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Great Britain 1928 Olympic coxed four

Wallingford RC

Taken prisoner in the British retreat to Dunkirk.
Killed by friendly fire shortly before Allied liberation.

Peregrine Sydney Goldwin Propert was born at St. Davids, Pembrokeshire, in 1861, the son of Dr. W. P. Propert, LL.D. He was a fine athlete and as a youth of 17 swam across the Ramsey Sound, a dangerous strait about a mile wide. He was educated privately and then at Trinity Hall, Cambridge where, as well as being a co-founder of the Footlights Amateur Dramatic Society, he took up rowing. In 1884 he won with the Rev. Sidney Swann the University Pairs and was extra man for the University Eight.

Around this time he also travelled across Canada and cycled through Syria with Rev. Sidney Swann.

He graduated in 1884 and thereafter rowed for Thames until 1890, and he was a member of the winning crews in the Grand Challenge Cup in 1888 and 1889, the Wyfold Challenge Cup in 1886 and 1890 and the Metropolitan Challenge Cup in 1886, 1888, and 1889.

As his Times obituary explains, "When he went to the University Propert had intended to make law his career, but he was caught up by the wave of religious enthusiasm so strong in the Cambridge of his day that he decided to take orders, and was ordained in 1885. At once he started work among the poor in Fulham as curate of St. Andrew's, and it was not long before he founded the parish of St. Augustine’s, in which he built the stately memorial church (raising £30,000 for its construction as a memorial to Queen Victoria). One of his greatest interests throughout his long career was Poor Law administration. He took up the study of economics better to understand it, and became one of the best known writers and speakers on the subject. He defended consistently the board of guardians and the system of poor relief under which they functioned. It was in no small measure due to him that the Minister of Health’s Bill of 1930, known as the Miscellaneous Provisions Bill, which seriously affected boards of-guardians, failed to become law.

Some insight to his uncompromising views on the best way to deal with poverty can be given by this extract from a letter he wrote to the Times in 1907:

"...the second fundamental principle of Poor Law administration laid down by the Poor Law Commissioners in their additional report of 1839 (that the condition of the pauper should be less eligible than that of the independent labourer) is now universally disregarded...I may add that the comfort and attraction of these palatial Poor Law establishments, with their Christmas feasts, the provision of regular entertainments during the winter, newspapers, books, periodicals, games, and the very small amount of work exacted from the able-bodied, are so great that they largely cease to be in any way deterrent, or to act as a test, and so fail in the very object for which they were instituted."

Prudnikov coxed the Soviet coxed pair at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki.

Obituary from the Thames RC website:

Pauline was a member of Thames RC for over 40 years, and the club’s first female captain, chair and president.

Pauline first took up rowing aged 13 at Alpha Women’s Amateur Rowing Club in Chiswick and started racing almost immediately, competing in her first Women’s Eights Head of the River Race (WEHORR) just before her 14th birthday. She represented Great Britain at the 1960 European Rowing Championships.

In 1983 Pauline joined Thames RC, and quickly became an integral part of the club. As a teacher she was key to building the rowing programme at Putney High School, running the squad out of Thames and later Barn Elms Boat House for a time and teaching many young women to row. Later on she coached the Thames novice squad for many years, imparting her rowing wisdom firmly and honestly.

At the same time Pauline kept up her own rowing career, winning hundreds of veteran medals at events in the UK and worldwide. Until recently she rarely missed competing in WEHORR, and was fond of putting together carefully selected crews for Veteran Fours Head of the River and the Vesta Veterans Head – often with great success and another pennant to add to her considerable collection. She also held indoor rowing records during her career, which lasted well into her 70s.

Pauline was elected as captain of Thames in 1990 and served until 1993; she then took over as the club chair between 2001 and 2009, and also served as membership secretary for many years. She was made club president in 2019. During her time on the club committee Pauline played a major role in managing and fundraising for the construction of a new gym, opened in 2005. She was awarded an MBE in 2007 for services to sport.

Pauline also looked after the simpler needs of the club, cooking athlete meals for a time and for many, many years running the weekend refreshments table – including baking huge trays of delectable flapjacks, which were devoured by hungry rowers.

The club was delighted in 2019 to name a new women’s eight in Pauline’s honour and the shell has since recorded several wins, including back-to-back wins in the Copas Cup for club eights at Henley Women’s Regatta. The 2023 crew were thrilled that Pauline was able to witness the victory in person.

Pauline was also able to attend Henley Royal Regatta in July 2023 to see three Thames victories, including the second win in the club women’s event, the Wargrave Challenge Cup, and celebrated those again at the annual dinner in late November. It was a delight for all that she was able to be at both events.

Pauline’s contribution to the club cannot be underestimated, and she will be remembered fondly and missed hugely by all.