Walter Albert Lindrum (29 August 1898 – 30 July 1960), often known as Wally Lindrum, was an Australian professional player of English billiards who held the World Professional Billiards Championship from 1933 until his retirement in 1950. Being the first Lindrum born in Western Australia, he was named Walter Albert to have the initials of the state where he was born. He was one of the most successful players ever seen in billiards, with 57 world records to his credit, some of which still stand.
Early life
Lindrum's grandfather, Frederick William Lindrum I, was Australia's first World Professional Billiards Champion having defeated Britain's John Roberts Sr in 1869. Walter's father, Frederick William Lindrum II, was an Australian Billiards Champion at the age of 20. According to Walter, from 1909 to 1912 his father was the greatest billiard player in the world but "only...my brother Fred and myself knew it. He passed over public matches to coach the two of us." Walter's older brother, Frederick William Lindrum III, became professional Australian Billiards Champion in 1909. Frederick II<!--He may have gone by "William" - need source.--> closely tutored his sons. The family can be considered the greatest billiard playing family the world has ever known. His mother Laura (née Williams) was locally renowned at both sewing and baking, winning numerous Kalgoorlie baking competitions. Walter often cited her as an influence on him, saying in 1933 after winning the world championship: "She gave me my desire to win. She helped further my passion for both winning and the sport, and she's truly an inspiration to me."
Walter himself was born on 29 August 1898 in the Western Australian mining town of Kalgoorlie. He lost the tip of his index finger on his right hand in an accident in 1901, as Billiards and Snooker, "proceeds from the sale going to the Lindrum War Drive", his World War II fundraising effort, in later printings.
It was not until 1929 that Willie Smith, World Champion in 1920 and 1923, and one of the best English billiards players of the time, visited Australia and played three fairly even matches against Lindrum. With both players being one match up, Lindrum was forced to abandon the third game midway through, upon the death of his wife due to heart failure. While technically the match was a forfeit, Smith refused to accept the trophy and insisted it be awarded to Lindrum.
thumb|1929 World Record Cue, [[Commonwealth Club (Australia)|Commonwealth Club, Canberra]]
On 7 December 1929, Lindrum made a world record break of 3,262. The cue was endorsed with an engraved ivory plate 'The World's Record Break Cue. 3262 Dec.7th 1929. Walter Lindrum, Australia'. It came into the collection of Robert Menzies, Prime Minister of Australia, and after Menzies' death was presented to the Commonwealth Club in Canberra in 1965.
Smith, McConachy and Lindrum departed Australia in September 1929 for a tour of England.
On Lindrum's second tour of England, in late 1930, Donald Bradman and other members of the touring Australian cricket team, would sometimes attend Lindrum's matches at Thurston's Hall, London. As an indication of the esteem in which Lindrum was held, the critic Neville Cardus referred to Bradman as "the Lindrum of cricket".
On 19 February 1931, Lindrum gave a billiards exhibition for the King and other members of the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace. King George V presented Lindrum with a pair of gold and enamel cuff links bearing the royal monogram. These formed part of Lindrum's essential attire for the remainder of his playing career, and he wore them daily for the rest of his life.
Records
In June 1927 in Melbourne, he claimed a world speed record when he scored 816 points in 23 minutes in an unfinished .
Recognition
In 1981, Lindrum was honoured on a postage stamp issued by Australia Post, which featured a caricature of him by famed artist Tony Rafty. Lindrum was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and the Western Australia Sporting Hall of Champions in 1985. His house in Melbourne at 158 Kerferd Road, Albert Park, is noted for its historical association with him by the Port Phillip Council. Lindrum is generally regarded as one of the all-time great Australian sporting heroes, along with the likes of Donald Bradman, Heather McKay, Margaret Court, Haydn Bunton, Sr. and Hubert Opperman.
In Melbourne, the Hotel Lindrum on Flinders Street has incorporated much memorabilia associated with Walter Lindrum. The building formerly housed the Lindrum's Billiard Centre run by Walter's niece, Dolly. One of the original tables from the Billiard Centre has been fully restored there by the original manufacturing company. In April 2009, the Hotel Lindrum hosted the Capital Cup, a billiards tournament that, on its 10th anniversary, honoured the life and history of Walter Lindrum.
The mathematician John Littlewood nominated a shot of Lindrum's as "the best stroke ever made in a game of billiards". As Littlewood reported it, Lindrum "deliberately played to make a cannon in which the white balls were left touching, and succeeded. (The balls were spotted in accordance with the laws, and the break could continue.)"
In 2010, the Victorian Billiards and Snooker Council and Lindrum's niece Dolly Lindrum were seeking funding to have a large collection of Lindrum memorabilia including personal and professional effects, newspaper clippings, diagrams of his shots, letters, and photographs to be transferred from her house and displayed in Australia's National Sports Museum.