Geraldine Beamish

Winifred Geraldine Ramsey was the eldest daughter, and one of six children of London Stock Exchange dealer Arthur Ramsey and his wife Fanny. Arthur was himself a good tennis player and in 1889 reached the final of the singles handicap at his club, Forest Gate LTC, but lost to a 15-year-old – Herbert Roper Barrett

Geraldine, as she preferred to be called, played at Wimbledon every year from 1910 to 1933, with the exception of the War years. From 1912 she played under the name Geraldine Beamish after marrying fellow player Alfred Ernest Beamish towards the end of the previous season. She reached the ladies singles final three times but lost to Briton Phyllis Satterthwaite in 1919, to Molla Mallory (USA) in 1922 and in 1923 she was whitewashed 6-0, 6-0 by the French star Suazanne Lenglen. And it was Lenglen and partner Elizabeth Ryan of the United States, who ended Beamish’s only chance of Wimbledon glory in 1921 by beating her and Irene Peacock of South Africa in the ladies doubles instraight sets.

Geraldne entered all three events at the 1920 Olympics and won a silver medal in the doubles with Dorothy Holman, but they lost the final to fellow Britons Kitty McKane and Winifred McNair. However, Beamish won the world covered court singles title that same year by beating McKane in three sets. She was also three times the world covered court doubles champion, with Kitty McKane each time, and in 1919 she won the mixed doubles title with Frenchman Max Décugis.