This website covers all aspects of the rich history of rowing, as a sport, culture phenomena, a life style, and a necessary element to keep your wit and stay sane.
Jack Beresford, the great amateur sculler of the inter-war period, pictured with Ted Phelps, the World Professional Sculling Champion, 1930-1932. Jack signed himself as World’s Amateur Champion, 1924 and 1925, a reference to his wins in the Philadelphia Gold Challenge Cup.
30 December 2025
By Tim Koch
Tim Koch continues with his investigation of Jack Beresford’s personal photograph album.
My recent piece, Jack Beresford: A Fast Start 1919-1922, covered the early career of a man who went from a rugby player shot in the leg in October 1918 to a sculler who won the Diamond Sculls in July 1920 and who then came second in the Olympic Sculls a month later. This post will cover the remainder of Jack’s competitive career, one that was only ended by the outbreak of war in 1939.
Jack Beresford’s competitive record. His photo albums do not have images of all of his major wins so I have used pictures from the Thames RC online archive where necessary.
1923: Henley’s Grand Challenge Cup, the Wingfield Sculls and Amsterdam Champion Eights.
The Thames RC crew that won the 1923 Grand at Henley. Jack is standing, second from the left. Picture: TRC Archive/Stuart of Richmond.Jack leading Donald Gollan at Hammersmith Bridge in the 1923 Wingfield Sculls. He eventually won by four lengths.
A Thames Rowing Club Eight stroked by Jack won the Championship Eights at a regatta celebrating the 75th anniversary of Amsterdam’s De Hoop club.
In the Ostend – Bruges International Regatta, Belgium, Jack won the single sculls and was presented with his trophy by Prince Leopold, Belgian Heir-Apparent.Jack beating KN Craig in the final of the Diamonds.A view of the finish of the Diamonds from the tower of St Mary’s.Jack was helped in after the Diamond’s final by the Thames RC boatman, Laurie Beedell.Viscountess Hambleden [sic] presenting Jack with his Diamond Sculls Pineapple Cup.Jack’s winning of the Olympic Sculls at the 1924 Paris Olympics, beating Gilmore of the US and Schneider of Switzerland in the final. As Gilmore was then the holder of the Philadelphia Gold Challenge Cup (which claimed to be the world’s amateur championship) Jack was proclaimed as the holder of the Cup.
1925: Diamond Sculls, Philadelphia Gold Cup, Wingfield Sculls
Jack, assisted by Bossie Phelps, goes out for his Diamond Sculls semi-final against Walter Hoover of the United States.
Of the semi-final race against Hoover, Jack later recalled: We changed places eight times to the mile post. Then, with 550 yards to go, I spurted (and) finished three lengths ahead.
In the Diamond’s final, Jack beat Donald Gollan “easily.”The final of the Diamonds was followed by the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, a fan of rowing, in the umpire’s launch.Jack receiving his Pineapple Cup from General Sir George Higginson, then a 99-year-old veteran of the Crimean War. The 1925 Philadelphia Gold Cup between Jack and Walter Hoover, was held in London on the Thames between the Putney Stone and Harrods Repository, rather than on the Cup’s traditional course on the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.Beresford went ahead soon after the start and won easily. He soon returned the Cup as he did not want to defend it.The annotation of this picture of the finish (written by Jack or perhaps his father, Berry) says that Jack won by six lengths but the official verdict was three-and-a-half lengths. The shirt factory was in Thames Wharf, a building that still exists and that is now home to the well-known River Cafe sited opposite the former Harrods Repository.
1926: The Diamond Sculls and the Wingfield Sculls
Jack leading Goddard of Jesus College, Cambridge, in the final of the 1926 Diamonds.Jack pictured after the final.
Jack resigned his Wingfield Sculls title after his 1926 win.
1928: Henley’s Silver Goblets, Henley’s Grand Challenge Cup and the Olympic Eights
Jack and Gordon Killick winning the Goblets. Picture: TRC Archive. Thames RC, winners of the 1928 Grand. Jack in the middle, second from the left. Picture: TRC Archive. “Liverpool Street Station 1928. Rowing Men leaving for the Amsterdam Games.” Denis Guye and Humphrey Boardman were in the double sculls; Chas Morrell was the team manager; Lane, Beresford, West, Sulley, Badcock and Killick were in the eight; “Pater” was Jack’s father Berry, a coach. It was a time when sportsmen representing their country dressed properly.The British eight that came second to the Americans in the final, 2.4 seconds behind.
1929: Silver Goblets
Beresford and Killick training at Henley. They beat Graham and Morphett of Brasenose in the final. Picture: TRC Archive.
1932: Henley’s Stewards’ Challenge Cup and Olympic Coxless Fours
The Thames RC Stewards’ Four after their Henley final. Picture: TRC Archive/Tom Tyler.On the boat going to the Los Angeles Olympics. “Our four in the case behind.” Tom “Tig” Tyler was scheduled to row with Jack in the four but went down with influenza a week before the start of competition and his place was taken by Jumbo Edwards.Jack, Obie (unknown) and Dick Southwood (who was in the single sculls) at the Toronto Argonauts boathouse.Donald McCowan, Bill Samuel and David Haig-Thomas were in the eight.Views of the British eight that came fourth and of the winning American eight.Jumbo Edwards and Lewis Clive – winners of the coxless pairs.Rowland George, Jack Beresford, Jumbo Edwards and Felix Badcock, winners of the coxless fours.Bob Pearce of Australia, winner of the single sculls.
A famous panoramic picture of all the rowers at Los Angeles is here.
1936: Olympic Double Sculls
Jack’s Berlin pictures have been covered in detail on HTBS here and here.
1939: Henley’s Centenary Double Sculls
Beresford and Southwood with Scherli and Broschi. Picture: TRC Archive/H Tuck.
A good biography of Jack on the Thames Archive website says of the 1939 Centenary Double Sculls:
(Beresford and Southwood’s) famous victory in Berlin inspired the (Henley Stewards) to introduce (a double sculls event) and the Thames Rowing Club men, aged forty and thirty-six respectively, (dead heated) in the final… with the Trieste double, G. Scherli and E. Broschi. The Italians were European champions and much heavier and younger than Beresford and Southwood, and the Thames men realised that they would have no chance should the stewards order a re-row. As soon as they had returned their boat to its rack in the boat tent, Beresford went over to where the Italians were lying exhausted and, in a superb act of gamesmanship, cheerily congratulated them on a great race. ‘Do it again in half an hour?’ he is reputed to have said (private information, L. Southwood). The Italians declined profusely, and honours remained even.
It must have been a satisfying end to Jack’s competitive rowing career.
The final part will look at Jack the patriot serving his country in peace and in war.
Hear The Boat Sing 