CHAIRMAN’S VIEW
My thanks to all who attended the meeting in the Long Room on Thursday, 1st October to discuss Club rowing. The invitation was open to all LRC members and I was very pleased to see such a good turnout. Following the announcement in August of the new coaching structure and performance management group, it was considered an opportunity to hold such a discussion and to seek views from within the groups as well as from the wider Club. The discussion was productive and it was a chance for everyone to offer input on where and how improvements might be found. I am grateful too for the contributions received prior to the meeting from those who were unable to attend. My committee colleagues and I have been given much to consider and we will come back to the membership with further thoughts and suggestions based on what we have heard.
It was good to see LRC athletes competing overseas this last month with the Masters Squads attending the World Masters Championships on Lake Bled and the Elite Squads in Amsterdam for the Amstelbeker. Both campaigns bought success and my congratulations to all. I was sorry not to be able to make it down to the Club for the Sculler’s Head recently but was very pleased to see that London’s scullers were out in force and putting together a strong showing.
In closing, I regret to inform members of the deaths of Giles Chichester and Barney Waylen. Both were longstanding members of the Club and will have been known to many. Giles was an active member during the 1960s and 1970s before pursuing a career in politics. He was also a founding member of the 6s & 7s Club, a group which has been a significant supporter of LRC over many years. Barney also rowed at the Club in the 1960s, representing LRC in the Grand in 1963. Please see David Thomson’s piece on Barney below. The Club sends its condolences to the families of both men.
Simon Melvin
Chairman, London Rowing Club
CAPTAIN’S REPORT
September saw the new season get firmly underway, with LRC athletes competing both on the Tideway and further afield, and plenty of strong racing and results to report.
The World Rowing Masters Regatta took place on Lake Bled, Slovenia, with a strong contingent from LRC competing across the week. Club athletes raced in pairs, doubles, coxless and coxed fours, and eights across a wide range of age categories. Congratulations to everyone who made the trip and represented the Club, and particularly to those crews who returned to LRC with wins. Wednesday saw victory for the composite Men’s E4-, followed on Thursday by wins for the Men’s A4+ and composite Men’s E8+. Saturday brought further success, with victories for the composite Men’s D4-, composite Men’s F8+ and Men’s B8+. A fantastic set of results from everyone involved.
Closer to home, LRC was well represented at the Scullers’ Head of the River, with 19 club scullers taking on the Championship Course from Mortlake to Putney. The fastest LRC scullers of the day were Louis Powell and Laura Bates recorded the fastest men’s and women’s times respectively, congratulations! Further congratulations go to Thibby Verdin-Mulot and Laura again, who both won their respective categories, and to all 19 athletes who represented the club. Thanks go to all LRC members who lent their time to make the day a reality.
There was more racing overseas at the Amstelbeker in Amsterdam, where LRC returned looking to defend the titles won in previous years. The Women successfully retained the club title with victory over Willem III before going on to face Skoll for the Fortunabeker. Some impressive racing saw them come out on top once again, defending the trophy as the fastest women’s crew of the day. The Men faced a De Hoop crew containing a few familiar faces and narrowly missed out in a closely fought club final. It was an excellent display of racing and one that did the Club proud.
Attention now turns towards the bulk of the Head season and the winter months ahead. With plenty of miles to be put in over the coming weeks, we look forward to seeing crews build towards the major races later in the season. At the time of writing, LRC has a strong entry for Pairs Head, which should provide a great opportunity to get the season’s crew boat Head season off to a good start.
