1938 British Empire Games

3rd British Empire Games
Host city Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nations participating 15
Athletes participating 464
Events 71
Opening ceremony 5 February
Closing ceremony 12 February
Main Stadium Sydney Cricket Ground

The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the Commonwealth Games being the modern-day equivalent. Held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia from February 5–12, 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 years since the foundation of British settlement in Australia). Venues included the Sydney Cricket Ground (the main stadium), the Sydney Sports Ground, North Sydney Pool and Henson Park. An estimated 40,000 people attended the opening ceremony. A competitors' residential village was established within the grounds of the Sydney Showground.

The star of the games was the Australian athlete Decima Norman, who won five gold medals in track and field. Margaret Dovey, the future wife of the former Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam, finished sixth in the 200 yards breaststroke.

Due to the onset of World War II, the games were not held again until 1950.

Contents

Participating teams

Medals by country

 Rank  Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Australia 25 19 22 66
2  England 15 15 10 40
3  Canada 13 16 15 44
4  South Africa 10 10 6 26
5  New Zealand 5 7 13 25
6  Wales 2 1 0 3
7  Ceylon 1 0 0 1
8  Scotland 0 2 3 5
9  British Guiana 0 1 0 1
10  Southern Rhodesia 0 0 2 2
Total 71 71 71 213

Medals by event

Athletics

Boxing

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Flyweight Johnny Joubert (SAF)  Joe Gagnon (CAN)  Hugh Cameron (SCO)
Bantamweight  William Butler (ENG) Hendrik Knoesen (SAF)  Jack Dillon (AUS)
Featherweight  Ceylon Barney Henricus (CEY)  James Watson (SCO)  Kenneth Moran (NZL)
Lightweight  Harry Groves (ENG)  Harry Hurst (CAN) William Fulton (RHO)
Welterweight  Bill Smith (AUS)  Arthur Heeney (NZL) Andrew Tsirindonis (RHO)
Middleweight  Denis Reardon (WAL)  Maurice Dennis (ENG)  Rex Carey (CAN)
Light heavyweight Nick Wolmarans (SAF)  Cecil Overell (AUS)  Joseph Wilby (ENG)
Heavyweight  Thomas Osborne (CAN) Claude Sterley (SAF)  Leslie Harley (AUS)

Cycling

Track

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Time Trial  Bob Porter (AUS) 1:15.2  Tasman Johnson (AUS) 1:15.7  Ernest Mills (ENG) 1:15.9
Sprint 1000 yd  Dunc Gray (AUS)  Bob Porter (AUS)  George Giles (NZL)
10 mile Scratch  William Maxfield (ENG) 24:44.0  Ray Hicks (ENG) Syd Rose (SAF)

Road

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Time Trial Hennie Binneman (SAF) 2'53:29.6  John Brown (NZL) s.t.  Ray Jones (ENG) s.t.

Diving

Men's events

Event Gold Silver Bronze
3 m springboard  Ron Masters (AUS) 126.36  Doug Tomalin (ENG) 124.78  George Athans (CAN) 117.90
10 m platform  Doug Tomalin (ENG) 108.74  Ron Masters (AUS) 102.87  George Athans (CAN) 98.93

Women's events

Event Gold Silver Bronze
3 m springboard  Irene Donnett (AUS) 91.18  Lynda Adams (CAN) 88.27  Marie Sharkey (CAN) 81.66
10 m platform  Lurline Hook (AUS) 36.47  Lynda Adams (CAN) 36.39  Irene Donnett (AUS) 34.57

Lawn Bowls

All events were for men only.

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Singles Horace Harvey (SAF)  Frank Livingstone (NZL)  Jack Low (AUS)
Pairs  Walter Denison
and Lance Macey (NZL)
 Percy Hutton
and Howard Mildren (AUS)
D.A. Adamson
and J.R. Appleford (SAF)
Fours  NZL
Alec Robertson
Ernie Jury
Bill Bremner
Bill Whittaker
 South Africa
F. Stevenson
J. G. Donaldson
Norman Walker
T. H. Samson
 Australia
Aub Murray
Charlie H. McNeill
Frank Murray
Tom Kinder

Rowing

All events were for men only. The double sculls competition was an invitation event and originally no medals were awarded nevertheless these medals were counted nowadays. The bronze medal is listed as won by New Zealand.

