Harold Brainsby

Harold Kingsford Brainsby (5 December 1910 – 3 April 1975) was a New Zealand field athlete who won a bronze medal in the triple jump at the 1934 British Empire Games in London.

Harold Brainsby
Brainsby in 1941
Personal information
Full nameHarold Kingsford Brainsby
Born(1910-12-05)5 December 1910
Hansworth, Staffordshire, England
Died3 April 1975(1975-04-03) (aged 64)
Auckland, New Zealand
Spouse(s)
Mary Priscilla Wrightson
​
​
(m. 1940)​
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportAthletics
Event(s)Triple jump, long jump
Achievements and titles
National finalsTriple jump champion (1934, 1935)
Medal record
Men's Athletics
Representing  New Zealand
British Empire Games
Bronze medal – third place 1934 London Triple jump

Early life and family

Born in Handsworth on the outskirts of Birmingham, England, in 1910, Brainsby was the son of Edith Anna (née Kingsford) and Arthur Todd Brainsby, a Baptist minister.[1] The family emigrated to New Zealand in 1911.[2] Educated at Whangarei High School,[3] Brainsby went on to study at Auckland University College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1934, and a Bachelor of Laws and Diploma of Journalism in 1938.[4]

On 23 March 1940, Brainsby married Mary Priscilla Wrightson at St Aidan's Church in the Auckland suburb of Remuera,[5] They adopted a daughter in 1957 and divorced in 1960. Harold remarried Diana Kelly and the couple had one son.[3]

Athletics

Brainsby competed for New Zealand at the 1934 British Empire Games, where he won the bronze medal in the triple jump, with a distance of 47 feet 11+1⁄2 inches (14.62 m). He also competed in the long jump, finishing in seventh place with a leap of 21 feet 6+1⁄2 inches (6.57 m).[6]

He won the triple jump title at the national athletics championships in 1934 and 1935, and was second in the same event but the leading New Zealander (behind Japanese athlete Kenshi Togami) in 1937.[7]

Later life and death

Brainsby served with the 21st Rifle Battalion, 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force during World War II.[5] He rose from the rank of sergeant to become a major on General Freyberg's staff, and returned to New Zealand after the battle of El Alamein.[3] Following a career as an illustrator and journalist for the Auckland Star, New Zealand Herald, and Auckland Weekly News, in 1952 he joined the Highland Park law firm of Melville Churton, which, in 1962, became Churton Brainsby & Hart.[3][8]

A noted contract bridge player, Brainsby was a member of the Auckland four that won the New Zealand championship on several occasions.[3] He also served as president of the Northern Bridge Club.[3]

Brainsby died in Auckland on 3 April 1975, and his body was cremated at Purewa.[3][9]

References
  1. "1911 England census: Class - RG14; Piece - 17219; Schedule Number - 188". Ancestry.com Operations. 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  2. "UK outward passenger lists, 1890–1960". Ancestry.com Operations. 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  3. "Lawyer and former athlete dies at 63". New Zealand Herald. 4 April 1975. p. 2.
  4. "NZ university graduates 1870–1961: Bh–Bre". Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  5. "Marriage at Remuera". New Zealand Herald. 25 March 1940. p. 13. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  6. "Harold Brainsby". New Zealand Olympic Committee. 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  7. Hollings, Stephen (January 2015). "National champions 1887–2014" (PDF). Athletics New Zealand. p. 40. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  8. "History of Churton Hart & Divers, barristers and solicitors, Howick, Auckland". Churton Hart & Divers. 2008. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  9. "Burial & cremation details". Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
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