Jack Beresford, CBE (1 January 1899 – 3 December 1977), born Jack Beresford-Wiszniewski, was a British

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 ...

who won five medals at five Olympic Games in succession. This record in Olympic rowing was not matched until 2000 when Sir

Steve Redgrave Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships gold ...

won his sixth Olympic medal at his fifth Olympic Games.

Early life

Jack Beresford was the son of

Julius Beresford Julius Beresford (Wiszniewski) (18 July 1868 – 29 September 1959), also known as Berry or The Old Berry, was a British rower and coach. Beresford competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Life Beresford was the son of Julius B ...

. The family name was Wisniewski but his father dropped the name after Beresford was born. Julius Beresford was also a rower who won an Olympic silver medal for Great Britain rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics as well as winning several times at Henley. Jack was educated at

Bedford School :''Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Girls' School, Bedford High School, Bedford Modern School, Old Bedford School in Bedford, Texas or Bedford Academy in Bedford, Nova Scotia.'' Bedford School is a public school (English ind ...

where he stroked the eight and also captained the rugby football XV. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

he served in the Liverpool Scottish Regiment and was wounded in the leg in France. He returned to London and learned the craft of furniture-making for Beresford & Hicks in his father's factory. He took up

sculling Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving them through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving one oar over the stern. A long, narrow boat with sliding seats, rigged with two oars per rower may be referred to as a scull, ...

because the leg wound put an end to his rugby career. Throughout his competitive career, Beresford (like his father and his brother, Eric Beresford) represented

Thames Rowing Club The Thames Rowing Club (TRC) is a rowing club based on the tidal Thames as it flows through the western suburbs of London. The TRC clubhouse stands on Putney Embankment. The club was founded in 1860. As at July 2022, Thames had won events at ...

. Michael Beresford was his nephew who competed in rowing at the 1960 Olympics.

Rowing career

In 1920, Beresford won the

Diamond Challenge Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders w ...

, the

single scull A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to mini ...

s event 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 thr ...

beating in the final Donald Gollan, his closest British rival for the next few years. He followed this up competing in the single sculls event

rowing at the 1920 Summer Olympics Rowing at the 1920 Summer Olympics, the first Olympics after World War I, saw five events. The competitions were held from 27 to 29 August in Antwerp, Belgium. The event was marked by the arrival of future triple gold medalists John B. Kelly S ...

where his final race against John B. Kelly Sr. is legendary. It featured a dramatic stretch run with Kelly eventually prevailing in one of the closest single sculls races in Olympic history. In 1920 Beresford won the

Wingfield Sculls The Wingfield Sculls is a rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake. The race is between single scullers and is usually on the Saturday three to four weeks before the S ...

, the Amateur Sculling Championship of the Thames and Great Britain for the first time, and went on to win it for seven consecutive years, a streak unmatched in history He also won the London Cup to give him the sculling triple crown in 1920. Beresford was losing finalist to Eyken in the Diamond Sculls in 1921 but won the London Cup and the Wingfields which was decided on a foul after Beresford's boat was holed in a clash with Gollan. Both scullers were being steered by their fathers and so in 1922 it was decided that in future fathers of competitors should not act as pilots or steer the cutters. Beresford lost Diamonds in the final to

Walter Hoover Walter McCall Hoover (December 30, 1934 – April 16, 2020) was an American rower. He competed in the men's double sculls event at the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspe ...

but won the Wingfields and London Cup over Gollan. In 1923 Beresford was in the winning Thames eight in 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 rowin ...

. He was runner up in the Diamonds to M. K. Morris, lost to Gollan in the London Cup on a foul, but beat Gollan in the Wingfields. Beresford won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley again in 1924 against Craig, and went on to win the gold medal in the single scull rowing at the 1924 Summer Olympics over William Gilmore. Following that he competed in and won the Philadelphia Gold Cup, awarded by the

Schuylkill Navy The Schuylkill Navy is an association of amateur rowing (sport), rowing clubs of Philadelphia. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest amateur athletic governing body in the United States. The member clubs are all on the Schuylkill River where it flows ...

for the amateur sculling championship of the world. In 1925, he successfully defended the Diamond Challenge Sculls against Donald Gollan and the Philadelphia Cup against Walter Hoover before indicating to its stewards that he no longer wished to contest it. With the Wingfields and London Cup he won the triple crown. Beresford won the Diamond Challenge Sculls again in 1926 beating G E G Goddard in the final. He won the London Cup again and also the Wingfields, but only after his boat was holed in a clash and the race re-rowed on 11 August. Beresford was not a winning competitor in 1927, but served as Captain of Thames in 1928-9. In 1928 at Henley he won the Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup partnering Gordon "Bill" Killick. He was also a member of the Thames eight which won the