Edoardo Marshall
Captain, London Rowing Club
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
10 October: Reading Small Boats Head
11 October: Thames Barrier annual test closure
17 October: Weybridge Silver Sculls
18 October: Maidenhead Small Boats Head
25 October: Upper Thames Autumn Head
25 October: Wingfield Sculls and Pumpkin Carving
31 October: Henley Sculls
5 November: LRC Fireworks
7 November: Kingston Small Boats Head
7-8 November: GB Senior and U23 Trials
7-8 November: GB Para-rowing Trials
8 November: Docklands Small Boats Head
14 November: Teddington Head
21 November: Fours Head and After Party
22 November: Veterans Fours Head
29 November: Wallingford Fours and Eights Head
5-6 December: BR Indoor Championships
9 December: Christmas Club Supper and Mike Baldwin Boat Naming
19 December: Remenham Challenge and LRC Christmas Party
19-20 December: GB Senior and U23 Invitation Trials at Caversham
See more detail for these events, visit our Calendar of Events…
WOMEN’S MASTERS REPORT
The 2026/27 rowing season has officially started and the LRC Masters Women are already looking forward to an exciting few months ahead.
We had a successful Masters Women’s kick-off meeting last month, giving us the opportunity to look ahead, set our priorities and get everyone thinking about the racing to come. Our main focuses for the season will be Vets Fours Head, WEHORR, Vets Head and British Masters, alongside a number of smaller regattas and head races throughout the year.
We have also really enjoyed our coaching with Cam over the summer. The sessions have been a great way to build momentum, develop our crews and get everyone ready for the season ahead.
A successful World Masters
A particular highlight from the summer was World Masters in Bled, where the women produced some fantastic results against strong international competition. Elinor had an excellent performance in the single, finishing second, while she and Chloe also performed strongly against a very competitive field in the WMasA2-.
Uli also had a memorable World Masters, finishing second in the Masters Women C2x. The race came about rather unexpectedly: she was originally due to race with Heather, but Heather was unable to travel. After missing Wednesday’s racing because of the air traffic control chaos and Thursday’s racing due to thunderstorms, Uli went in search of a substitute - and found Doris from Krefeld. The resulting partnership proved to be a successful one, with a great second-place finish.
From right to left: Uli & Doris
Of course, World Masters was not just about the racing.
Racing gets underway
The racing calendar is now filling up, and our next event is Pairs Head, where we have two Masters Women C pairs entered:
Tina Albrecht & Ruth Allen
Amy Johnson & Ulrike Forster
After Pairs Head, attention turns to Kingston Small Boats Head on 7 November. We will have an WMasC 2- composed of Anna Lhommet & Soraya Nidai, as well as Elinor George racing in the WA1x.
Then comes one of the major fixtures of the autumn: Vets Fours Head in mid-November. This will be an important early-season target and a chance for our crews to put the work from the summer and autumn training into practice.
There is a great sense of enthusiasm within the group as we start the new season. With a strong summer of training behind us, some excellent results from World Masters, and plenty of racing on the horizon, the LRC Masters Women are looking forward to the season ahead.
Bring on the racing!
Saskia Gill
YOUNG IRREGULARS REPORT
The Young Irregulars have been busy on the water, with plenty of training and racing taking place as we head further into the autumn season.
A key focus has been preparation for the Pairs Head, with Heather and Camille, and Henry and Paolo, putting in the work during training. The crews have been building their rhythm, working on technique and getting themselves race-ready as they prepare to take on the challenge.
There has also been plenty of racing experience for the group. Heather completed the Scullers Head, and Heather and Uli also took part in the Doug Melvin.
Away from racing, our recreational rowers have been making the most of the good weather, enjoying plenty of relaxed and enjoyable outings on the water.
Whether racing hard or simply enjoying a leisurely outing, it has been a fantastic period for the group to get out on the water, develop their rowing and enjoy being part of the Young Irregulars community.
Eilidh McCormick
AN EVENING WITH THE BERESFORDS
It was a privilege to attend the Jack Beresford Lecture at Thames Rowing Club in June, where Jack’s son, John Beresford, shared fascinating and deeply personal stories about his father, one of Britain’s greatest-ever rowers.
For those of us who spend our time on the Thames, it is easy to forget just how much rowing history surrounds us. Yet evenings such as this bring that history vividly back to life. John’s presentation offered a wonderful opportunity not only to learn more about Jack’s extraordinary Olympic career, but to see the man behind the medals through family photographs, albums, stories and memorabilia.
