Alan Patterson was a British

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....

 athlete. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics

1908 Summer Olympics

The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome. At the time they were the fifth modern Olympic games...

 in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and at the 1912 Summer Olympics

1912 Summer Olympics

The 1912 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 5 May and 27 July 1912. Twenty-eight nations and 2,407 competitors, including 48 women, competed in 102 events in 14 sports...

 in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

.

In the 400 metres event

Athletics at the 1908 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres

The men's 400 metres was an Olympic event for the fourth time at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London. The competition was held originally scheduled from July 21, 1908 to July 23, 1908. The rerun of the final was held on July 25, 1908...

 in 1908, Patterson took second place in his preliminary heat with a time of 50.6 seconds to winner John Atlee's 50.4 seconds. Due to his loss, Patterson did not advance to the semifinals.

Four years later he was eliminated in the first round of the 400 metres competition

Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres

The men's 400 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics...

 as well as of the 800 metres event

Athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics - Men's 800 metres

The men's 800 metres was a track and field athletics event held as part of the athletics at the 1912 Summer Olympics programme. It was the fifth appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. The competition was held from Saturday, July 6,...

.

Patterson was killed in action during the First World War, serving as a captain with the Royal Artillery

Royal Artillery

The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...

 near Mazingarbe

Mazingarbe

Mazingarbe is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-History:The village was known as Masengarba in 1046, Masengarbe in 1232 and Mazengarbe in 1558....

. He is buried at the Fosse 7 Military Cemetery nearby.