First Olympians

The forgotten past of Coventry and Warwickshire’s first known Olympians has been rediscovered thanks to ground-breaking research.

While putting the final touches to the most comprehensive regional database of former Olympic and Paralympic athletes ever created, the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games unearthed details of the area’s first Olympians.

Now, thanks to the work of researchers Dave Dix and Robin Leach, the previously forgotten history of Herbert Loveitt from Easenhall in Warwickshire and brothers Claude and Raymond Whittindale from Kenilworth has been uncovered.

The rugby union playing trio are the first known athletes uncovered by the search so far. The three men were part of the silver medal winning Moseley Wanderers team which represented Great Britain at the 1900 Paris Olympics.

Census details show that the father of Raymond, born in 1884, and Claude, born in 1881, was auctioneer James Whittendale. The family was living in Kenilworth by 1880 in The Poplars, a house now demolished, in The Square - where the Coventry Building Society stands today.

Research indicates James was well-known for putting on shows in Kenilworth and provided the town with its first pantomime. He often involved his family and it is likely that Claude and Raymond put in appearances.

Their father died in the late 1890s and at the time of the 1901 census Claude was working in Hereford as an auctioneer’s pupil while Raymond was a law student in London. They had four older brothers, Edgar, Joseph, Herbert and Karl.

The pair died young, Claude aged 26-years-old on February 10, 1907 and Raymond aged 21-years-old on April 9, 1915. The cause of their deaths remains a mystery.

The Whittendale family business was continued by oldest son, Edgar, and research suggests the firm may survive in some form today through mergers and takeovers.

Rugby-born Herbert Loveitt, born in 1873, was an auctioneer who lived in Coventry. Auctioneers were the estate agents of the time, as property was often auctioned, and it is possible that modern estate agents Loveitts are a continuation of his company.

Tom Clift, partnership manager for the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership for the 2012 Games, said: “The hard work of Robin Leach and Dave Dix has produced some fascinating results.

“This underlines the importance of the C&W 2012 Partnership’s search for ensuring details of the region’s proud Olympic and Paralympic heritage are not lost or forgotten.

“It is unclear if any of the three first known athletes married or had children but it would be fantastic if we could trace a living relative or perhaps one of the Olympic medals from the 1900 Paris Games.
“Hopefully by shedding light on Coventry and Warwickshire’s proud sporting past we will inspire our athletes of the future.”

Research shows the team played one game at the 1900 Paris Games - which they lost 27-8 to France. It is thought many of the players travelled overnight to the Olympic Games having represented their club sides the day before and may not have even known they were competing in the Olympic Games.

If you have any information about the region’s first three Olympians or details of any Coventry and Warwickshire Olympic and Paralympic competitors of the past please email CWLegends@cswp.org.uk.