Thomas Littledale

Thomas Littledale was both the son and grandson of former Lord Mayors of Liverpool. In addition, his father was the Commodore of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club, of which Thomas junior became a member of in 1869. He was one of the 10 crew members aboard Sir Charles McIver’s Mouchette, which won the silver medal in the 12-metre class at the 1908 Olympics, and was one of several crew members from the Royal Mersey Club.

As a youngster, Littledale played rugby for Liverpool, when it was a 20-a-side game, and he also won representative honours with Lancashire and the North of England. His sailing endeavours saw him race 10- and 20-tonners on the Clyde and in Irish waters, and in the 1880s he sailed around the world in his 90-ton schooner The Asteroid.

Littledale also enjoyed shooting expeditions abroad, often with his brother St. George, a well-known explorer and naturalist. Their trips took them as far afield as India, The Rockies, and Australia. Upon his retirement, Littledale was made an honorary member of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club.