Beaufort Burdekin attended Cheltenham College between 1905-10 and it was there that he started rowing. He continued after going to New College, Oxford to study law. In 1912 Burdekin was a member of Bob Bourne’s Head of the River New College winning crew and was in their eight that also won the silver medal at that year’s Stockholm Olympics. He was a rowing Blue, appearing on the losing Oxford crew in 1914 in the last Boat Race before the outbreak of World War I.
During the War, Burdekin served as a lieutenant with the Royal Field Artillery but was invalided out in 1915 after being injured in France. During his time at home he married Miss Katharine Penelope Cade, who later became the famous novelist, Katharine Burdekin. He returned to the Army and, in 1920, Burdekin and his wife and two children emigrated to Australia. She had her first novel “Ann Colquhoun” published in 1922, and that same year the couple divorced. She returned to England, continued writing, and had nine more novels published between 1924-40. Burdekin stayed in Australia and continued practicing as a barrister. He was a member of the Royal Sydney Golf Club
Great Britain