William Stewart Falls (1825 – 22 May 1889) was an English doctor and

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

who won Silver Wherries at

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 ...

. Falls was born at

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton Do ...

, the son of William Falls, a

naval surgeon A naval surgeon, or less commonly ship's doctor, is the person responsible for the health of the ship's company aboard a warship. The term appears often in reference to Royal Navy's medical personnel during the Age of Sail. Ancient uses Speciali ...

, and his wife Elizabeth. He received medical training at

St George's Hospital St George's Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Tooting, London. Founded in 1733, it is one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals and one of the largest hospitals in Europe. It is run by the St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundatio ...

. British Medical Journal 1889;1:1327 (8 June)
/ref> He was a keen water sportsman and rowed for the

St George's Club The St George's Club was an English rowing club based on the Tideway of the River Thames that competed in the middle of the 19th century. The St George's Club included members who were receiving a medical education at St George's Hospital at Hyde ...

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 ...

. In 1847 with his friend, W Coulthard, he won Silver Wherries at

beating T Pollock and

Thomas Howard Fellows Thomas Howard Fellows (October 1822 – 8 April 1878) was an English rower and an Australian politician and Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria. Early life in England Fellows was born at Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, the son of Thomas Fel ...

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior to ...

on appeal in the final. Falls received his M.R.C.S.Eng. in 1847 and was house-surgeon at St George's Hospital. In 1849, he started in practice at

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

with Mr. Evans. In 1856 he went to

Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...

where he was consulting physician at the Royal Victoria Hospital and at St. Mary's Home for Invalid Ladies in Bournemouth. He was a recognised specialist in diseases of the chest and was senior physician of the Sanatorium for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest. He took the degree of M.D. at St. Andrews in 1863 and became F.R.C P.London in 1875. In 1867 Falls was elected a member of the Bournemouth Improvement Commissioners. The town's population of 300 when he arrived rose to 30,000 by the time of his death in 1889 at the age of 64. Falls was noted for his kind and affable manner. He married twice, firstly on 17 January 1850 to Annie Eyken who died in 1866 and secondly to Alicia M Hamond in 1868.Office for national Statistics - BMD Indices He had seven children including William Coulthard Falls who was a doctor in London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falls, William Stewart 1825 births 1889 deaths English male rowers British male rowers 19th-century English medical doctors Alumni of St George's, University of London