Walter Ernest Peterson (born 7 November 1883) was an Ireland men's field hockey international. He was a member of the Ireland team that played 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 ...

, winning a silver medal. Peterson was one of six brothers who played

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

for Avoca, Palmerstown and Ireland. His brother, Jack Peterson, also played for Ireland at the 1908 Summer Olympics. Walter and Jack Peterson were also team mates at Monkstown. Peterson also won Irish Senior Cup titles with both Palmerstown and Monkstown.

Early years, family and education

Walter Peterson was born into a

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...

family on 7 November 1883 at Ulster Terrace,

Stillorgan Stillorgan (, also ''Stigh Lorcáin'' and previously ''Tigh Lorcáin'' or ''Teach Lorcáin''), formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, and contains ma ...

County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

. He was the youngest son of Nicholas George Peterson, a chartered accountant and

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who was originally from

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, and Marion Peterson (''née'' Penny) who was originally from

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 ...

. Peterson was the youngest of six brothers. He also had an older sister, Mary Maud. He attended Avoca School, where he began to play

. In

1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...

the Peterson family lived at 14

Sydney Parade Avenue Sydney Parade Avenue () Sandymount, Dublin 4, Ireland runs from the land formerly known as Ailesbury Park opposite the Merrion Centre at the Merrion Road end, to the sea of Dublin Bay at the Strand Road. Ailesbury Road joins Sydney Parade at t ...

Donnybrook, Dublin Donnybrook () is a district of Dublin, Ireland. It is situated on the southside of the city, in the Dublin 4 postal district, and is home to the Irish public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It was once part of the Pemb ...

. In

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

they were living at 6 Eaton Place in

Blackrock, Dublin Blackrock () is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, northwest of Dún Laoghaire. Location and access Blackrock covers a large but not precisely defined area, rising from sea level on the coast to at White's Cross on the N11 national primary road. ...

. Peterson worked as

insurance broker An insurance broker is an intermediary who sells, solicits, or negotiates insurance on behalf of a client for compensation. An insurance broker is distinct from an insurance agent in that a broker typically acts on behalf of a client by negoti ...

Domestic teams

Walter Peterson and his five brothers – Jack Peterson, William Peterson, Nicholas Peterson, Herbert Peterson and Cecil Peterson – began playing for Avoca in 1896. In 1899 the brothers moved to Palmerstown. They formed the nucleus of team that between 1900 and 1905 lost only two matches out of 160 played. During this run they won the Irish Senior Cup on four occasions. The two defeats were both cup matches against

Dublin University The University of Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Átha Cliath), corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin, is a university located in Dublin, Ireland. It is the degree-awarding body for Trinity College Dubl ...

, and both games were lost by a single goal. In one season Palmerstown scored 102 goals and conceded just seven. After Palmerstown disbanded in 1907, most of the brothers, including Walter and Jack moved to Monkstown where he won two more Irish Senior Cup titles in 1911 and 1914. In addition to his five brothers, his team mates at Palmerstown and Monkstown also included J.E. Mills and William Graham. Between 1903 and 1912 Walter Peterson also made 14 appearances for Leinster at interprovincial level.

Monkstown Hockey Club Monkstown Hockey Club (Irish: ''Cumann Haca Baile na Manach'') is a field hockey club based at Rathdown School in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. The club was founded in 1894 and was originally based in Monkstown, County Dublin. The club's s ...

Ireland international

Between 1903 and 1914 Walter Peterson made 23 senior appearances for

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 ...

. He made his debut in 1903 in a 7–0 win against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Peterson played as a right full-back and, for most of his international career, he was partnered at left-back by his brother, Jack Peterson. In 1904 the Peterson brothers were members of the Ireland team that won the Triple Crown. Ireland won the title after defeating Wales 4–2 away and

3–2 at home. As well as his brother Jack at left-back, the team also included his brothers Nicholas (right-half), William (inside-left) and Cecil (midfield). Another brother, Herbert made two Ireland appearances between 1900 and 1902. In total the brothers won sixty six caps between them. Walter and Jack Peterson were both members of the Ireland team that played at the

, winning a silver medal. Ireland defeated Wales 3–1 in a semi-final before losing 8–1 to England in the final. Peterson made his last appearance for Ireland in a 2–2 draw away to England in early 1914.

Umpire

Walter Peterson was listed as an

umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

at an

–

international in 1921.

Honours

;

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

**''Runners Up'':

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

: 1 *Triple Crown **''Winners'': 1904: 1 ; Monkstown * Irish Senior Cup **''Winners'': 1910, 1914: 2 ;Palmerstown * Irish Senior Cup **''Winners'': 1899–1900, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1904–05: 4

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, Walter 1883 births Year of death missing Irish male field hockey players Ireland international men's field hockey players Members of the Ireland field hockey team at the 1908 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Monkstown Hockey Club players Field hockey players from County Dublin Male field hockey defenders Irish field hockey umpires Irish Anglicans