Aquatics at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games

Aquatics at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
VenueEmpire Pool
LocationUniversity of British Columbia, West Point Grey, Vancouver, Canada
Dates30 July – 7 August 1954
The Empire Pool on UBC's West Point Grey campus,
Attribution:Province newspaper

Aquatics at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games made its fifth appearance at the Commonwealth Games, with both Swimming at the Commonwealth Games and Diving at the Commonwealth Games being included again. Water Polo at the Commonwealth Games was dropped from the schedule and would not return until 2002.

There were four diving events and 13 swimming events contested.[1][2]

The choice of swimming venue suffered from budgeting issues and a bid by Los Angeles-based Paddock Inc. came in at $140,000 less than the Beaver Construction's tender of $440,719. There were suggestions to rebuild the 1928 Nicola Street Crystal Pool before the Games committee decided that the University of British Columbia (UBC) would benefit from a new $300,000 open air pool.[3]

The pool was constructed on UBC's West Point Grey campus.[4]

Australia topped the medal table with seven gold medals.[5]

Medal table

Diving at the Empire Pool.
Attribution:Province newspaper

  *   Host nation (Canada)

Medals won by nation with totals, ranked by number of golds—sortable
RankNationGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Australia73414
2 South Africa (SAF)3339
3 Scotland3137
4 England1449
5 Canada (CAN)*1416
6 New Zealand1225
7 Wales1001
8 Bermuda0000
 Hong Kong0000
 Jamaica0000
 Northern Ireland0000
Totals (11 entries)17171751

Medal winners

Diving

Event Gold Silver Bronze
3m Springboard (M)  Peter Heatly (SCO)  Tony Turner (ENG)  Jack Stewart (NZL)
10m Highboard (M)  Bill Patrick (CAN)  Kevin James Newell (AUS)  Peter Heatly (SCO)
3m Springboard (W)  Ann Long (ENG)  Barbara McAulay (AUS)  Irene MacDonald (CAN)
10m Highboard (W)  Barbara McAulay (AUS)  Eunice Miller (ENG)  Ann Long (ENG)

Swimming

Men's events

Event Gold Silver Bronze
110 yd freestyle  Jon Henricks (AUS)  Cyrus Weld (AUS)  Rex Aubrey (AUS)
440 yd freestyle  Gary Chapman (AUS)  Jack Wardrop (SCO)  Graham Johnston (SAF)
1650 yd freestyle  Graham Johnston (SAF)  Peter Duncan (SAF)  Gary Chapman (AUS)
110 yd backstroke  John Brockway (WAL)  Lincoln Hurring (NZL)  Cyrus Weld (AUS)
220 yd breaststroke  Jack Doms (NZL)  Peter Jervis (ENG)  Alan Hime (ENG)
4×220 yd freestyle relay  Australia
David Hawkins
Gary Chapman
Jon Henricks
Rex Aubrey 		Canada
Allen Gilchrist
George Park
Gerald McNamee
Ted Simpson 		South Africa
Dennis Ford
Graham Johnston
Peter Duncan
Billy Steuart
3×110 yd medley relay  Australia
Cyrus Weld
David Hawkins
Jon Henricks 		 New Zealand
Frederick Lucas
Jack Doms
Lincoln Hurring 		 Scotland
Jack Wardrop
John Service
Robert Wardrop

Women's events

Event Gold Silver Bronze
110 yd freestyle  Lorraine Crapp (AUS)  Virginia Grant (CAN)  Joan Harrison (SAF)
440 yd freestyle  Lorraine Crapp (AUS)  Gladys Priestley (CAN)  Margaret Girvan (SCO)
110 yd backstroke  Joan Harrison (SAF)  Pat Symons (ENG)  Jean Stewart (NZL)
220 yd breaststroke  Elenor Gordon (SCO)  Mary Morgan (SAF)  Margaret Grundy (ENG)
4×110 yd freestyle relay South Africa
Felicity Loveday
Joan Harrison
Machduldt Petzer
Natalie Myburgh 		Canada
Beth Whittall
Gladys Priestley
Helen Stewart
Virginia Grant 		 England
Daphne Wilkinson
Fearne Ewart
Jean Botham
Valerie Nares-Pillow
3×110 yd medley relay  Scotland
Helen Gordon
Margaret McDowell
Margaret Girvan 		South Africa
Joan Harrison
Machduldt Petzer
Mary Morgan 		 Australia
Jann Grier
Judith Knight
Lorraine Crapp

Finals (men)

[6]

3m springboard

Jack Stewart of New Zealand winning a bronze medal
Attribution:Province newspaper
Pos Athlete Pts
1 Scotland Peter Heatly 146.76
2 England Tony Turner 145.27
3 New Zealand Jack Stewart 144.98
4 Australia Kevin James Newell 141.04
5 Canada Bernard D. Valois 137.97
6 Canada Bill Patrick 135.48
7 England Frank Mercer 124.74

10m Platform

Bill Patrick of Canada winning gold.
Attribution:Province newspaper
Pos Athlete Pts
1 Canada Bill Patrick 142.7
2 Australia Kevin James Newell 142.06
3 Scotland Peter Heatly 141.32
4 England Peter Tarsey 140.56
5 England Tony Turner 138.31
6 Canada Terrence Connelly 110.78

110y freestyle

Pos Athlete Time
1 Australia Jon Henricks 56.5
2 Australia Cyrus Weld 58.5
3 Australia Rex Aubrey 58.7
4 Canada George Park 59.1
5 Hong Kong Cheung Kin Man 59.9
6 Jamaica Barrington Roper 1:00.2

