Talk:Peter Beveridge (diver)

Rename

I am not really sure how to nominat an article. I think this should be renamed to Peter Beveridge (police) or a similar name, since his notability actually comes from his work with the police, not from diving.John Pack Lambert (talk) 16:52, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

Let's try to work out if they are the same person first. I have found some coverage on Peter Beveridge, managing director of Aquatic Enterprises, Ltd. (1939) from The Croydon Advertiser. Cielquiparle (talk) 16:56, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

Percy Beveridge

My hypothesis at the moment is that Beveridge competed as a diver using the name "Percy Beveridge" (as that's what turns up when you search for the 1934 Empire Games), and that he started using the name "Peter Beveridge" when he turned professional (there is some coverage about Beveridge, Orr, and other leading British divers deciding to do this around the same time). It was not uncommon among young British athletes in the early 20th century that they competing using their shortest possible "nickname", or possibly used both names interchangeably. Cielquiparle (talk) 17:44, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

An example of this is British diver Doug Tomalin, who appears in diving competition newspapers as "C. D. Tomalin". In other words, if you were searching on Tomalin's first name, you might not have found him. Meanwhile Peter Beveridge appears in newspapers as "P. H. Beveridge". Cielquiparle (talk) 04:28, 16 June 2022 (UTC)

Peter Beveridge pic

Apparently, Peter Beveridge is in this 1960 photo with Lance Hull. But which one is he? The mystery continues...

https://catalogue.jerseyheritage.org/collection/Details/archive/110548376 Cielquiparle (talk) 20:51, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

Following your line of enquiry, he's also in this one, clearly identifiable:

https://catalogue.jerseyheritage.org/collection/Details/archive/110471004?page=1 Ingratis (talk) 05:17, 16 June 2022 (UTC)

Nice. OK, so he's the guy with the clipboard, clearly serving as a diving official in 1956 (and later in the 1960 photo, he's the guy with the tie). Is it likely that this was the same Peter Beveridge who was the Scotland Yard Big Five detective who retired in 1955? (It isn't proven one way or the other but it just seems so unlikely...and super interesting if he did turn out to be the same person.) The English vs. Scottish thing also suggests they were two different people, but sometimes athletes are eligible to compete for either or both. Cielquiparle (talk) 05:37, 16 June 2022 (UTC)

Here is a portrait of Peter Beveridge, swimming club secretary and pool manager in Jersey:

https://catalogue.jerseyheritage.org/collection/Details/archive/110321588?page=2 Cielquiparle (talk) 12:33, 16 June 2022 (UTC)

There's a photo of PB the policeman (at that time a Sergeant) at his wedding in Fife under the title "A Fife Bridal" in The Courier and Advertiser, 16 August 1930, p. 4 (wife Margaret Whyte). Unfortunately it's on a subscription-only site and I've not been able to extract the photo. I'm not sure to be honest if it's the same man or not. If you can access the paper through another site you may be able to form a more definite opinion. Ingratis (talk) 13:09, 17 June 2022 (UTC)

Obituary for Detective Peter Beveridge

Here is an obituary dated 7 January 1977 for Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Beveridge, who was SCOTTISH, and retired from the Metropolitan Police in 1955. Cielquiparle (talk) 21:11, 15 June 2022 (UTC)

Peter Beveridge, Jersey

As the photos above indicate, there was a Peter Beveridge who was Secretary of the Swimming Club at Havres de Pas, Jersey, and manager of the bathing pool there. If this is the same Beveridge, his move to Jersey may help to explain why it has been so difficult to find further records for him (e.g. an obituary). https://www.bailiwickexpress.com/jsy/news/looking-back-jaws-incident-havre-des-pas/ (2019 article above about a historical shark sighting in 1951.) Cielquiparle (talk) 12:23, 16 June 2022 (UTC)

Peter Beveridge, Scotland Yard

There's a good photo of him in "Scotland Yard's Murder Squad" on google books: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Scotland_Yard_s_Murder_Squad/gIoFEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=peter+beveridge&pg=PT62&printsec=frontcover . The page is unnumbered - it's the last photographic plate at the end of the book and the last mention of Beveridge. It does look like the same man as the diver. Ingratis (talk) 13:19, 17 June 2022 (UTC)

Well done. I could see why it sort of looks like the diving official with the clipboard in the picture you found earlier...but check out the other photo from Jersey that says Peter Beveridge, it's a portrait that looks nothing like the detective (although yes, for the record we still lack any evidence which would link Jersey PB to either of the London PBs): https://catalogue.jerseyheritage.org/collection/Details/archive/110321588?page=2#nanogallery/gallerywrapper/0/1 Cielquiparle (talk) 14:16, 17 June 2022 (UTC)