Alan Ross McWhirter and Norris Dewar McWhirter CBE (twins)

Co-founders of the Guinness Book of Records and television presenters.

Alan Ross McWhirter
12 August 1925 – 27 November 1975
- Assassinated by the IRA

Norris Dewar McWhirter CBE
12 August 1925 – 19 April 2004

The name McWhirter is a Sept of Clan Buchanan

According the Guinness World Records website “The idea for a book of records begins in the early 1950s when Sir Hugh Beaver (1890—1967), Managing Director of the Guinness Brewery, attends a shooting party in County Wexford. There, he and his hosts argue about the fastest game bird in Europe, and fail to find an answer in any reference book”.

“In 1954, recalling his shooting party argument, Sir Hugh has the idea for a Guinness promotion based on the idea of settling pub arguments and invites the twins Norris and Ross McWhirter to compile a book of facts and figures. Guinness Superlatives is incorporated on 30 November and the office opens in two rooms in a converted gymnasium on the top floor of Ludgate House, 107 Fleet Street”.

“After an initial research phase, work begins on writing the book, which takes 13 and a half 90-hour weeks, including weekends and bank holidays. Little do the McWhirters know that taking shape is a book that will go on to become an all-time best seller and one of the most recognized and trusted brands in the world…”

The McWhirter twins were the youngest sons of William McWhirter, editor of the Sunday Pictorial, and Margaret "Bunty" Williamson.

They were born at 10 Branscombe Gardens, Winchmore Hill, in London. In 1929, as William was working on the founding of the Northcliffe Newspapers Group chain of provincial newspapers, the family moved to Aberfoyle, in Broad Walk, Winchmore Hill.

They were educated at Chesterton School, Seaford, Marlborough College and Trinity College, Oxford.

Ross and Norris both became sports journalists in 1950. In 1951, they published Get to Your Marks, and earlier that year they had founded an agency to provide facts and figures to Fleet Street, endeavouring "to supply facts and figures to newspapers, yearbooks, encyclopaedias and advertisers."

Between 1943 and 1946, Ross served as a sub-lieutenant with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve aboard a minesweeper in the Mediterranean.

McWhirter maintained his home and Guinness Publishing business in the Middlesex area as it became the Municipal Borough of Edmonton, then London Borough of Enfield, and finally as part of Greater London in 1965.

Norris studied law, and fast-tracked his law degree in two years rather than the usual three.

Norris was an excellent athlete: he recorded a time of 10.7s for the 100 metres whilst a student and later represented Scotland.

Between 1943 and 1946, Norris served as a sub-lieutenant with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on escort duty in Atlantic and on board a minesweeper in the Pacific.

Norris came to public attention while working for the BBC as a sports commentator. On 6 May 1954, he called when Roger Bannister ran the first sub four-minute mile. After the race, one of the athletes (Christopher Chataway, an employee at Guinness) recommended Norris and his brother to Sir Hugh Beaver (owner of Guinness).

After an interview in which the Guinness directors enjoyed testing the twins' knowledge of records and unusual facts, the brothers agreed to start work on the book that became The Guinness Book of Records in 1954.

In August 1955, the first slim green volume – 198 pages long – was at the bookstalls, and in four more months it was Britain's No. 1 nonfiction best-seller.

Both brothers were regulars on the BBC show Record Breakers. They were noted for their exceptional memory, enabling them to provide detailed answers to any questions from the audience about entries in the Guinness Book of Records.

Both twins were very political

In the early 1960s, Ross was a Conservative Party activist and unsuccessfully sought the seat of Edmonton in the 1964 general election. His views have been described as "right-wing".

Ross advocated and lobbied for various restrictions on the freedom of the Irish community in Britain. In 1975, McWhirter personally offered a £50,000 reward for information leading to a conviction for several recent high-profile bombings in England that were publicly claimed by the IRA. In doing so, Ross himpself became a target. On 27 November 1975 at 6:45 p.m., Ross was shot and killed by Provisional IRA Volunteers Harry Duggan and Hugh Doherty, later dubbed the Balcombe Street Gang, for whose capture McWhirter had offered a reward.

Following Ross's killing, Norris and others founded the National Association for Freedom (later the Freedom Association).

Norris continued to appear on Record Breakers TV show, eventually making him one of the most recognisable people on children's television in the 1970s and 1980s. McWhirter was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1980 New Year Honours.