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William Henry (swimmer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

William Henry
Personal information
Full nameWilliam Henry
National teamGreat Britain
Born(1859-06-28)28 June 1859
St Pancras, London, England
Died20 March 1928(1928-03-20) (aged 68)
St Pancras, London, England
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, water polo
ClubLondon Leander SC
Medal record
Representing Great Britain
Men's swimming
Intercalated Games
Bronze medal – third place 1906 Athens 4×250 m freestyle
Men's water polo
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1900 Paris Team competition

William Henry (28 June 1859 – 20 March 1928), born Joseph Nawrocki, was an English competitive swimmer and lifesaver who represented Great Britain in international competition.[1][2]

Grave of William Henry in Highgate Cemetery (east side)

Biography

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He was of Polish ancestry, and changed his original Polish surname Nawrocki to the English "Henry". He was a co-founder of the Royal Life Saving Society. As a swimmer he won a number of national and European championships. In 1906, at 46, he became the oldest ever Olympic medal winner in swimming as a member of the British men's 4×250-metre relay team which won the bronze medal. He won a gold medal in the 1900 Summer Olympics for Water Polo.[1]

Henry is an International Swimming Hall of Fame inductee. He was the swimming instructor for the British royal family, using the swimming pool at the Bath Club, Dover Street.[1] He helped to formalise the rules of water polo.[3] With Archibald Sinclair (1866–1922), he wrote a book on swimming for the Badminton Library.[4][5]

Death

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He died in the St Pancras district of London, aged 68.[6] He was buried with his wife Elizabeth at Highgate Cemetery, with a memorial above the grave paid for by members and friends of the Royal Life Saving Society.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Our founder, William Henry". Commonwealth Drowning Prevention.
  2. ^ "William Henry". Olympedia. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  3. ^ Henry, William (2013). Water Polo: A Brief History, Rules of the Game and Instructions on How to Play. Read Books Ltd. ISBN 9781446548608.
  4. ^ Sinclair, Archibald; Henry, William (1916). Swimming. The Badminton library of sports and pastimes. London: Longmans, Green & Co; 1st edition 1893; 4th edition 1903{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  5. ^ Watkins, M. G. (5 August 1893). "Review of Swimming by A. Sinclair and W. Henry". The Academy. 44 (1109): 105–106.
  6. ^ England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: William Henry; Jan-Feb-Mar quarter 1928; Age: 67; District: Pancras; Volume: 1b; Page: 79.
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