440y freestyle

Pos Athlete Time
1 Australia Gary Chapman 4:39.8
2 Scotland Jack Wardrop 4:41.5
3 South Africa Graham Johnston 4:43.3
4 South Africa Peter Duncan 4:48.6
5 Canada Gerald McNamee 4:51.6
6 South Africa Billy Steuart 4:52.1

1650y freestyle

Start of a swimming event.
Attribution:Province newspaper
Pos Athlete Time
1 South Africa Graham Johnston 19:01.4
2 South Africa Peter Duncan 19:22.1
3 Australia Gary Chapman 19:28.4
4 South Africa Billy Steuart 19:28.6
5 England Donald Bland 20:02.7
6 Canada Gerald McNamee 20:07.9

110y backstroke

Pos Athlete Time
1 Wales John Brockway 1:06.5
2 New Zealand Lincoln Hurring 1:06.9
3 Australia Cyrus Weld 1:08.6
4 South Africa Lin Meiring 1:09.2
5 Scotland Bert Wardrop 1:09.9
6 England Haydn Rigby 1:10.7

220y breaststroke

Pos Athlete Time
1 New Zealand Jack Doms 2:52.6
2 England Peter Jervis 2:52.6
3 England Alan Hime 2:52.8
4 Australia David Hawkins 2:53.3
5 Scotland John Service 2:53.9
6 Canada Robert Gair 2:56.0

4x220y freestyle relay

Pos Athlete Time
1 Australia Hawkins, Chapman, Henricks, Aubrey 8:47.6
2 Canada Gilchrist, Park, McNamee, Simpson 8:56.0
3 South Africa Ford, Johnston, Duncan, Steuart 8:56.3
4 England Bland, Rigby, Roberts, Jervis 9:17.6

3x110y medley relay

Pos Athlete Time
1 Australia Weld, Hawkins, Henricks 3:22.0
2 New Zealand Lucas, Doms, Hurring 3:26.6
3 ScotlandWardrop J, Service, Wardrop R 3:27.3
4 England Rigby, Roberts, Jervis 3:27.8
5 Canada Park, Anderson, Simpson 3:28.3
6 Northern Ireland Devlin, Fletcher, Laverty 3:45.2

Finals (women)

3m springboard

Pos Athlete Pts
1 England Ann Long 128.26
2 Australia Barbara McAulay 127.74
3 Canada Irene MacDonald 126.19
4 England Charmain Welsh 121.54
5 New Zealand Jeannette Laws 104.26
6 Canada Lois Wood 89.64

10m Platform

Pos Athlete Pts
1 Australia Barbara McAulay 86.55
2 England Eunice Miller 79.86
3 England Ann Long 79.53
4 New Zealand Jeannette Laws 61.34
5 Canada Lois Wood 55.16

110y freestyle

Empire Pool, Vancouver.
Attribution:Province newspaper
Pos Athlete Time
1 Australia Lorraine Crapp 1:05.8
2 Canada Virginia Grant 1:06.3
3 South Africa Joan Harrison 1:08.2
4 New Zealand Marrion Roe 1:08.9
5 South Africa Machduldt Petzer 1:09.0
6 South Africa Natalie Myburgh 1:09.4

440y freestyle

Pos Athlete Time
1 Australia Lorraine Crapp 5:11.4
2 Canada Gladys Priestley 5:19.6
3 Scotland Margaret Girvan 5:21.4
4 South Africa Machduldt Petzer 5:21.5
5 South Africa Natalie Myburgh 5:23.0
6 Canada Beth Whittall 5:27.3

110y backstroke

Pos Athlete Time
1 South Africa Joan Harrison 1:15.2
2 England Pat Symons 1:17.4
3 New Zealand Jean Stewart 1:17.5
4 Canada Lenora Fisher 1:18.2
5 Scotland Margaret McDowall 1:18.8
6 England Maureen Pitchfork 1:19.0

220y breaststroke

Pos Athlete Time
1 Scotland Elenor Gordon 2:59.2
2 South Africa Mary Morgan 3:03.3
3 England Margaret Grundy 3:04.5
4 Australia Jann Grier 3:13.4
5 Canada Margaret Stangroom 3:18.0
6 Canada Margaret Peebles 3:20.5

4×110y freestyle relay

The medal ceremony for the 4×110 yd freestyle relay
Attribution:Province newspaper
Pos Athlete Time
1 South Africa Loveday, Harrison, Petzer, Myburgh 4:33.9
2 Canada Whittall, Priestley, Stewart, Grant 4:37.0
3 England Wilkinson, Ewart, Botham, Nares-Pillow 4:41.8

3×110y medley relay

Pos Athlete Time
1 Scotland Gordon, McDowell, Girvan 3:51.0
2 South Africa Harrison, Petzer, Morgan 3:52.7
3 Australia Grier, Knight, Crapp 3:55.6
4 EnglandBotham, Grundy, Pitchfork 3:56.4
5 Canada Fisher, Stangroom, Grant 3:57.5

References

  1. ^ "Commonwealth Games Medallists - Swimming and Diving (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Commonwealth Games Medallists - Swimming and Diving (women)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  3. ^ "The Mega-event that Set a Pace for Vancouver". The Tyee. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Wednesday at the BEG". Vancouver Sun. 3 August 1954. p. 14. Retrieved 20 September 2025 – via Google Newspapers.
  5. ^ "Medal Standings Vancouver 1954". Commonwealth Games Federation. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  6. ^ "Swimming". Birmingham Daily Post. 7 August 1954. p. 23. Retrieved 25 September 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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