Bernard Brown

The son of an Irish bookbinder, Bernard Brown’s parents moved to England in the 1860s and settled in the London area before moving to Suffolk, where Bernard was born. He was accepted into service with the Post Office shortly after his 20th birthday in 1898, and became a sorter at the London East Central District.

Because of his sporting interests, Brown joined, initially, the Post Office’s Spartan Rowing Club, and enjoyed considerable success with them, notably as stroke in their coxed fours. In 1901 Brown was runner-up with the senior coxed fours at the Thames branch of the National Amateur Rowing Association Regatta, and was also in the crew that won the eights title.

Brown then took to race walking with St. Martin’s Harriers, another Post Office Club, and dovetailed the two sports for a while in the early years of the 20th century. He would later join the Surrey Walking Club, and also turned out for the Irish Athletic Club (London).

In 1906 Brown won the Post Office’s annual 20-mile walking championship and in 1908, finished second to the surprise winner Harold Ross of Tooting in the inaugural National 20-Mile Road Walking Championship, organised by the newly formed Southern Counties Road Walking Association. Shortly afterwards, Brown shared first place with Patrick Blake of Navan in the 1908 GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) two-mile walk. Brown then went to the London Olympics having finished fourth in the Olympic trial at the White City. At The Games however, he was disqualified shortly after the start of the third lap when lying sixth in his 3,500 metres heat.

Brown curtailed his competitive walking after the 1908 Olympics but took part in the 1911 London to Brighton race and finished fourth in a race won by Harold Ross. Brown finished second to Ross (again) in the 1914 National 20-Mile Road Walking Championship and finished seventh in the 1925 championship, at the age of 47, in 1925. He was still racing beyond the age of 50, and took part in the Surrey Walking Club’s annual championship in 1929.

In October 1936, the year after Brown’s death, the Surrey Walking Club inaugurated a six-miles race for the B. C. Brown Cup for novice walkers “in memory of the great walker.”