Robert Croft Bourne (15 July 1888 – 7 August 1938) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

rower who competed in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

, and a Conservative Party politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1924 to 1938.

Biography

Bourne was born at Bodington, London, the son of Gilbert Charles Bourne who had rowed in the winning Oxford crews in the Boat Race of 1882 and 1883. As a child, Bourne lost the sight of one eye in a game of

rounders Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a wooden, plastic, or metal bat that has a cylindrical end. The players score b ...

at school. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

, where he won the School Sculling in 1906, and then at

New College, Oxford New College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1379 by Bishop William of Wykeham in conjunction with Winchester College as New College's feeder school, New College was one of the first col ...

. At Oxford, he stroked the winning

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

boats in the

Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the Uni ...

in 1909, 1910, 1911 and 1912, being president in the last two years. He also won the University Sculls in 1910 and the University Fours in 1911 and went head of the river in 1911–12. He was the strokeman of the New College eight which won the silver medal for Great Britain rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics. He was a member of the winning crew in 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 The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through ...

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a Rowing (sport), rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It diffe ...

in 1912, 1913 and 1914. Bourne became a barrister. In the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Herefordshire Regiment. He had one hand crippled and a lung seriously injured at Suvla Bay in the

Dardanelles The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey th ...

in August 1915. As he had only one good eye, he was moved from active service to the Claims Commission. In 1920, he became J.P. for

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

and in 1921, a member of the city council. Bourne was elected Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for

at a by-election in June 1924, and served as a Deputy Speaker of the Commons from 1931. He died in office in August 1938, aged 50, suddenly dropping dead while walking on the moors near

Strontian Strontian (; ) is the main village in Sunart, an area in western Lochaber, Scottish Highlands, Highland, Scotland, on the A861 road. Prior to 1975 it was part of Argyllshire. It lies on the north shore of Loch Sunart, close to the head of th ...

, Argyll. At the subsequent by-election the seat was held for the Conservatives by Quintin Hogg. Bourne married Lady Hester Margaret Cairns, daughter of

Wilfred Cairns, 4th Earl Cairns Lieutenant-Colonel Wilfred Dallas Cairns, 4th Earl Cairns, CMG, DL (28 November 1865 – 23 October 1946), was a peer of the United Kingdom and a Rifle Brigade officer. Life Born in 1865, he succeeded as the 4th Earl Cairns on the death of h ...

, on 7 June 1917.''Burke's Peerage 2003'', page 641 Their children included the lawyer and civil servant Sir Wilfrid Bourne.

References

External links

* * The Rowers of Vanity Fair * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bourne, Robert Croft 1888 births 1938 deaths Military personnel from London People educated at Eton College Alumni of New College, Oxford English male rowers British male rowers Olympic rowers for Great Britain Rowers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 UK MPs 1931–1935 UK MPs 1935–1945 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Herefordshire Light Infantry officers British Army personnel of World War I Olympic medalists in rowing Oxford University Boat Club rowers British sportsperson-politicians Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics

Biography

See also

References

External links