Don Budge: Tennis history-maker and honorary Caithnessian

About this recording

Dr Linda Swanson from Wick talks about her research into the American tennis star Don Budge and his Caithness family connections.

In 1938, Budge made history by becoming the first player to win all four of the sport's Grand Slam events – the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open – in the same calendar year. In all, he achieved six Grand Slam singles titles.

"As far as I'm concerned he is one of the greatest tennis players that ever lived," Linda says in the recording. "I'm therefore thrilled to think of Don Budge as an honorary Caithnessian.”

Budge won the men's singles, men's doubles and mixed doubles at Wimbledon two years in a row, in 1937 and 1938. "That has never been repeated," Linda points out.

He defeated Germany's Gottfried von Cramm in the 1937 Wimbledon men’s singles final and Henry "Bunny" Austin, from England, a year later.

John Donald (Don) Budge was born in 1915 in Oakland, California. Linda has established that his father, John, was born in Smith Terrace, Wick, in 1883.

John moved south and played football for Rangers’ reserve team before sailing in 1906 from Glasgow to New York to begin a new life in America.

Don’s grandfather, also John Budge, was a journeyman baker born at Mavsey, Lybster, in 1853, while his grandmother Williamina Bruce came from Nicolson Street, Wick. John and Williamina were married in Wick in 1876 and lived in Breadalbane Terrace before moving to Bank Row.

Don Budge's father married Pearl Kincaid in California in 1907. The couple had three children together, including Don.

Linda explains that her research into Budge's Caithness links – and, potentially, a family connection of her own – began with her “late, great storytelling cousin” Jimmy Sutherland. He once pointed out that they may be related to the famous tennis player "through the Sutherlands up the coast".

Using resources such as census data, parish records, immigration lists and genealogy websites, Linda has been able to trace the Budge family back six generations to the Occumster area and she says her quest is ongoing.

"The feat that is perhaps most linked with Don Budge is that he was the first player, either male or female, to win the tennis calendar Grand Slam – all four majors in one season,” Linda says. “Just to put this into some kind of perspective, the only other male player to win the calendar Grand Slam was the great Rod Laver in the 1960s."

Linda notes three factors that prevented Budge from becoming "an even greater sporting figure": professionalism, World War II and a serious shoulder injury.

Budge died in January 2000, six weeks after being injured in a car accident.

Linda adds: ”I'm so excited to discover Don Budge's Caithness connections... As a Wicker myself, I cannot begin to describe the level of pride I feel in knowing Don Budge's father was born and raised in Wick.”

Dr Linda Swanson studied at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh where she gained a BSc in Chemistry, followed by a PhD, before going on to work in research and teaching. She lectured at two English universities, Lancaster and Sheffield, and is founder and managing director of Simulators for Teaching (sim4t.com).