Philip Francis Sharpley (30 May 1914 – 6 September 1987) was a New Zealand track and field athlete who represented his country at the 1938 British Empire Games.
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Philip Francis Sharpley |
| Born | 30 May 1914 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 6 September 1987 (aged 73) |
| Occupation(s) | Soldier Schoolteacher |
| Spouse(s) |
Winifred Sheila Mary von Dadelszen
(m. 1940)Una May Addis (m. 1950) |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | 100 yd champion (1939) 120 yd hurdles champion (1934, 1936, 1939, 1940) 220 yd hurdles champion (1934, 1936, 1939, 1940) |
Early life and family
editBorn in Dublin, Ireland, on 30 May 1914, Sharpley was the son of Frederick James Sharpley and Sarah Jane Barry.[1][2] The family emigrated to New Zealand in 1924,[3] and settled in Hastings.[2] Sharpley married Winifred Sheila Mary von Dadelszen, great-niece of Edward John von Dadelszen, at Havelock North on 30 December 1940.[4] He married his second wife, Una May Addis, in 1950, and they had two children.
Athletics
editIn all, Sharpley won nine New Zealand national athletics titles: the 120 yards hurdles and 220 yards hurdles in 1934, 1936, 1939, and 1940; and the 100 yards sprint in 1930.[5] He held the national records for the 120 yards hurdles and 220 yards hurdles, with times of 14.8 seconds and 24.4 seconds, respectively.[6]
At the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, Sharpley finished sixth in the final of the men's 120 yards hurdles.[7] In the men's 100 yards sprint, he finished second in his heat and then last in his semi-final, and did not progress further.[8]
Sharpley became involved in athletics coaching and assisted Rona Tong with her hurdling skills in the lead-up to the 1938 British Empire Games.[9] He coached the New Zealand athletics team at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, and later coached Mary Donaghy.[10] Sharpley was also the athletics coach for the New Zealand team at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston.[11]
Military service
editDuring World War II, Sharpley served with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Anti-Tank Companies (4th reinforcements) in August 1940.[12] At an army sports meeting in Cairo in July 1941, he won the 100 yards sprint and 220 yards hurdles events.[13] Promoted to the rank of lieutenant, he was reported missing in August 1942,[14] and was held as a prisoner of war in Germany.[15] At the end of April 1945 he was reported to have returned to Britain, and held the rank of captain.[16]
Sharpley was later a physical trainer at the Papakura Military Camp during compulsory military training in the 1950s.[17]
Later life and death
editSharpley became a schoolteacher,[18] and he wrote and illustrated publications for Department of Education, including Running, jumping and throwing (1950), and Athletics: a guide book for teachers, coaches and players, which was first published in 1960, and reissued in 1973 and 1978.[19]
In retirement, Sharpley worked with his wife, Una, a noted studio potter, and also developed a home-made pug mill for mixing clay for pottery.[20]
Sharpley died on 6 September 1987, and his ashes were buried at Papakura Cemetery.[1][21][22]
Honorific eponym
editSharpley Place, in the Hamilton suburb of Chartwell, is named in Sharpley's honour.[23]
References
edit- ^ a b "Death search: registration number 1987/45541". Births, deaths & marriages online. Department of Internal Affairs. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Engagements". New Zealand Herald. 17 August 1940. p. 22. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "UK, outward passenger lists, 1890–1960". Ancestry.com Operations. 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Family tree". Knowledge Bank. Hawke's Bay Digital Archives Trust. Archived from the original on 18 May 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ Hollings, Stephen (December 2016). "National champions 1887–2016" (PDF). Athletics New Zealand. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Sharpley in form". Horowhenua Chronicle. 12 April 1939. p. 3. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Frank Sharpley". New Zealand Olympic Committee. 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Several records fall". Evening Post. 7 February 1938. p. 7. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ Hodge, Karen (9 September 2004). "Hurdler from the cutting edge". Dominion Post. p. 6.
- ^ "Athlete is now farmer's wife". New Zealand Herald. 17 September 1964.
- ^ New Zealand British Empire and Commonwealth Games Team, Kingston, Jamaica. Wellington: New Zealand Tourist and Publicity Department. 1966.
- ^ "New Zealand, World War II appointments, promotions, transfers and resignations, 1939–1945". Ancestry.com Operations. 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Army sports meeting". The Press. 18 August 1941. p. 8. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "N.Z.E.F. casualties". The Press. 6 August 1942. p. 6. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Records keep falling to junior hurdling star". Auckland Star. 10 February 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Casualties in N.Z.E.F." The Press. 1 May 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ Mayall, Bryan (June 2016). "Profile Stew Foster" (PDF). Up-Front (91). Waikato–Bay of Plenty Masters Athletics: 4–7. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ Franklin electoral district: supplementary roll no. 1 of persons entitled to vote for Members of Parliament of New Zealand. 1963. p. 299.
- ^ "Collections search". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Collections search". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Genealogy search: death". Auckland Council. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Genealogy search: burial". Auckland Council. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
- ^ "Honouring sportspeople". Waikato Times. 2 November 2012. p. 9.