Willie Francis (swimmer)
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | British (Scottish) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 February 1911 Dunfermline, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | April 1997 (aged 86) Kidderminster, England | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Renfrew District ASC | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||
William Francis (23 February 1911 – April 1997) was a Scottish competitive swimmer and backstroke specialist who represented Great Britain in the Olympics and competed for Scotland in the British Empire Games.[1]
Biography
Francis was born in Dunfermline.[2]
At the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, he was eliminated in the semi-finals of the men's 100-metre backstroke event. Four years later at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he was eliminated in the first round of the men's 100-metre backstroke.[2]
At the 1930 British Empire Games he won the silver medal in the 100-yard backstroke contest. Four years later at the Empire Games in Sydney he won the gold medal in the 100-yard backstroke. He was also a member of the Scottish team which won the silver medal in the 3×110-yard medley relay.[3] At the time of the Games he was living at 20 Glebe Crescent in Renfrew and was a reporter by profession.[4]
He also participated in the 1938 Empire Games in Sydney, Australia, but was unplaced in the 110-yard backstroke contest.[5][6]
At the time of the Games he was a newspaper reporter and lived at 32 Glebe Street, Renfrew.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Profile". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Biographical information". Olympedia. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Comonwealth Games Medallists - Swimming and Diving (men)". GBR Athletics. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
- ^ "Montreal and Quebec to Greenock Passenger List, 6 Sep 1930 on the Cunard Antonia". Ancestry. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "William 'Willie' Francis | Scottish Swimming". www.scottishswimming.com. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "For the Glory of the Sport" (PDF).
- ^ "UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, Brisbane to London Arrival - 1 Apr 1938". Ancestry. Retrieved 28 August 2025.