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Name: CORMACK, James Noble

Birth Date: 11 Jan 1877 Ayr

Death Date: 22 Jan 1965 Kingswood, Surrey

First Date: 1922

Profession: Civil servant

Area: Nairobi

Married: In Durban 5 June 1924 Mary Walters b. 1893 Cape Province, S. Africa, nurse

Children: Keith (19 Apr 1932 Pretoria-25 May 1998 Nairobi)

Book Reference: Red 25

War Service: Royal Highlanders

General Information:

In Johannesburg Ofice of Works 1903; in Pretoria PWD 1904
Ran in Olympic marathon 1 May 1906 in Athens (leading British finisher, 14th in 3 hr 35)
www.artefacts.co.za/main/Buildings/archframes.php?archid=304 : By 1902 he was in South Africa employed by the PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, which he joined that year, at Cradock. He was transferred later that year to the PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT in the Transvaal, working as a draughtsman. In 1910 he was appointed Inspector of Works and in 1912 Assistant Engineer in the Public Works Department. Cormack enlisted during the First World War and was promoted to the rank of Major in December 1914. He was listed as a member of the Association Transvaal Association in 1915, resident in Potchefstroom where he already appears to have been living in 1911 ? his LRIBA nomination papers were signed by EF Evelyn-Wright of the Public Works Department in 1911. The Public Service List (1919) noted that he was on leave in 1919. He was seconded to the Imperial War Graves Commission in 1924 (PSL 1924:57) and was later (n.d.) appointed Director of Works in South West Africa. He retired from the Institute of South African Architects in 1931 and in the RIBA Kalendar (1935/6) was listed as living in Tanganyika.
https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/79612 :
An Anglo-Scot, James Cormack was initially a middle distance track runner and, after placing fourth in the Scottish AAA 880y in 1901, he took the title the following year when he also placed third in the 440y. He finished second in the 880y for Scotland in the match against Ireland at Dublin in 1902. By then he was a prominent member of the London Athletic Club, and in 1903 was offered a Government post in the Office of Works in Johannesburg which he accepted. He later moved to Pretoria to work for the Public Works Department and became captain of the Pretoria Harriers and won their cross country championship in 1904. He also won the South African cross-country championship, and ater winning a 25-mile road race in the Transvaal he returned to Europe in 1906 to run in the Olympic marathon. In the entries for the 1906 Olympics, his affiliation was shown as Transvaal AA, London AC, and Edinburgh Harriers. Personal Bests: 880y – 2:10.6 (1902); Mile – 4:26.4e (1901).

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