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Horace Lindrum, Walter Lindrum, Fredrick II, Fredrick III
Friedrich Wilhelm Von Lindrum
Australia’s first professional billiard champion, his win against the great British Champion John Roberts Snr signalled the Lindrum Legend,
five world-class champions in only four generations
Friedrich was also the winner of Australia’s first International Gold Medal for South Australian Shiraz, London 1873 and Australia’s
first Brandy Judge, Paris 1874
Fredrick II
He was known to chalk the floor and insist that his sons stand in the one spot practising a specific billiard shot over and over and over again until their backs ached and then he would tell them
to begin again. The Lindrum practise regime was 8-10 hours per day, 7 days per week.
- 1904 became a bookmaker with Tattersalls which brought him into contact with some “interesting characters”, including the powerful elite.
- Australian professional billiards champion (Defeated Champion Harry Gray at the Mechanics Institute, Melbourne, which is now the Athenaeum Hall). First Official World record at billiards (3000).
- Coached sons Frederick William Lindrum III and Walter Albert Lindrum.
- Early coaching grandson Horace.
- Established Lindrum’s Billiard room in Flinders Lane, Melbourne.
- Lindrum’s was an iconic landmark in Victoria for three generations.
- Thousands raised for charitable causes.
Personal life
1886 Frederick married Harriet Atkins at Hawke Street Registry Office Melbourne
Harriet already had a two-year-old Florence Lilian born 01-12-1884
Three children born post the marriage.
Frederick William Lindrum III
Clara (Violet) Lindrum
Walter Albert Lindrum
Fredrick III
- Australian Professional billiards champion for over 27 years.
- Multiple World Records at billiards, including unfinished break of 2196 against George Gray.
- Author Sport End Billiards: First Principles.
- Thousands raised for charitable causes.
Married Augusta (killed)
One son F W Lindrum IV (deceased)
Nil progeny
Clara (Violet) Lindrum
Violet was a brilliant pianist who accompanied stars in Nellie Melba’s Opera Circle, including Toti Dal Monte, Galle Curci and Enzo du Muro Lomanto. In her teenage years, Polish pianist/composer Jan Iganacy Paderewski told her parents: “Your daughter is the genius in
the Lindrum family”.
In 1921 Violet accompanied US Jazz star Pauline Cohan and her Bottom Wigglers and the following year established Australia’s first Dixie-land jazz band in the Oxford Hall in Paddington.
A decade later, she established Lindrum’s Billiard Room in the Mechanics Institute in Goulburn and went on to manage her son’s billiard room Lindrum’s in Pitt Street, Sydney, which was hailed by journalist/author Dr Rudolph Brasch as: “The Finest Billiard Room in the World”.
Dr Brasch also dubbed Violet’s son Horace as:
“The Greatest Showman the World has ever seen”.
Violet brought up her son, almost singlehandedly, with the help of her parents.
Walter Lindrum
- World Professional billiards champion 1933/34.
- Multiple World Records at billiards.
- Highest break at billiards utilising the nursery cannon 4137.
- Thousands raised for charitable causes.
From the annals of history:
‘Billiards’ Championship of the World by Sir Joynton Smith
“We have been regaled with world’s championships in different sports within the last few months – mainly in the open field. We are very shortly to see the world’s championship at English billiards with Walter Lindrum of Australia, Joe Davis of England and Clark McConachy of New Zealand (3 competitors). The event is to be deterred at the Tivoli Hall in Melbourne. The baulk-line rule is now operative, its purpose being to limit the ‘professors’ compiling their big breaks by means of delicate moves along the wings (as they say in football), with the cushion as the touchline in Rugby. A clever young tike in London the other day stated the close-cannon game is no good for billiards and that it is not appreciated by the spectators. Possibly that is so when the youth is manipulating the cue.But if you see any of the three artists who are to compete in this championship, running a swift break along the cushion, you can do nothing other than to fall into the pool of admiration for their exquisite ability.”
The effort it needs to achieve perfection at this level is best compared to the human effort needed to become a virtuoso ( an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in a particular art or field of arts, such as fine arts, acting, music, singing, playing a musical instrument, composition, juggling, magician ship, painting, puppetry, fashion design, makeup design, the art of clowning,( the circus arts and so on.)
