Robert Waley Explained

Ken Waley
Birth Name:Robert George Krulock Waley
Nationality:Australian
Sport:Rowing
Club:Sydney Rowing Club
Headercolor:skyblue
Nationals:Interstate Championship M8+ 1910,11
Birth Date:26 November 1889
Birth Place:Burwood, New South Wales, Australia
Death Place:Sydney, Australia

Robert George Krulock "Ken" Waley (26 November 1889 – 10 September 1939) was an Australian coxswain who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.[1] [2] He was Australia's first selected representative coxswain.

Rowing career

Waley was educated at the King's School where he was introduced to rowing. In 1909 he coxed the Sydney University eight which won the men's eight event at the Australian University Championships.[3] His senior club rowing was from the Sydney Rowing Club.

In 1910 and 1911 he steered the New South Wales crews to victory in the men's eight at the annual Australian Interstate Regatta.[4] [5]

He was coxswain in a 1912 Australian eight which racing as Sydney Rowing Club, won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley-on-Thames, where they beat the Leander Club.[6] As an Australasian representative crew, they then travelled to Stockholm, Sweden for the 1912 Summer Olympics, where after beating a Swedish crew in the first round,[7] they were then knocked-out in the quarter-final by the same Leander eight they had defeated at Henley a few weeks earlier.[8] This was the first Australian international representative rowing crew and Waley was thus Australia's first representative coxswain.[9]

War service

Waley enlisted late in WWI as he neared aged 30 and gave his occupation as a company manager. He served in the Flying Corps and was promoted from Private to Sergeant during his period short service. He was returned to Australia just before war's end for duty at the Central Flying School Australia but was almost immediately discharged.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Robert Waley. https://web.archive.org/web/20200418055632/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wa/robert-waley-1.html. dead. 18 April 2020. Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. 21 January 2018.
  2. Web site: Robert Waley . Olympedia . 29 May 2021.
  3. http://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/university-championships/1909.php 1909 Intervarsity Championships
  4. http://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/interstate-championships/1910.php#M8 1910 Interstate Regatta
  5. http://www.rowinghistory-aus.info/interstate-championships/1911.php#M8 1911 Interstate Regatta
  6. Web site: 1912 Stockholm Olympics. rowinghistory-aus.info. 20 January 2018.
  7. Web site: Rowing at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's Coxed Eights Round One. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417171755/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1912/ROW/mens-coxed-eights-round-one.html. dead. 17 April 2020. Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. 14 January 2018.
  8. Web site: Rowing at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's Coxed Eights Quarter-Finals. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417192928/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1912/ROW/mens-coxed-eights-quarter-finals.html. dead. 17 April 2020. Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. 14 January 2018.
  9. https://rowingaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/5.4-Australian-Senior-Team-Numbers-As-of-160418.pdf Australian historical Senior Team list as at April 2018
  10. https://rowinghistory.worldsecuresystems.com/rower-profiles/waley-robert-g Waley Profile at Australian Rowing History