Background
He was born and died in Wellington.
He was born and died in Wellington.
Nelson College.
Known as The Boss, he was the headmaster of Wellington College from 1892 to 1920. Firth was a pupil at Nelson College from 1873 to 1875. He taught there as a pupil-teacher until 1881, when he went to Wellington College as a junior master.
In 1886 he took up a post at Christ"s College, Christchurch, and began studying for his Bachelor at Canterbury College, Christchurch.
Among the boys at Wellington College he gained the nickname "Pentland" from his teaching about the troubles the Spanish Armada encountered around Pentland Firth in the north of Scotland. Thereafter he signed his name "Justice of the Peace Firth".
He was the representative from New Zealand on the International Olympic Committee from 1923 to 1927. His appointment by the International Olympic Committee was delayed as he was quoted in a local newspaper that he was the delegate from New Zealand before he went (representatives are appointed by the International Olympic Committee itself, not by the National Olympic committee).
Firth also played six first-class cricket matches between 1880 and 1886, five for Wellington and one for Nelson.
By far the best performance of his career came for Wellington against Hawke"s Bay in February 1884, when he ran through the second innings with figures of 8 for 13. Captaining Wellington against Nelson in March 1885, he opened both batting and bowling, taking 3 for 27 and 2 for 19 and making 20 and 54, the highest score in the match. In the second innings he and William Salmon put on 100 for the first wicket, the first century stand made by Wellington batsmen for any wicket.