Lindrum, Walter (1898-1960), was an Australian billiards player who dominated his sport for almost 20 years. He first became world billiards champion in 1933 and held the title until 1950, when he retired unbeaten.
Walter Albert Lindrum was born on Aug. 29, 1898, in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. His father and grandfather played billiards and operated billiard parlors. Lindrum began playing the game as a child with Fred Lindrum, his brother, who was the Australian champion in 1908.
A highly regarded player in Australia, Walter Lindrum scored his world record of 4,137 points in only 2 hours 55 minutes in 1932. By 1950, he held 57 world records. After retiring from competitive play, Lindrum performed exhibition games throughout the world to raise money for charity.
In 1951, Lindrum was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). He was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1958. Lindrum wrote several books on billiards. He was inducted into The Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. He was elevated to “Legend of Australian Sport” in 1998. Lindrum died on July 30, 1960.
