Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

Jack Cawkwell
Sheffield/Birstall
It took until April 1919 to recognise that Jack Cawkwell had been killed in a German attack on the Western Front a year before.

Born in Sheffield in 1883 or 1884, he began his golfing education as assistant to his brother, George, at the Hallamshire club in Sheffield at the turn of the 20th century. After two years apprenticeship here he was appointed professional at Barnsley in 1902. He had two more spells as assistant, first with Christopher Callaway at the United Service Club in Haslam then a short spell back with his brother. He moved to the British Golf Company in London in order to learn clubmaking.

Back in his own city he was professional at Wortley between 1907 and 1910, and, in addition to creditable performances locally, performed well in the French Open of 1909 attributing his tailing off after the first round to lunch!

He moved to Birstall, Leicester in 1910 and seemed set for a glittering career as the Sheffield Daily Telegraph commented, 'he has given many proofs of the excellence of his game .... and I suppose scarcely has a rival hereabouts in his short game .... whilst we may take it that we shall see him a regular participant in the big professional meetings which are so common in the Midlands'.

The war came and he enlisted in June 1916 with the King’s Royal Rifles and was called up the following February. Ultimately he was listed as killed in action on 26 April 1918 having been transferred as a Private to the 10th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment leaving a wife and two children with a widow’s pension of 25 shilllings and 5 pence a week. He is commemorated on the Tynecot Memorial.

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