Joe Fraser preparing for the Boat Race in 1964, which Cambridge won by 6½ lengths.
‘Joe’ Fraser, who died on 23rd December aged 78, was a longstanding member who came from a rowing family with close connections to LRC. In addition, Joe’s rowing career at Cambridge was particularly successful.
Joe joined in 1958 whilst still at Radley College, where he rowed in the 1960 PE Cup crew (with Nick Cooper and Donald Legget). Joe rowed at 4 in the LRC 1962 Thames Cup VIII which got through two rounds to reach the quarter-finals. There they met Thames in a fine race in which the two crews overlapped from start to finish, London leading up to the ¾ mile but eventually losing by 1/3rd of a length.
Joe went up in the autumn of 1962 to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he rowed for the college in the Ladies Plate from 1963 to 1965, reaching the final in 1965, and the Visitors’ in 1964. He also rowed for Cambridge in the Boat Races of 1964 and 1965, and was President of CUBC in 1965. He had a particularly fine record in the University races on the Cam, winning the following: the Bushe-Fox Freshmen’s Sculls in 1963; the Magdalene Silver Pairs (with Arnold Cooke) in 1963 and (with D J Roberts) in 1965; at 3 in the Jesus crew which dead-heated with Pembroke in the university Coxwainless Fours in 1963 (his father was one of the Jesus crew’s coaches); and finally the Lowe Double Sculls (with Mike Muir-Smith) in 1964 and (with Mike Sweeney) in 1965.
With Joe’s passing there ends some 120 years’ family connections with London.
His grandfather, George Fraser, joined the Club in 1899, and rowed in the Grand in 1900 and 1901 and the Stewards’ in 1903. He was Vice-Captain in 1901 and 1904. In 1904, he won, with F S Lowe, the Double Sculling Skiff Championship. His success on the water was coupled with prominence on the Rugby Football field. He played for Richmond and the Barbarians, and was capped five times for England in 1902 and 1903. He was President of LRC from 1947 until his death in 1950. He was succeeded by C W (Jock) Wise.
Joe’s father, James M (‘Jimmy’) Fraser, joined London in 1927, and was in the Club’s winning Thames Challenge Cup crew in 1931 and the HORR crew of 1932. He also rowed at Jesus College, winning the Ladies’ Plate in 1928, rowed Head of the Lents in 1929 and of the May Races in 1930, and as noted above coached Joe’s coxless four in 1963.
Joe had two LRC uncles. A B (Arthur) Fraser, a younger brother of Jimmy, joined in 1932 and was Captain for the two seasons 1937 and 1938, his second year in office being highlighted by LRC’s win in the Grand (the last by a London ‘club’ crew). Arthur also won the HORR in 1936 and the Wyfolds’ in 1938. The second uncle was Derek Mays-Smith, a brother-in-law of Jimmy and Arthur. He joined in 1928 and his successes included the Thames Challenge Cup in 1931 (with Jimmy) and the Grand and HORR in 1933. He later became a well-known rowing coach.
Joe continued his rowing after graduating and became a Resi at the Club in the mid-1960s for a while. He was in a London Prince Philip coxed four which entered in 1966 but it withdrew from the event after the draw. He started a career in estate agency, later moving to Lloyd’s.
The Fraser family owned for many years the land immediately above Marlow Bridge on which Marlow Rowing Club was built. The land was very recently acquired by Marlow RC which has decided to sell it and use the proceeds to purchase land upstream for a new boathouse.
We extend our condolences to Clare and the family.
(With acknowledgments to Patrick Delafield, Joe’s brother-in-law and former President of CUBC and of Leander Club, for help in collecting the information about the family, and providing the photo).