John (centre) wore his father Jack Beresford's original 1916 Bedford School rowing blazer — 1916 when his father was the Captain of Boats and stroke of the First VIII at Bedford School.
Jack Beresford’s Olympic career was extraordinary by any measure. He competed at five successive Olympic Games between 1920 and 1936, winning a medal at every Games: silver in the single sculls at Antwerp in 1920, gold in the single sculls at Paris in 1924, silver in the eights at Amsterdam in 1928, gold in the coxless fours at Los Angeles in 1932, and finally gold in the double sculls at Berlin in 1936. His five successive Olympic medals represented an extraordinary achievement that stood for decades.
But it was that final Olympic victory in Berlin that perhaps provides the most compelling story.
At the 1936 Games, Beresford partnered fellow Thames Rowing Club member Leslie ‘Dick’ Southwood in the double sculls. The event was held on the Langer See at Grünau, where the German hosts were expected to dominate the rowing programme. Indeed, Germany ultimately won five of the seven rowing gold medals.
The British pair did not have an easy route to the final. In their opening heat they encountered the highly fancied German combination of Willi Kaidel and Joachim Pirsch—and lost, with the Germans finishing almost four seconds ahead. Beresford and Southwood therefore had to progress through the semi-final, which they won comfortably in 7:48.0.
Then came the final.
The Germans made their intentions clear from the start, moving into the lead and establishing an advantage over the British boat. At one stage they were around a length ahead. But Beresford and Southwood refused to concede. As the race entered its closing stages, the British pair began steadily eating into the German lead.
With 500 metres remaining, the crews were still separated. At around 1,500 metres, however, the British were pulling them back, and by approximately 1,800 metres the boats were level. Then, with only around 200 metres remaining, Beresford and Southwood made their decisive move, sweeping past the German boat to win in 7:20.8—5.4 seconds clear of Kaidel and Pirsch.
It was Beresford’s fifth Olympic medal and his third gold. He would later describe it as “the sweetest race I ever rowed.”
There was also a fascinating political backdrop to the race. Berlin was hosting an Olympic Games designed to showcase Nazi Germany to the world, and Adolf Hitler was among those watching from the finish. The British victory over the favoured German crew therefore carried significance beyond the sporting result, although the real drama was simply the extraordinary comeback of two determined rowers.
The oak-leaf wreath presented to Jack Beresford and Dick Southwood after their 1936 Berlin Olympic victory. After the race, it was placed on the stern of their boat; today, this remarkable piece of rowing history hangs in Thames Rowing Club.
The Beresford family’s connection with rowing was itself remarkable. Jack’s father, Julius Beresford, was an accomplished rower and an Olympic silver medallist in the British eight at Stockholm in 1912. His passion for the sport clearly influenced his son, and John told how Julius continued to row at an astonishing age, even stroking the club’s eight at Henley Royal Regatta at 53.
Perhaps the most delightful moment of the evening, however, came not from one of Jack’s medals or victories, but from his mother’s response to the 1936 triumph.
Having received news of her son’s victory over the German double, Julius’s wife sent Jack a telegram. After all the years of training, competition and sacrifice—and having just learned that her son had become an Olympic champion—her message was wonderfully understated:
“Bravo dear, mother.”
Three words that somehow say everything.
The Telegram sent to Jack pictured here on display.
John’s collection of medals, photographs, albums and memorabilia made the evening feel particularly personal. These were tangible connections to a remarkable period in rowing history, but John’s stories gave them meaning.
For London Rowing Club members, there was an added resonance. Jack and Dick Southwood were Thames Rowing Club men, and their story is part of the extraordinary history of rowing on the river we continue to share today.
John brought along one of his father’s four Diamond Sculls’ Pineapple Cups and also the cup that he got for the 1939 Henley Centenary Double Sculls.
An unforgettable moment holding Jack Beresford’s historic Diamond Sculls trophy.
Posing with both trophies alongside Alex Virgo (right), pictured with Jack Beresford’s historic sculling blades.