. This crew then represented Great Britain to win the silver medal rowing at the 1928 Summer Olympics. His Thames crew won the

again in 1929 and with Killick he won Silver Goblets again. In 1930, Beresford finished second to reigning Olympic champion Bobby Pearce in the single scull at the inaugural Empire/Commonwealth Games. In 1932 at Henley, Beresford competed in the

coxless four A coxless four is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one oar. There are two rowers on th ...

which won the

Stewards Challenge Cup The Stewards' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless fours 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 clubs. Two or more clubs may combi ...

and then went on to win the gold medal for Great Britain rowing at the 1932 Summer Olympics. In the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-s ...

in Berlin, Beresford was the flag bearer for the British delegation in the Opening Ceremonies, which were filmed by

Leni Riefenstahl Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl (; 22 August 1902 – 8 September 2003) was a German film director, photographer and actress known for her role in producing Nazi propaganda. A talented swimmer and an artist, Riefenstahl also became in ...

. The scene was included in her documentary '' Olympia'', which is sometimes described as a

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

propaganda film.

Rowing at the 1936 Summer Olympics Rowing at the 1936 Summer Olympics featured seven events, for men only. The competitions were held from 11 to 14 August on a regatta course at Grünau on the Langer See. The competition was dominated by the hosts, Germany, who medaled in ever ...

in Berlin, with

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and the ...

watching, Beresford and

Dick Southwood Leslie Frank "Dick" Southwood (18 January 1906 – 7 February 1986) was an English rower who competed in the 1932 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics representing Great Britain. Southwood was born in Fulham and was educated at ...

his partner in the

Double scull A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly ...

s, came from a length down to pass the favoured

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

with just 200 metres to go, thus giving Beresford his fifth Olympic medal and third gold. Beresford would later write it was "the sweetest race I ever rowed." Beresford was presented with an oak sapling by Hitler, as were all gold medal winners. Beresford's was planted in the grounds of

. In the inaugural Centenary Double Sculls – now the

Double Sculls Challenge Cup The Double Sculls Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's double sculls 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 clubs. Two clubs may combine to ma ...

– at Henley in 1939, Beresford, together with Dick Southwood, raced a memorable final against the European Champions, Scherli and Broschi of Trieste which resulted in a dead-heat. Beresford was denied the opportunity to win a medal in the double sculls event in the 1940 Olympics as those Games were cancelled because of

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Later life

Beresford was elected a Steward of

in 1946. He was a member of the organising committee of the 1948 London Olympic Games. His contribution to rowing was recognised with two honours in the 1940s: the gold medal of the international rowing federation (1947), and the

Olympic Diploma of Merit The Olympic Diploma of Merit was an award given by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to recognise outstanding services to sports or a notable contribution to the Olympic Games. By 1974, the last time the awards were granted, just 58 peop ...

(1949). In 1960, Beresford was appointed a

Commander of the Most Excellent 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 o ...

.Jack Beresford
Encyclopaedia Britannica He was President of Thames Rowing Club from 1970 until his death in 1977. In 2005, a

Blue Plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term ...

was erected by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

at 19 Grove Park Gardens in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and F ...

, West London which was Beresford's home from 1903–1940. Beresford is one of the first sportsmen to receive this honour.Chiswick History – People
Chiswickhistory.org.uk. Retrieved on 6 July 2018.

Achievements

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

Medals: three gold, two silver * First rower to compete at five Olympics with his 1936 Olympic appearance. This feat would be unmatched for forty years until Soviet rower

Yuriy Lorentsson Yuriy Evgenevich Lorentsson (russian: Юрий Евгеньевич Лоренцсон, 2 December 1930 – 24 December 2002) was a Russian rowing coxswain. He was the second rower, after Briton Jack Beresford, to compete at five Olympics. In 19 ...

made his fifth Olympic appearance in 1976, and unsurpassed for another sixteen years until Czechoslovak rower Jiří Pták made his sixth Olympic appearance in 1992.

References

External links

Guardian article on BeresfordIOC Biography on Beresford
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beresford, Jack 1899 births 1977 deaths British male rowers English male rowers Olympic rowers of Great Britain Olympic medalists in rowing Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Rowers at the 1920 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1924 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1928 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1932 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1928 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics English Olympic medallists Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in rowing Rowers at the 1930 British Empire Games People educated at Bedford School People from Shiplake Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta British Army personnel of World War I English people of Polish descent Military personnel from London Liverpool Scottish soldiers Artists' Rifles soldiers