he was born in bath, somerset and was apprenticed as a flat jockey to jack waugh. his middle initial, w., was allegedly inserted in his name by an official at salisbury racecourse at the start of his career to differentiate him from the champion flat jockey sir gordon richards. the w. was apparently taken from waugh's surname. becoming too heavy for the flat, he rode as a national hunt jockey for ivor anthony and johnny marshall; his career as a jockey was ended by a fall at perth racecourse in which he broke his back.