Percy Whitehead

Percy Whitehead’s father, Sir Henry Whitehead, was head of the family firm of cotton bleachers and dyers and Percy followed him into the business. Sir Henry was a keen marksman and was a member of the Council of the National Rifle Association (NRA). In 1907, Henry and his four sons, Percy, John, Sydney, and Henry, junior, all competed at Bisley. Like his father before him, Percy appeared in the international Elcho Shield for England, between 1904-13, and when England won the trophy in 1907, Whitehead was England’s joint top scorer. One of Whitehead’s best individual performances at Bisley was in finishing runner-up in the 1904 Bass Competition.

The Whitehead Challenge Cup was donated by the family following Sir Henry’s death in 1921, to be contested annually at the Bisley Meeting.