William East (rower)

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William (Bill) East
Born1866
London
Died?
TitleProfessional Sculling Champion of England
Term1891–?
Predecessor Henry Ernest Searle
SuccessorG Bubear

William Giles East (1866 in England – ?), is most known for his sculling career.

England Country in north-west Europe, part of the United Kingdom

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Sculling type of rowing when a rower has two oars

Sculling is the use of oars to propel a boat by moving the oars through the water on both sides of the craft, or moving a single oar over the stern. By extension, the oars themselves are often referred to as sculls when used in this manner, and the boat itself may be referred to as a scull.

Biography

Legend says that he was born in his father’s boathouse at Putney, but he was actually born close to Lambert Pier in London. He spent his whole life on or by the Thames, and became a waterman's apprentice in 1882, which was the year he won the Putney Badge. In 1887, Bill won the Doggett's Coat and Badge Race, and in 1891, he won the English Sculling Championship. However he never defended this title. Seven years later, in 1898, he was appointed a waterman to the Queen. He retired from professional sculling about 1903/04. In June 1906, he became the King's Bargemaster. He also stroked in the winning Champion Fours in the National Regattas of 1890 and 1891, and also won the Champion Pairs.

Doggetts Coat and Badge

Doggett's Coat and Badge is the prize and name for the oldest rowing race in the world. Up to six apprentice watermen of the River Thames in England compete for this prestigious honour, which has been held every year since 1715. The 4 miles 5 furlongs race is held on the Thames between London Bridge and Cadogan Pier, Chelsea, passing under a total of eleven bridges en route. Originally, it was raced every 1 August against the outgoing tide, in the boats used by watermen to ferry passengers across the Thames. Today it is raced at a date and time in late July that coincides with the incoming tide, in contemporary single sculling boats.

The English Sculling Championship developed out of informal competitions between working watermen on rivers such as the Thames and the Tyne. Various matches were made on a casual basis but in time these were more formalised. The first recognised Champion was Charles Campbell (rower) who beat John Williams in September 1831 on the Thames. Various persons then held the Championship which was gained under the challenge system. In June 1876 Edward Trickett of Australia won the Championship and then the Title became the World Sculling Championship See this entry for a list of Champions and races, and other details, from 1831 to 1876.

Bill seems to have been a very popular person on the Thames and was early on connected to Cambridge University Boat Club, to train and coach the crews. In 1904, he published the ‘how-to’ book Rowing and Sculling.

Bill East coached Trinity Hall’s famous rower and sculler, the American Benjamin Hunting Howell to victories in the Wingfield Sculls in 1898 and 1899; the same years Howell also won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley-on-Thames.

Benjamin Hunting Howell was an American rower who won the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta and the Wingfield Sculls in 1898 and 1899.

Wingfield Sculls

The Wingfield Sculls is a rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England, on the 4 14 miles (6.8 km) Championship Course from Putney to Mortlake.

Diamond Challenge Sculls event at the Henley Royal Regatta

The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

Like many other champion scullers he later in life became a publican. He ran the Prince’s Head hotel and then the Pigeon Hotel at Richmond. [1]

Bill East died in January 1933.

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References

  1. Amy Dyduch (8 March 2013). "The Victorian era's Steve Redgrave". Richmond and Twickenham Times. p. 18.