Peter McWhannell

(Redirected from Percy McWhannell)

Peter McWhannell (3 March 1875 – 26 July 1943) was a New Zealand lawn bowls player who competed for his country at the 1930 British Empire Games, winning a silver medal in the pairs competition.

Peter McWhannell
McWhannell in 1940
Personal information
Born(1875-03-03)3 March 1875
Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died26 July 1943(1943-07-26) (aged 68)
Wellington, New Zealand
OccupationEngineer
Spouse
Mary Cook McCole Love
(m. 1905)
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportLawn bowls
ClubHataitai
Medal record
Men's Lawn bowls
Representing  New Zealand
British Empire Games
Silver medal – second place 1930 Hamilton Pairs

Early life and family

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Born in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1875,[1] McWhannell served his engineering apprenticeship on the Clyde.[2] He emigrated to New Zealand in the early 1900s, initially settling in Dunedin before moving to Wellington.[2] In 1905 he married Mary Cook McCole Love,[3] and the couple went on to have two children.[2]

McWhannell was foreman at Robertson's foundry in Wellington, and subsequently established his own engineering firm of Ross, Jory, and McWhannell.[2]

Lawn bowls

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Initially a member of the Newtown Bowling Club, McWhannell moved to the Hataitai Bowling Club when it was established in 1910, and served as that club's president in 1918.[2] He skipped Hataitai teams to five titles at Wellington tournaments, and won numerous club championships.[2] He was the Hataitai singles champion in 1912, 1917, 1920 and 1935; pairs champion in 1916, 1924, 1927 and 1937; and fours champion in 1918, 1929, 1935, 1938 and 1939.[2]

At the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario, he competed in the pairs and fours.[4] He won the silver medal with his partner William Fielding in the pairs event.[5] The foursome of McWhannell, Fielding, Edward Leach, and Harold Frost finished in fifth place in the fours competition.[6][7]

Not long before his death, McWhannell was elected a life member of the Hataitai Bowling Club.[2]

Death

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McWhannell died at his home in the Wellington suburb of Hataitai on 26 July 1943,[2] and his ashes were buried at Karori Cemetery.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ "U.S., border crossings from Canada to U.S., 1825–1960". Ancestry.com Operations. 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Obituary: Mr. Peter McWhannell". Evening Post. 27 July 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Marriage search, registration number 1905/6946". Births, deaths and marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Percy McWhannell [sic]". New Zealand Olympic Committee. 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Commonwealth Games medallists – bowls". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Bowling team for Canada". Evening Post. 25 June 1930. p. 12. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  7. ^ "Empire Games: keen bowling contest". Auckland Star. 9 October 1930. p. 18. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  8. ^ "Cemeteries search (cremation)". Wellington City Council. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
  9. ^ "Cemeteries search (burial)". Wellington City Council. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2017.