Julius Beresford

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Julius Beresford

| birth_name = Julius Bernard Wiszniewski

| nickname = Berry, The Old Berry

| birth_date = 18 July 1868

| death_date = {{death date and age|1959|9|29|1868|7|18|df=yes}}

| sport = Rowing

| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Country | {{GBR}} }}

}}

Julius Beresford (Wiszniewski) (18 July 1868 – 29 September 1959), also known as Berry or The Old Berry, was a British rower and coach. Beresford competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/37217 |title=Julius Beresford |work=Olympedia |access-date=28 May 2021}}

Life

Beresford was the son of Julius Bernard Wiszniewski, an emigrant from Danzig and his wife Stella Louisa Davey.Office for National Statistics – Birth and marriage indices In 1871, the family was living in Tottenham.British Census 1871 Julius Beresford dropped his father's surname "Wiszniewski" in 1914. Outside rowing, he was a partner in a furniture-making business, Beresford & Hicks.{{Cite web|title=Beresford & Hicks (1891-1995) {{!}} BIFMO|url=https://bifmo.history.ac.uk/entry/beresford-hicks-1891-1995|access-date=2021-03-27|website=bifmo.history.ac.uk}}

Beresford initially sculled at Kensington Rowing Club in Hammersmith with some success, winning many trophies although failing in attempts at the Wingfield Sculls in 1902 and 1903[http://www.rowingservice.com/wingfieldsrecords.xls Wingfield Sculls Record of Races] and in the London Cup at the Metropolitan Regatta. By 1904, he had decided that he had reached his limits as a single sculler and moved to Thames Rowing Club in order to row seriously in crew boats. He remained a member of Thames for the rest of his life. In 1909 and 1911, he was in the crew that won the Stewards Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta. Also, in the 1911 regatta, he partnered Arthur Cloutte to win the Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup.[http://www.rowinghistory.net/HRR%20US/hrr_1839-1939.htm Henley Royal Regatta Results of Final Races 1839–1939] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309113109/http://www.rowinghistory.net/HRR%20US/hrr_1839-1939.htm |date=9 March 2012 }} In a heat of this event he and Cloutte dead heated against Bruce Logan and Charles Rought to set a course record which lasted until 1934.[http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/events/events.php?id=616691 Henley Royal Regatta When they prayed for rain 29 June 2009] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717022816/http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/events/events.php?id=616691 |date=17 July 2011 }} Rought and Logan joined Beresford who was the bowman, in the Thames Rowing Club coxed four which won the silver medal for Great Britain rowing at the 1912 Summer Olympics.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/julius-beresford-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418041612/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/julius-beresford-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 April 2020 |title=Julius Beresford | accessdate = 26 August 2018}}

Beresford served as captain of Thames Rowing Club in 1914 and again in 1926. In 1922, he was appointed as vice president of the club. He was a dedicated coach with strong opinions. Despite holding similar views on techniques, Beresford clashed with Steve Fairbairn, and a dispute between the two was an underlying cause of Fairbairn's move from Thames to London Rowing Club in 1927.{{Cite web|title=Julius Beresford and others track racing progress at Henley - Thames Rowing Club Archive|url=https://www.thamesrcarchive.co.uk/index.php/00494|access-date=2021-03-27|website=www.thamesrcarchive.co.uk}}

As a coach at Thames, Beresford's greatest successes came in 1927 when Thames won four events at Henley Royal Regatta and in 1928 when the club repeated the feat.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Beresford's son Jack Beresford was also a rower and won medals at five successive Olympics.{{Cite sports-reference |title = Jack Beresford |url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/jack-beresford-1.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200417114238/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/jack-beresford-1.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 17 April 2020 |access-date = 26 August 2018 }} His grandson Michael Beresford also became an Olympic rower.{{Cite sports-reference |title = Michael Beresford |url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/michael-beresford-1.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418041611/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/be/michael-beresford-1.html |url-status = dead |archive-date = 18 April 2020 |access-date = 26 August 2018 }}