Douglas V Melvin is a British rower who twice won the Wingfield Sculls, the amateur sculling championship of the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

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Melvin was born at Lancaster

Lancaster, Lancashire

Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...

. He took a job there with the Electricity Board, and was working there and rowing for John O'Gaunt Rowing Club

Lancaster John O' Gaunt Rowing Club

Lancaster John O'Gaunt Rowing Club is an English rowing club based at Lancaster on the River Lune. Its origins date back to 1842 making it the fifth oldest surviving rowing club in the United Kingdom outside the universities.-History:...

 when he won the Wingfield Sculls in 1955. He was encouraged by Eric Phelps to join London Rowing Club

London Rowing Club

London Rowing Club is one of the oldest rowing clubs on the River Thames in London, United Kingdom.It is regarded as one of the most exclusive and successful rowing clubs in Britain. and its Patron is HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh....

  and was able to transfer his Electricity Board job to Wandsworth

Wandsworth

Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...

 in order to do so. This gave him the opportunity to train alongside other notable scullers at the club including Farn Carpmael

Farn Carpmael

Philip Nevil "Farn" Carpmael was an English rower who won the Wingfield Sculls twice.Carpmael was born at Warwick. He was educated at Oundle School and Jesus College, Cambridge. In 1929/30, he was Captain of Jesus College Boat Club, and he rowed in the winning Cambridge crews of the Boat Race in...

, John Marsden

John Marsden (rower)

Arthur John Marsden was an English rower, intelligence officer and teacher. He won the Wingfield Sculls, officially the Amateur Sculling Championship of England, in 1956....

, Tony Fox

Tony Fox

Thomas Anthony Fox was a doctor and rower who competed for Great Britain at the 1952 Summer Olympics and at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He won the Diamond Challenge Sculls and the Wingfield Sculls....

 and John Pinches

John Pinches

John Harvey Pinches, MC, was an English rower, Royal Engineers officer, medallist and author.Pinches was born at Chelsea, London, the son of John Robert Pinches and Irene Inchbold. His father was a medallist in the family business which was founded in London by Pinches’ great-great uncle in 1840...

. In the Diamond Challenge Sculls

Diamond Challenge Sculls

The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England...

 in 1955 he reached the semi-final where he met Teodor Kocerka

Teodor Kocerka

Teodor Kocerka was a Polish rower who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics, in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and in the 1960 Summer Olympics.He was born in Bydgoszcz and died in Warsaw....

, the eventual winner. He went on to represent Great Britain in the single sculls at the European Championships

European Rowing Championships

The European Rowing Championships is an international Rowing regatta organised by FISA .The first event was held in 1893 and as of 1962 was replaced by the World Rowing Championships, which then became an annual event from 1974...

 later the same year. In 1956 he was selected as the spare man for the Great Britain team

Rowing at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Rowing at the 1956 Summer Olympics featured 7 events, for men only. The competitions were held from November 23, 1956 to November 27, 1956 on Lake Wendouree, Ballarat Australia.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:*...

 for the 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

 in Melbourne. After his boat and blades were shipped off to the Games he was de-selected in favour of someone more inclined to rowing

Sweep (rowing)

Sweep or sweep-oar rowing is a type of rowing when a rower has one oar, usually held with both hands. As each rower has only one oar, the rowers have to be paired so that there is an oar on each side of the boat. This is in contrast to sculling when a rower has two oars, one in each hand. In the...

 rather than sculling

Sculling

Sculling generally refers to a method of using oars to propel watercraft in which the oar or oars touch the water on both the port and starboard sides of the craft, or over the stern...

. In 1957 he won the Scullers Head of the River Race and 1958, the Wingfield Sculls again.

In 1960 Melvin retired from competitive rowing to concentrate on his career. However he became a coach and a GB selector. In later years he returned to competitive rowing as a veteran oarsman and sculler. In 2000 he was elected President of London Rowing Club and held the office for four years. He was the President of John O'Gaunt Rowing Club from 1966 to 2009.