POSTED AS MISSING

Evening Star, Issue 24082, 31 December 1941, Page 8

POSTED AS MISSING

MIDSHIPMAN B. E. MCPHERSON FORMER SCHOOLBOY CHAMPION RUNNER Midshipman 11.. E- McPherson, R.N.Z.N., who has been posted as missing, is a son of Lieutenant-colonel J. McPherson, of Macandrew Bay ; who served witli the Ist N.Z.E.b. m the last war. Midshipman McPherson is remembered here as one of the finest schoolboy middle-distance runners, the Otago Boys’ High School has developed. In 1938, when he was only 15 years ot age, he won the Otago and Southland secondary schools’ intermediate (under 1G1) half-mile championship in the record time of 2min 12sec, and the follovvin0" year at the Otago ■ Boys High School sports, while still eligible as an intermediate, he carried off the senior middle-distance cup with wins in the quarter and half-miles and a dead heat in the mile. Brian McPherson stamped himself as a great prospect by his running at the secondary school championship meeting in Invercargill in 1939. He won the intermediate 440yds in the new record time of 54 2-ssec. which was one-fifth of a second faster than the senior record at the time. He rah a gallant race in the intermediate half-mile, in which he was the unlucky victim of a considerable amount of jostling which took place on the first bend, falling back to eighth place at the bell. McPherson then began what appeared an almost hopeless task 300yds from the tape, when he started his move forward from ninth place. In a brave effort he went through the field, and went to the front a few yards from the finish to win by 2yds in 2min 13 3-ssec. Owing to a kg injury he was unable to compete, at either the Otago Boys’ High School or secondary school championship meetings last year.' McPherson was a speedy and determined wing three-quarter in the Otago Bovs’ High School first fifteen last year, and, a boy of the finest type, he was also head prefect of the school. He was one of those selected by the New Zealand Government at the end of 1940 to go to Dartmouth Royal Naval College. A brother. Lieutenant J. A. McPherson, was selected some time earlier to enter the Dnntroou Royal Military College in Australia, and passed out from there some time ago to become a member of the New Zealand Staff Corps.