My great-uncle Walter and I were great friends and I hold dear to the memory of the man who walked down the hallway at the former family home in Albert Park, Victoria, on Christmas mornings with a barrel of sweets under his arm singing: “I am the little boy that Santa Claus forgot”. Walter grew up in the days when children were happy playing with empty butter containers, string and any other bits and pieces they could scrounge.
1933/34 After winning the world title, uncle Walter returned to Australia a disillusioned man.The governing body banned the nursery cannon; a stroke that had taken him a lifetime to perfect.Men in the trade who had promised to turn his talent into dollars had turned their back on him. Penniless and owing money, he summoned all the courage that any of us can summon when faced with adversity, and used the singular thing available to him to turn his fortunes around: His incredible talent with a cue.My great-uncle and my father Horace were the greatest of friends.As a child I remember them coming from opposite doors into the hallway and bumping into each other; Walter not knowing Horace was having an afternoon nap and Horace not knowing Walter was having an afternoon nap.
I felt the LOVE within my family and my childhood memories have served me well.
Walter was not one for parties and he had come to know all there was to know about‘cosmetic handshakes’. It is thus understandable that when his wife called a party, he went to bed. How he slept with all the noise, goodness only knows. If asked to entertain at the table, he would respond: “Horace will do that for me.” And that is exactly what Horace did because the Lindrums were raised to support each other through thick and thin.
Married Rosie Coates (early death), Married Alicia (divorced), Married Beryl Elaine (1953)
Nil progeny
Horace Lindrum
- Australian Professional billiards and snooker champion for over 33 years.
- Marbles Champion of NSW at 14.
- First snooker century at 16 in World Record Time.
- First big break at billiards at 18.
- Australian Professional Billiards Title at 19.
- Australian Professional Snooker Title at 21.
- First to record the majority of the Big World Record Breaks at snooker, including 141 and 144 at 25.
- First with British Champion Joe Davis to record first World Record break at billiards under new baulk-line rules (1008).
- First with British Champion Willie Smith of Darlington to put cue sports on television (London, 1937).
- Record for the greatest number of Centuries in championship play against South African champion Peter Mans Snr. (Melbourne Town Hall)
- Multiple World Records, including recording snooker centuries in 6 down to 2 ½ minutes.
- Two-times runner-up to British World Champion Joe Davis.
- World Professional Snooker Champion 1951/52 defeating the then World Professional Billiards Champion New Zealander Clark McConachy.
- First player in history to record 1000 snooker centuries in public performance (Sydney, 1970).
- First to record Official Snooker Century in India (1952).
- Served as a Sapper with the Royal Australian Engineers during WWII.
- Provided billiard tables to Antarctica during WWII. Established Lindrum’s Billiard Room, Pitt Street, Sydney.
- Opened Lindrum’s Pitt Street, Sydney to the Armed Services during WWII for recreational purposes.
- Recorded the maximum break at snooker of 147 at the Penrith School of Arts (1941).
- Authored two books, including best-seller Snooker, Billiards & Pool.
- Authored thousands of articles and inked diagrams for Central Press in London.
- Raised thousands for charitable causes.
- Global press hailed Horace as the most travelled Sportsman of his time.
- 50-year career at the billiard table 1924-1974.
Horace married Joyce Doreen White 5 July 1949.
Joy Lindrum
Prior to her marriage Joy was seconded by the Foreign Office and dispatched to Bletchley Park where the British broke the Nazi codes. Post the war she took up a position as organising secretary of the
British Association & Control Council (the Governing Body established by John Roberts Snr. and Lord Kitchener). Her father was a gunner for the Royal Air Force during WWI and served with distinction. After the war, he married widow, hairdresser and beautician Rozemai White. Rozemai’s first husband was killed in a desert flank attack. She had one daughter, Dorrie (Joy’s step-sister). During WWII Arthur Puxley White was a meat supervisor at Smithfield markets, her great-uncle was Field Marshal Sir George White, the defender of Ladysmith. Joy’s great-great-uncle was the author of Treatise on Billiards.