Bernard Darwin

Bernard Darwin was the only son of botanist Sir Francis Darwin, and grandson of Charles Darwin, author of On the Origin of Species. Sadly Bernard’s mother died in childbirth and her son went on to be considered by some as the best golf writer of all time. He was educated at Summer Fields School (Oxford), Eton College and then graduated with a law degree from Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned his golf Blue in 1895-97. In 1903 he was called to the Bar of the Inner Temple but disliked the job, and became a journalist, originally submitting occasional articles to the Evening Standard. He then covered golf for The Times (London) from 1907-52, and for Country Life from 1907-61. He also occasionally wrote on cricket. Darwin was also known as an authority on Charles Dickens and wrote several articles on him. He also had a vast knowledge of well-known murder cases.

Darwin started playing golf at Aberdovey (Wales) at the age of six, and went on to become a solid player, reaching the semi-final of The Amateur Championship (British Amateur) in 1909 and 1921, and played in the first Walker Cup match for Great Britain in 1922 when he was called up to play after the British captain Robert Harris was unable to take part. Darwin only went to the match to cover it for The Times. Darwin also won eight caps for England against Scotland, and won the coveted Golf Illustrated Gold Vase (1919), President’s Putter (1924), and Worplesdon Foursomes (1933) with Miss Joyce Wethered. Darwin went on to serve as Captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in 1934, and was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2005.

Darwin covered the 1913 US Open for The Times, in which British gofers Harry Vardon and Ted Ray were hopeful of lifting the trophy but the unknown American youngster Francis Ouimet beat the two Britons after a three-way play-off, and it heralded what would be the start of American supremacy in the world of golf. Darwin marked Ouimet’s card in the play-off.

During World War I, Darwin served with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a lieutenant, and also acting major, and served in Macedonia for two and a half years. He became principal of the Royal College of Art (1948–67), and was knighted in 1964, having earlier received a CBE in 1937. Darwin’s wife Elinor provided illustrations for some of the children’s books he wrote.