Biography.guide
Home › People › Swimmer › John Brockway
Portrait of John Brockway

John Brockway

1928 – 2009

British swimmer, Olympic athlete, Commonwealth Games gold medallist

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About John Brockway

Lived 1928 – 2009 (aged 80). John Brockway was a British swimmer.

William John Brockway (8 October 1928 – 26 July 2009) was a male Welsh competitive swimmer.

Swimming career Brockway represented Great Britain at the Olympics and European championships, and Wales at the British Empire Games, during the late 1940s and 1950s. Brockway was a backstroke specialist who served as the captain of the British swimming team at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics.

He was born in Bristol, England, and died in Newport, Wales.

Brockway made his Olympic debut at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, where he advanced to the final of the men's 100-metre backstroke, finishing seventh in a time of 1:09.2. He swam the same event at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, and 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, but was unable to progress to the event final despite swimming faster times on each occasion.

Competing for Wales at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, New Zealand, he won the silver medal in the men's 110-yard backstroke in 1:08.0. He then went on to win the gold medal in the same event at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, Canada, swimming a time of 1:06.5. In the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, he finished sixth in the 110-yard backstroke, and sixth as a member of the Welsh men's team in the 4×110-yard medley relay.

At the ASA National British Championships he won the 110 yards backstroke title seven times (1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955).

Personal life Following his swimming career, Brockway became an engineer at steelworks in the Newport area of South Wales.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Also known as
William John Brockway

People in John Brockway's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped John Brockway's

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Brockway?

British swimmer, Olympic athlete, Commonwealth Games gold medallist

When was John Brockway born?

John Brockway was born on 8 October 1928 in Bristol.

When did John Brockway die?

John Brockway died on 26 July 2009 in Newport.

What was John Brockway's occupation?

John Brockway was a swimmer.

What nationality was John Brockway?

John Brockway was British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: John Brockway

· Wikidata: Q6223283

· DBpedia: John Brockway (swimmer)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Brockway. https://biography.guide/john-brockway/

MLA: "John Brockway." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-brockway/.

Chicago: "John Brockway." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-brockway/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:27 UTC