Hedges Worthington-Eyre

While the athletic career of Hedges Worthington-Eyre was a short and fairly uneventful one, his life was far from uneventful. The son of a Dublin accountant, he was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, from where he obtained a BA. At University, he played for the Hockey first XI and was also on the running team. At the 1920 Irish AAA Championships, Worthington-Eyre finished second in the 220 yards was the 440 yards champion. Shortly afterwards, in the triangular match between England, Ireland and Scotland, at Crewe, he finished second, after a great run, to Bevil Rudd. Rudd went on to win the Olympic 400 metre title a month later. Worthington-Eyre’s only other performance of note was in finishing third in the triangular match at Belfast in 1921.

Shortly afterwards, in October 1921, he went to Burma, working with elephants as part of his job as a forestry assistant. Worthington-Eyre returned to England at the outbreak of World War II and joined the Royal Artillery. After the War he was stationed in Germany, where he remained until his retirement, when he returned to the family home at Invermoriston, in the Scottish Highlands. Following the death of his wife, he shared his time between staying with his son on the Scottish Isle of Islay, and his daughter in London, which is where he died of a heart attack in 1979, despite remaining fit and athletic into his 80th year.

Personal Best: 440y – 52.6e (1920).