Bob Bourne

The son of professor Gilbert Charles Bourne, the famous Eton and Oxford oarsman and coach, Robert Croft Bourne went on to stroke four successive winning Oxford Boat Race crews between 1909-12, including the famous re-run race of 1912 after both crews sank.

Like his father, Bourne also started rowing during his time at Eton and was the 1906 school sculling champion. After going to Oxford, he was in five successive winning New College eights crews between 1908-12. He enjoyed success at Henley, winning the Stewards’ Challenge Cup three years in succession 1912-14 representing New College (twice) and Leander. He stroked six successive Grand Challenge Cup crews 1908-13 but was never on the winning eight. He was, however, in the New College eights that won the silver medal at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. That same year, New College won the Head of the River title on the Thames.

After Oxford, where he studied law, Bourne was called to the Bar in 1913. He served with the Territorial battalion of the Herefordshire Regiment during World War I but was badly wounded at Suvla Bay in the Dardanelles. It was an injury that ended his rowing career. After the War, Bourne became a member of the Herefordshire County Council and in a by-election in 1923 he was elected the conservative Member of Parliament for Oxford City, a position he held until his death in 1938. Bourne was made a Privy Councillor in 1935 and that year became the first active MP to umpire the Boat Race.

Bourne died suddenly at the age of 50 while out walking in the highlands of Scotland. He was replaced as MP for Oxford City by a man who became a giant of United Kingdom politics, Quintin Hogg.