Henry Longhurst

Henry Carpenter Longhurst (18 March 1909 – 21 July 1978) was a renowned British golf writer and commentator. During World War II, Longhurst was also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Acton in West London, England.

Longhurst was the son of Harry Longhurst who established the firm of Longhurst & Skinner, a house-furnishing business at Bedford, England. He was educated at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne, close to the Royal Eastbourne Golf Club, where he records "gazing at them - the caddies, not the golfers - with deepest envy as I peered surreptitiously up from the Greek unseen." He was "hooked for life" during a family holiday in 1920 at Yelverton in Devon, where he started playing golf on a home-made three-hole course on a common. Here Longhurst was encouraged by the local professional [Henry Longhurst, "My Life and Soft Times", Cassell 1971] . He won a scholarship to Charterhouse School and in 1928 went to Clare College, Cambridge, where he later became captain of golf for Cambridge University.

After starting work in the family business he found a post selling advertising space for the "Hardware Trade Journal". He had been attracted by the politics of the proprietor, Sir Ernest Benn, and had become a member of the Individualist Society, which Benn founded. Longhurst started writing for a monthly golf magazine called "Tee Topics" and came to the attention of the editor of the "Sunday Times (UK)" who invited him to contribute to the sporting page. Thus he became the golf correspondent of the Sunday Times, and retained that position for 40 years. He was also a regular contributor to "Golf Illustrated". From the late 1950s to the end of his life he was BBC Television's senior golf commentator. He had many lifelong friends including the cricket writer and commentator E.W. Swanton, and Alistair Cooke. Cooke referred to his writing as "the prose style, which was as effortless as falling out of bed." [Alistair Cooke "Letter from America"]

In 1943 Longhurst was elected at a by-election as MP for Acton in West London, but lost the seat at the 1945 general election. [cite book |last=Craig |first=F. W. S. |authorlink= F. W. S. Craig |title=British parliamentary election results 1918-1949 |origdate= |origyear=1969 |edition= 3rd edition |year=1983 |publisher= Parliamentary Research Services |location=Chichester |id= ISBN 0-900178-06-X]

In 1953 Longhurst acquired the Clayton Windmills (Jack and Jill) near Brighton in Sussex. He lived for a number of years at "Jack", first in the mill itself and then in a modern house next to it built in 1963. "Jill" was derelict but with a grant from East Sussex County Council it was restored and opened for visitors. [Henry Longhurst "My Life and Soft Times" Cassell 1971]

Quotes

Publications

* "My Life and Soft Times", Cassell 1971.
* "Golf", Dent
* "It was Good while it Lasted", Dent
* "You never know till you get there", Dent
* "I wouoldn't have missed it", Dent
* "Golf Mixture", Laurie
* "Round in Sixty-Eight", Laurie
* "The Borneo Story", Newman Neame
* "Adventure in Oil", Sidgwick & Jackson
* "Spice of Life", Cassell
* "Only on Sundays", Cassell
* "Never on Weekdays", Cassell

References

* Oxford Dictionary of National Biography -E. W. Swanton, "Longhurst, Henry Carpenter (1909–1978)", rev., first published Sept 2004

*Mark Wilson And Ken Bowden (eds) "The Best of Henry Longhurst on Golf and Life" Collins 1979

*Rayment