![]() Dryden in 1937 | |||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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Birth name | James Herbert Ferrier Dryden | ||||||||||||||
Born | Gateshead, England | 8 July 1907||||||||||||||
Died | 29 October 1974 Auckland, New Zealand | (aged 67)||||||||||||||
Weight | 110 kg (17 st 4 lb) [1] | ||||||||||||||
Relative(s) |
Alistair Dryden (son) Murdoch Dryden (grandson) | ||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||
Country | New Zealand | ||||||||||||||
Sport | Wrestling | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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James Herbert Ferrier Dryden (8 July 1907 – 29 October 1974) was a New Zealand wrestler who won a silver medal at the 1938 British Empire Games.
Born in Gateshead, England, on 8 July 1907, Dryden was the son of Margery Dryden (née Waddell) and Herbert Dryden. [2] The family emigrated to New Zealand on the SS Westmeath in 1913, landing in Wellington, [3] and settling in Wairarapa.
Dryden won the New Zealand amateur wrestling championship in the heavyweight division in 1937. [4] He was then selected to represent his country at the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney, where he won the silver medal in the men's heavyweight (100 kg) category. [5] In 1938 and 1939, Dryden successfully defended his heavyweight title at the national amateur championships. [6] [7]
Dryden later contested a number of professional wrestling bouts, particularly in 1942 and 1943, including against Lofty Blomfield and Ken Kenneth. [8] [9] [10]
On 6 February 1929, Dryden married Lilian Anne Osborne at Carterton. [11] In 1940, Dryden married Lynda Evelyn Phelps in Tauranga. [2] Their son, Alistair Dryden, represented New Zealand twice at Olympic Games in rowing. Their grandson, Murdoch Dryden, was also a representative rower. [12]
Dryden's third marriage was to Mary Alison Weedin in Auckland in 1974. [2] He died in Auckland on 29 October 1974, and was buried at Purewa Cemetery, Auckland. [2] [13]