Sir Arthur and Lady Porritt (centre) meet the Queen on board the HMY Britannia. Prince Charles and Princess Anne accompanied the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on this visit to New Zealand in 1970.
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'Tom Watson' wins bronze for New Zealand
The Academy Award-winning film Chariots of fire (1981) was based on a true story about British athletes who competed at the 1924 Paris Olympics. At the end of the film one of the main characters, Harold Abrahams of Britain, wins gold in the 100-m sprint. Jackson Scholz of the United States finishes second, while a New Zealander named ‘Tom Watson’ finishes third. This character was based on Arthur Porritt, who won a bronze medal for New Zealand in the 100 m in 1924, but reportedly refused permission for his name to be used in the film out of modesty.
