in the 1859 race. Author Gordon Ross described the aborted race as "a fiasco of some magnitude",Ross, p. 94 while Drinkwater called it "the greatest fiasco in the history of the race."Drinkwater, p. 127 With the agreement of the Port of London Authority, it was agreed to hold a re-row the following Monday.Ross, p. 97 According to Bensley-Wells "the weather on the Monday was again bad ... the wind was even stronger but ... had changed direction slightly." Oxford again won the toss and elected to start from the Middlesex station, handing the Surrey side of the river to Cambridge. Pitman got the race under way at 12:40 p.m.Drinkwater, p. 129 The Dark Blues made a better start and took advantage of the shelter once again provided by the Middlesex side of the river. Although out-rating the Dark Blues by up to six strokes per second, Cambridge could not overhaul the deficit and when Oxford passed the Crab Tree pub, Bensley-Wells made for "the shortest way home" and steered over towards the Surrey station in water that "looked to be fairly good."Ross, p. 98 Oxford passed the finishing post with a lead of six lengths in a time of 22 minutes 5 seconds. It was the largest winning margin since the 1903 race and the slowest winning time since the 1901 race. The victory took the overall record in the event to 38–30 in Oxford's favour.

References

Notes Bibliography * * * *

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boat Race 1912 1912 in English sport 1912 in rowing The Boat Race March 1912 sports events April 1912 sports events 1912 sports events in London