Ross McWhirter

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Alan Ross McWhirter (12 August 1925 – 27 November 1975), known as Ross McWhirter, was, with his twin brother, Norris McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Sports 3 Television 4 Political activity 5 Death 6 Selected bibliography 7 External links

[edit] Early life

McWhirter was the son of William McWhirter, editor of the Sunday Pictorial newspaper, and Margaret Williamson ('Bunty'). He was born at 10 Branscombe Gardens, "Giffnock" (after Giffnock Church in Glasgow where the McWhirters were married) Winchmore Hill, London, N21. His elder brother Kennedy was born in 1923. In 1929 as William was working on the founding of the Northcliffe Newspapers chain of provincial newspapers, the family moved to Aberfoyle, in Broad Walk Winchmore Hill. Like his brothers Ross was educated at Marlborough College and Oxford University (Trinity College).

[edit] Sports

Ross and Norris both became sports journalists in 1950. In 1951 they published Get to Your Marks and later in 1951 they founded an agency to provide facts and figures to Fleet Street, setting out, in Norris McWhirter's words: "to supply facts and figures to newspapers, yearbooks, encyclopedias, and advertisers."

While building up their accounts, they both worked as sports journalists. One of the athletes they knew and covered was runner Christopher Chataway, the employee at Guinness who recommended them to Sir Hugh Beaver. After an interview in which the Guinness directors enjoyed testing the twins' knowledge of records and unusual facts, the brothers agreed to start work on the book in 1954. In August 1954 the first slim green volume - 198 pages long - was at the bookstalls, and in four more months it was England's No. 1 nonfiction best-seller

[edit] Television

Both brothers were regulars on the BBC show Record Breakers. They were noted for their photographic memory, enabling them to provide detailed answers to any questions from the audience about entries in the Guinness Book of Records. Norris continued on the programme after Ross's death.

[edit] Political activity

He was an active Conservative in the early 1960s and fought, unsuccessfully, the seat of Edmonton in the 1964 general election. Both brothers held right-wing views on topics such as immigration, Rhodesia, South Africa, British membership of the European Economic Community and Northern Ireland. Always vigorous campaigners for their version of the liberty of the individual, they founded the 'National Association for Freedom', later 'The Freedom Association', in 1975. This organisation initiated legal challenges against the trade union movement in the UK, CND and the E.E.C. in Brussels.

On November 4, 1975, Ross McWhirter offered a £50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction for several recent high-profile bombings that were publicly claimed by the Provisional IRA.

[edit] Death

On November 27, 1975, Ross McWhirter was killed by two Provisional Irish Republican Army members (volunteers), from what became known as the Balcombe Street gang. He was hit at close range in the head and chest at 18:45 GMT and was taken to Chase Farm Hospital, but died soon after being admitted. The two gunmen are thought to have waited in the garden of McWhirter's home at 50 Village Road, Enfield, Middlesex, for an hour whilst he was in the house preparing to go out to the theatre. When his wife arrived home, she got out of her blue Ford Granada and was approached by two men holding pistols. Mrs McWhirter ran into the house as her husband came to the front door. Seconds later, she heard two shots. The killers then used her car to escape. Police later found the car abandoned a few miles away in Tottenham.^{[citation needed]}

The IRA unit who killed Ross McWhirter and carried out dozens of other attacks in London throughout 1975 was apprehended two weeks later. Hugh Doherty, Martin O'Connell, Eddie Butler and Harry Duggan exchanged shots with police in central London on 6 December and escaped to a flat in Balcombe Street, taking two hostages. The four men were arrested after a six-day siege, charged with 10 murders and 20 bombings and jailed for life in February 1977. They were freed in April 1999 under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement - the multi-party peace deal for Northern Ireland.

[edit] Selected bibliography

Sports and general encyclopædia

• Get To Your Marks (1951, with Norris McWhirter)
• Guinness Book of Records (1955-1975, with Norris McWhirter)
• Ross: The Story of a Shared Life (Norris McWhirter) ISBN 0-902782-23-1

[edit] External links

• TV presenter Ross McWhirter shot dead — BBC News On This Day; 26 November 2006.