17 June 2023
By Tim Koch
Gavin Jamieson, who is married to Jumbo Edwards’ granddaughter, Melissa, has researched Edwards’ extraordinary life using the family archive and an unpublished autobiography written shortly before the great man’s death in 1972.
The title Water’s Gleaming Gold was inspired by some lines from James Lister Cuthbertson’s poem, A Racing Eight.
A racing eight of perfect mould,
True to the builder’s law,
That takes the water’s gleaming gold
Without a single flaw.
Group Captain Hugh Robert Arthur “Jumbo” Edwards DFC, AFC (1906–1972), was a 1932 Olympic double gold medallist (winning both medals within an hour); 1930 British Empire Games double gold medalist; Henley Royal winner in 1930 (Grand and Stewards’), 1931 (Grand, Stewards’ and Goblets) and 1932 (Goblets); 1926 and 1930 Oxford Blue; Oxford coach variously between 1948 and 1970.
In February 2020, Jamieson gave the HTBS readers a taste of his research by publishing four articles about this great and indefatigable oarsman, innovative and controversial coach, and RAF airman who escaped death more than once:
Part 1: Crash Positions: Ditching a “Flying Coffin.”
Part 2: The 1926 Boat Race: Lost Race for Oxford.
Part 3: Good-Bye Oxford – Hello London.
Part 4: Back in the Oxford Boat.
Water’s Gleaming Gold has received many positive reviews.
Dan Snow, historian, broadcaster and Oxford rowing Blue: “A true Olympic and rowing hero, and a story that is both fascinating and truly dramatic”.
Sir Matthew Pinsent: “We modern oarsmen and women are sometimes asked to row as if our lives depended on it. It is only Jumbo Edwards from the British Olympic rowing family who had to do that literally”.
Daniel James Brown, author of The Boys in the Boat, calls it “One hell of a story”.
An excellent piece on Jumbo and the book is on the British Rowing website. A HTBS review will follow.
Order your copy of Water’s Gleaming Gold here.
Hear The Boat Sing 
I’ll be interested to see what evidence the book presents to support the claim that Jumbo won two Olympic gold medals in a single day. The contemporary reports in both The Times and The New York Times have the coxless pairs final on Friday August 12th 1932 and the coxless fours final on Saturday August 13th.
Malcolm – According to Olympedia.org https://www.olympedia.org/editions/10/sports/ROW all finals were on Saturday 13 August. /Best, Göran
On page 19 of the New York Times of Friday 12 August 1932 the ‘Program for Today’ is listed as the final of coxed fours at 3pm, coxless pairs at 3.40pm, single sculls at 4.20pm and coxed pairs at 5pm. On page 10 of the New York Times of Saturday 13 August 1932 the ‘Program for Today’ is listed as the final of coxless fours at 3pm, double sculls at 3.40pm and eights at 4.20pm.
Hi Malcolm. As Jumbo was my wife’s grandfather I was able to access all of his diaries, correspondence, newspaper clippings of his remarkable life – and the finals for the 1932 Olympic regatta were all held on August 13th. I would also refer you to the official Olympic website and library which states this – I am unsure what the New York Times was wrongly referring to – as well as the official Programme of 1932. For further information please also refer to: https://www.olympedia.org/editions/10/sports/ROW With thanks, Gavin