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Single sculls  Herb Turner (AUS) 8:24  Peter Jackson (ENG)  Robert Smith (NZL)
Double sculls  Cecil Pearce
and William Bradley (AUS)
7:29.4  Jack Offer
and Dick Offer (ENG)
 Gus Jackson
and Robert Smith (NZL)
Coxed fours  Australia
Don Fraser
Gordon Freeth
Harry Kerr
Jack Fisher
Stewart Elder
7:16.8  New Zealand
Albert Hope
George Burns
John Rigby
Kenneth Boswell
Jim Clayton
+1.25 lgths  Canada
Donald Davis
James Temple
James MacDonald
Kenneth Jaggard
Max Winkler
+0.75 lgths
Eights  England
Basil Beazley
Desmond Kingsford
John Sturrock
John Burrough
John Turnbull
Peter Jackson
Rhodes Hambridge
J. T. Turner
Thomas Reeve
6:29  Australia
Joe Gould
Alfred Gregory
Edward Bromley
Frank le Souef
Gordon Yewers
Richard Paramor
William Thomas
Bill Dixon
Doug Bowden
+0.75 lgths  New Zealand
Gus Jackson
Cyril Stiles
Fred Thompson
Howard Benge
John Charters
Leslie Pithie
Oswald Denison
James Gould
William Stodart
+2 lgths

Swimming

Men's events

Event Gold Silver Bronze
110 yd freestyle  Bob Pirie (CAN) 59.6 Terry Collard (SAF) 60.8  William Fleming (AUS) 61.0
440 yd freestyle  Bob Pirie (CAN) 4:54.6  Bob Leivers (ENG) 4:55.4  Robin Biddulph (AUS) 4:55.5
1650 yd freestyle  Bob Leivers (ENG) 19:46.4  Bob Pirie (CAN) 19:59.2  Norman Wainwright (ENG) 20:17.4
110 yd backstroke  Percy Oliver (AUS) 01:07.9  Gordon Kerr (CAN) 1:09.0  Micky Taylor (ENG) 1:09.3
220 yd breaststroke  John Davies (ENG) 2:51.9 Walter Spence (BGU) 3:00.5  Jimmy Prentice (CAN) 3:00.8
4×220 yd
freestyle relay
 England
Frederick Dove
Mostyn Ffrench-Williams
Norman Wainwright
Bob Leivers
9:19.0  Canada
George Burleigh
Gordon Devlin
Robert Hooper
Bob Pirie
9:20.2  Australia
Robert Wilshire
Noel Ryan
Robin Biddulph
William Fleming
9:32.9
3×110 yd
medley relay
 England
Frederick Dove
John Davies
Micky Taylor
3:28.2  Canada
Gordon Kerr
Jimmy Prentice
Bob Pirie
3:30.5  Australia
Ernest Hobbs
Percy Oliver
William Fleming
3:31.8

Women's events

Event Gold Silver Bronze
110 yd freestyle  Evelyn de Lacy (AUS) 1:10.1  Dorothy Green (AUS) 1:11.1  Dorothy Lyon (CAN) 1:12.1
440 yd freestyle  Dorothy Green (AUS) 5:39.7  Margaret Jeffrey (ENG) 5:40.2  Mona Leydon (NZL) 5:42.0
110 yd backstroke  Pat Norton (AUS) 1:19.5  Jeanne Greenland (WAL) 1:22.5  Margot Hamilton (SCO) 1:23.2
220 yd breaststroke  Doris Storey (ENG) 3:06.3 Carla Gerke (SAF) 3:12.1  Joan Langdon (CAN) 3:22.2
4×110 yd
freestyle relay
 Canada
Noel Oxenbury
Dorothy Lyon
Mary Baggaley
Phyllis Dewar
4:48.3  Australia
Dorothy Green
Evelyn de Lacy
Margaret Rawson
Pat Norton
4:49.0  England
Edna Hughes
Joyce Harrowby
Margery Hinton
Zilpha Grant
4:50.1
3×110 yd
medley relay
 England
Doris Storey
Lorna Frampton
Margery Hinton
3:57.7  South Africa
Carla Gerke
Hazel Holmes
Molly Ryde
4:07.5  Australia
Evelyn de Lacy
Pat Norton
Valerie George
4:10.0

Wrestling

All events were for men only.

Event Gold Silver Bronze
Bantamweight  Ted Purcell (AUS)  Vernon Blake (CAN)  Ray Cazaux (ENG)
Featherweight  Roy Purchase (ENG)  Larry Clarke (CAN)  Joseph Genet (NZL)
Lightweight  Dick Garrard (AUS)  Vernon Thomas (NZL) Alfred Harding (SAF)
Welterweight  Tom Trevaskis (AUS) Felix Stander (SAF)  Jeremiah Podjursky (NZL)
Middleweight  Terry Evans (CAN) Peter Sheasby (SAF)  Leslie Jeffers (ENG)
Light heavyweight  Eddie Scarf (AUS) Sidney Greenspan (SAF)  Thomas Ward (SCO)
Heavyweight  Jack Knight (AUS)  James Dryden (NZL)  John Whelan (CAN)

External links