The evening was therefore more than a lecture about an Olympic champion. It was a reminder that rowing’s history is built not only on famous races and medals, but on clubs, families, friendships and generations of people who dedicate themselves to the sport.
And perhaps that is what made John Beresford’s presentation so memorable: for an evening, an Olympic legend became simply Jack—the son of Julius, the husband, the father, and the rower whose final Olympic race was, in his own words, the sweetest of them all.
References/Further Reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Beresford
https://heartheboatsing.com/2025/12/03/jack-beresfords-berlin-album-part-i/
https://heartheboatsing.com/2025/12/06/jack-beresfords-berlin-album-part-ii/
Bob Silver
BARNEY WAYLEN
I am sorry to have to report that Barney Waylen died on 24th August 2026.
Barney joined LRC in 1962 having rowed in the successful Emanuel School first eight which won the Schools’ Head that year and entered the P.E.Cup at Henley.
He was selected to row in the 1963 LRC Grand crew coached by Jumbo Edwards which was beaten using the Donoratico boat in a close race with Cornell University.
He went up to Cambridge to read Chemical Engineering , subsequently switching to Law which led to a successful career as a barrister specialising mainly in criminal law.
Amongst his many interests he enjoyed golf and some will remember him meeting the challenge to land a golf ball onto Bishop's Park with a mighty drive across the Thames from LRC !
As a keen motorcyclist his collection in South London included Norton, BMW and Vincent machines . He raced his Velocette Thruxton at Brands Hatch.
Much of his free time was spent working on his house in Aubeterre.
He leaves M-J, their daughter, a grandson and many happy memories.
David Thomson
DONALD LEGGET
Although it is a long time since Donald Legget was a member of LRC, some of our members may remember him because of his many roles in the rowing community, in particular at Cambridge, Leander, St.Paul’s and Putney High School.
There is a service to celebrate Donald’s life at Great St.Mary’s, the University Church, in Cambridge at 4pm on Friday, 30th October followed by a reception at the Cambridge Union, Debating Chamber.
If you would like to attend please click on the link below to find out more about the event and register for attendance;
https://cubc.org.uk/2026/08/10/celebration-of-life-donald-legget-1942-2026/
REPORTING SAFETY INCIDENTS
All members are reminded that if you are involved in or witness a water safety incident, you are required to report it using the following email address – safety@londonrc.org.uk
The Club will file any necessary reports on your behalf with British Rowing and the PLA. Members should not submit reports directly to either body.
SAVE THE DATE
Please find below the upcoming Club Events between now and New Year:
25th Oct - Wingfield Sculls and Pumpkin carving
This is the MyClubhouse link for this event: https://members.londonrc.org.uk/Events/Calendar/View?id=2255th Nov - Fireworks
21th Nov - Fours Head Race and After Party
22nd Nov - Vets’ Fours Head
9th Dec - Christmas Club Supper and Mike Baldwin Boat Naming
12th Dec - HORR Centenary
19th Dec - Remenham Challenge & LRC Christmas Party
NEW MEMBERS
We would like to welcome the following new members to the Club:
William Jackson
Murad Huseynov
Molly Green
Henry Fowler
Connor Attridge
Alfie Hales
Conway Bettis
Harry Fletcher
Adam Tucker
Quentin Aude-Lange
Edward Garschina
Bede Lomas
Noemi Suter
Isabel Maxwell
Mika Male
Georgiana Hillier
Jacob Bailey
Tom Brooks
Georgina Philips
Grace Benett
Jonas Yu
We hope you will enjoy being part of the London Rowing Club community and will help us build an ever happier and more successful club.
We are always pleased to have more members so, if you know of anyone who you think might like to join the Club, please either let us know or encourage them to get in touch with us themselves.
There is information on becoming a member on our website: https://www.londonrc.org.uk/membership-enquiries or you can contact the Club’s Membership Secretary: membership@londonrc.org.uk
Devin Ward
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the London Roar. If you have an idea for an article or would be interested in submitting a piece for inclusion in a future edition, please email me on miles.preston@londonrc.org.uk
Please do not submit an article without first liaising with me.
Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar
