# 1938 British Empire Games

The 1938 British Empire Games were the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 years since the foundation of British settlement in Australia). Venues included the Sydney Cricket Ground (the main stadium), the Sydney Sports Ground, North Sydney Olympic Pool and Henson Park. An estimated 40,000 people attended the opening ceremony. A competitors' residential village was established within the grounds of the Sydney Showground.
The star of the games was the Australian athlete Decima Norman, who won five gold medals in track and field. Margaret Dovey, later married to Australian prime minister Gough Whitlam, finished sixth in the 220 yards breaststroke.
Due to the onset of World War II, the games were not held again until 1950.

## Participating teams

* Australia (host)
* Bermuda
* British Guiana
* Canada
* Ceylon
* England
* Fiji
* India
* New Zealand
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* South Africa
* Southern Rhodesia
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Wales

## Medals by country

* Host nation (Australia)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Australia (AUS)* | 25 | 19 | 22 | 66 |
| 2 | England (ENG) | 15 | 15 | 10 | 40 |
| 3 | Canada (CAN) | 13 | 16 | 15 | 44 |
| 4 | South Africa (SAF) | 10 | 10 | 6 | 26 |
| 5 | New Zealand (NZL) | 5 | 7 | 13 | 25 |
| 6 | Wales (WAL) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 7 | Ceylon (CEY) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Scotland (SCO) | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 9 | Guiana (BGU) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Southern Rhodesia (SRH) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Totals (10 entries) | Totals (10 entries) | 71 | 71 | 71 | 213 |

## Medals by event
### Boxing

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Flyweight | Johnny Joubert (SAF) | Joe Gagnon (CAN) | Hugh Cameron (SCO) |
| Bantamweight | William Butler (ENG) | Hendrik Knoesen (SAF) | Jack Dillon (AUS) |
| Featherweight | Barney Henricus (CEY) | James Watson (SCO) | Kenneth Moran (NZL) |
| Lightweight | Harry Groves (ENG) | Harry Hurst (CAN) | William Fulton (RHO) |
| Welterweight | Bill Smith (AUS) | Arthur Heeney (NZL) | Andrew Tsirindonis (RHO) |
| Middleweight | Denis Reardon (WAL) | Maurice Dennis (ENG) | Rex Carey (CAN) |
| Light heavyweight | Nick Wolmarans (SAF) | Cecil Overell (AUS) | Joseph Wilby (ENG) |
| Heavyweight | Thomas Osborne (CAN) | Claude Sterley (SAF) | Leslie Harley (AUS) |

### Cycling
#### Track

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| Time Trial | Bob Porter (AUS) | 1:15.2 | Tasman Johnson (AUS) | 1:15.7 | Ernest Mills (ENG) | 1:15.9 |
| Sprint 1000 yd | Dunc Gray (AUS) | | Bob Porter (AUS) | | George Giles (NZL) | |
| 10-mile Scratch | William Maxfield (ENG) | 24:44.0 | Ray Hicks (ENG) | | Syd Rose (SAF) | |

#### Road

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| Road Race | Hennie Binneman (SAF) | 2'53:29.6 | John Brown (NZL) | s.t. | Ray Jones (ENG) | s.t. |

### Diving
#### Men's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 3 m springboard | Ron Masters (AUS) | 126.36 | Doug Tomalin (ENG) | 124.78 | George Athans (CAN) | 117.90 |
| 10 m platform | Doug Tomalin (ENG) | 108.74 | Ron Masters (AUS) | 102.87 | George Athans (CAN) | 98.93 |

#### Women's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 3 m springboard | Irene Donnett (AUS) | 91.18 | Lynda Adams (CAN) | 88.27 | Marie Sharkey (CAN) | 81.66 |
| 10 m platform | Lurline Hook (AUS) | 36.47 | Lynda Adams (CAN) | 36.39 | Irene Donnett (AUS) | 34.57 |

### Rowing

All events were for men only. The double sculls competition was an invitation event and originally no medals were awarded nevertheless these medals were counted nowadays. The bronze medal is listed as won by New Zealand.
| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| Single sculls | Herb Turner (AUS) | 8:24 | Peter Jackson (ENG) | | Robert Smith (NZL) | |
| Double sculls | Cecil Pearce and William Bradley (AUS) | 7:29.4 | Jack Offer and Dick Offer (ENG) | | Gus Jackson and Robert Smith (NZL) | |
| Coxed four | Australia Don Fraser Gordon Freeth Harry Kerr Jack Fisher Stewart Elder | 7:16.8 | New Zealand Albert Hope George Burns John Rigby Ken Boswell Jim Clayton | +1.25 lgths | Canada Donald Davis James Temple James MacDonald Kenneth Jaggard Max Winkler | +0.75 lgths |
| Eights | England Basil Beazley Desmond Kingsford John Sturrock John Burrough John Turnbull Peter Jackson Rhodes Hambridge J. Tim Turner William Reeve (cox) | 6:29 | Australia Joe Gould Alfred Gregory Ted Bromley Frank le Souef Gordon Yewers Richard Paramor William Godfrey Thomas Bill Dixon Doug Bowden | +0.75 lgths | New Zealand Gus Jackson Cyril Stiles Rangi Thompson Howard Benge John Charters Les Pithie Oswald Denison James Gould William Stodart | +2 lgths |

### Swimming
#### Men's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 110 yd freestyle | Bob Pirie (CAN) | 59.6 | Terry Collard (SAF) | 60.8 | William Fleming (AUS) | 61.0 |
| 440 yd freestyle | Bob Pirie (CAN) | 4:54.6 | Bob Leivers (ENG) | 4:55.4 | Robin Biddulph (AUS) | 4:55.5 |
| 1650 yd freestyle | Bob Leivers (ENG) | 19:46.4 | Bob Pirie (CAN) | 19:59.2 | Norman Wainwright (ENG) | 20:17.4 |
| 110 yd backstroke | Percy Oliver (AUS) | 01:07.9 | Gordon Kerr (CAN) | 1:09.0 | Micky Taylor (ENG) | 1:09.3 |
| 220 yd breaststroke | John Davies (ENG) | 2:51.9 | Walter Spence (BGU) | 3:00.5 | Jimmy Prentice (CAN) | 3:00.8 |
| 4×220 yd freestyle relay | England Frederick Dove Mostyn Ffrench-Williams Norman Wainwright Bob Leivers | 9:19.0 | Canada George Burleigh Gordon Devlin Robert Hooper Bob Pirie | 9:20.2 | Australia Robert Wilshire Noel Ryan Robin Biddulph William Fleming | 9:32.9 |
| 3×110 yd medley relay | England Frederick Dove John Davies Micky Taylor | 3:28.2 | Canada Gordon Kerr Jimmy Prentice Bob Pirie | 3:30.5 | Australia Ernest Hobbs Percy Oliver William Fleming | 3:31.8 |

#### Women's events

| Event | Gold | Gold | Silver | Silver | Bronze | Bronze |
| 110 yd freestyle | Evelyn de Lacy (AUS) | 1:10.1 | Dorothy Green (AUS) | 1:11.1 | Dorothy Lyon (CAN) | 1:12.1 |
| 440 yd freestyle | Dorothy Green (AUS) | 5:39.7 | Margaret Jeffery (ENG) | 5:40.2 | Mona Leydon (NZL) | 5:42.0 |
| 110 yd backstroke | Pat Norton (AUS) | 1:19.5 | Jeanne Greenland (WAL) | 1:22.5 | Margot Hamilton (SCO) | 1:23.2 |
| 220 yd breaststroke | Doris Storey (ENG) | 3:06.3 | Carla Gerke (SAF) | 3:12.1 | Joan Langdon (CAN) | 3:22.2 |
| 4×110 yd freestyle relay | Canada Noel Oxenbury Dorothy Lyon Mary Baggaley Phyllis Dewar | 4:48.3 | Australia Dorothy Green Evelyn de Lacy Margaret Rawson Pat Norton | 4:49.0 | England Edna Hughes Joyce Harrowby Margery Hinton Zilpha Grant | 4:50.1 |
| 3×110 yd medley relay | England Doris Storey Lorna Frampton Margery Hinton | 3:57.7 | South Africa Carla Gerke Hazel Holmes Molly Ryde | 4:07.5 | Australia Evelyn de Lacy Pat Norton Valerie George | 4:10.0 |

### Wrestling

All events were for men only.
| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Bantamweight | Ted Purcell (AUS) | Vernon Blake (CAN) | Ray Cazaux (ENG) |
| Featherweight | Roy Purchase (AUS) | Larry Clarke (CAN) | Joe Genet (NZL) |
| Lightweight | Dick Garrard (AUS) | Vernon Thomas (NZL) | Alfred Harding (SAF) |
| Welterweight | Tom Trevaskis (AUS) | Felix Stander (SAF) | Jerry Podjursky (NZL) |
| Middleweight | Terry Evans (CAN) | Peter Sheasby (SAF) | Leslie Jeffers (ENG) |
| Light heavyweight | Eddie Scarf (AUS) | Sidney Greenspan (SAF) | Thomas Ward (SCO) |
| Heavyweight | Jack Knight (AUS) | Jim Dryden (NZL) | John Whelan (CAN) |