Walter Edgeworth-Johnstone

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Walter Edgeworth-Johnstone KBE CB (24 June 1863 – 4 January 1936) was an Irish sportsman and police official who held the Amateur Boxing Association of England 1895 and 1896 heavyweight titles. He was chief commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Police from 1915 to 1923.[1]

Walter Edgeworth-Johnstone
"Hard Hitter"
Edgeworth-Johnstone as caricatured by Spy (Leslie Ward) in Vanity Fair, July 1896
Personal information
NationalityIrish
Born(1863-06-24)24 June 1863
Kingstown, County Dublin, Ireland
Died4 January 1936(1936-01-04) (aged 72)
Sport
Sportboxing

Life

He was born Walter Johnston in 1863 in Kingstown (now Dún Laoghaire), County Dublin, Ireland.[2] He later changed his name by deed poll to Edgeworth-Johnstone. In 1895 and 1896 he was Amateur Boxing Association of England heavyweight champion. He was also an excellent footballer and cricket player, and won numerous titles in fencing,[3] including the sabre title at the 1898 and 1900 British Fencing Championships.[4]

He was commissioned a lieutenant in the Royal Irish Regiment on 25 August 1886, and promoted to captain on 5 April 1893. In February 1900 he was appointed to act temporarily as assistant inspector of gymnasia at Aldershot.[5][6] He transferred to the Curragh Camp where he was superintendent of gymnasia from 5 February 1901 to 30 September 1902.[7]

Edgeworth-Johnstone was chief commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Police from 1915 to 1923.[1] The unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police stayed largely neutral during the Irish War of Independence.

Honours

Edgeworth-Johnstone was named a companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1918 New Year Honours. He was invested as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1924, and promoted to lieutenant-colonel.[1]

Personal life

In 1897, Edgeworth-Johnstone married Helen Gunning Walker Waters. They had two sons and two daughters. One of his sons was Robert Edgeworth-Johnstone, a chemical engineer. Walter Edgeworth-Johnstone died 4 January 1936 in Regent's Park Terrace, London.[3]

References
  1. Bernard Shaw and Dan H. Laurence (1995). Collected Letters. ISBN 9780370302034. Walter Edgeworth-Johnstone (d. 1936) was Chief Commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Police 1915-23. ...
  2. 1901 census
  3. "Lieut.-Colonel Sir W. E.-Johnstone". The Times. 6 January 1936. p. 16.
  4. "British Champions" (PDF). British Fencing. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  5. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36056. London. 3 February 1900. p. 14.
  6. "No. 27167". The London Gazette. 20 February 1900. p. 1173.
  7. "No. 27488". The London Gazette. 28 October 1902. p. 6807.
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