Peter Beveridge (diver)

Peter Beveridge
Personal information
Nationality England
Employer(s)Aquatic Enterprises, Ltd.
Sport
ClubHighgate Diving Club
Turned pro1939
Achievements and titles
Commonwealth finals1934 British Empire Games

Peter H Beveridge was a British diver who competed for England at the 1934 British Empire Games. He served as honorary secretary of the Highgate Diving Club,[1] an early British diving club founded in 1928.[2] After turning professional, he served as managing director of Aquatic Enterprises, Ltd.,[3] producing and performing in the first British water show, which toured seaside baths across England.[4]

Diving career

In 1933, Beveridge placed third in the men's inter-club springboard diving contest at the Highgate Club gala, behind German national champion and Olympian Leo Esser and fellow Highgate Club diver Doug Tomalin.[5]

Beveridge competed in the 3-metre springboard event at the 1934 British Empire Games in London, where he placed fourth, while Tomalin won silver.[6] He also toured Europe with other English divers.[1]

1939 Water Show

In 1939, he turned professional and appeared in what was billed as the first British water show, featuring as the host and performing together with former international diver Helen Orr, in what they called "a symphony of grace and rhythm from the diving board".[7][3][8] Beveridge produced the show as managing director of Aquatic Enterprises, Ltd., and took the entertainment programme to outdoor pools in Peterborough,[9] New Brighton,[10] Hastings, Bournemouth, Weston-super-Mare, Scarborough, Jersey, Guernsey, and many other locations.[11] The water show included other acts such as seven "Aquabelles" in a water ballet; American diving trapeze artist Larry Griswold; British water comedian Jimmy Johnson; American acrobatic diver Jimmy Rae; and Canadian Harris S. Congden, who performed canoe stunts including a parachute jump from thirty-three feet.[9][7][3] At the time, it was unusual for British commercial ventures to be granted permits to bring American sports entertainers to the UK.[7] A review in The Croydon Advertiser said that the show was "really first-class entertainment" and "a welcome breakaway from the stereotyped swimming gala", suggesting that "the bathing pool may provide a real rival to the variety stage."[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Diving". Marylebone and Paddington Mercury. 31 August 1935. p. 7. Retrieved 15 June 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "History of Diving". Great Britain Diving Federation. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "New Water Show at Purley Way". The Croydon Advertiser and Surrey County Reporter. 7 July 1939. p. 23. Retrieved 15 June 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Larry Griswold". The Daily Telegraph. 12 April 1997. p. 19. Retrieved 16 June 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "German Divers Win". Daily Mirror. 27 May 1933. Retrieved 16 June 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ Kirby, W. Capel (8 August 1934). "More Records Broken in Empire Games". The Daily Independent. Sheffield. p. 10. Retrieved 15 June 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ a b c "A Swimming Innovation". Liverpool Echo. 8 April 1939. Retrieved 16 June 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ^ "The Water Show of 1939 – Big Events at the Marina Pool". The East Kent Times. 1 July 1939. p. 5. Retrieved 18 June 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ a b "Parachute Jump with Canoe–Water Show Thrills". Peterborough Standard. 14 July 1939. p. 9. Retrieved 15 June 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Spectacular Events at New Brighton". Evening Express. 3 August 1939. p. 6. Retrieved 15 June 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Howcroft, W. J. (5 April 1939). "Affront to English water polo". Daily Herald. p. 18. Retrieved 18 June 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.


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