Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
The United Kingdom
competed as Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne
, Australia
. British athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games
. 189 competitors, 163 men and 26 women, took part in 108 events in 17 sports.
The Melbourne Games
saw an improvement on Great Britain and Northern Ireland's performance at the two preceding Games. British athletes won six gold medals (up from just one in 1952
). Overall, they won twenty-four medals, finishing eighth.
Men's 1500m
Men's Marathon
Women's Discus Throw
Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg)
Men's Bantamweight (– 54 kg)
Men's Featherweight (– 57 kg)
Men's Light Welterweight (– 63.5 kg)
Men's Light Middleweight (– 67 kg)
Men's Middleweight (– 75 kg)
Men's 1.000m Time Trial
Men's 2.000m Tandem
Men's 4.000m Team Pursuit
Men's Team Time Trial
Men's Individual Road Race
Women's 10m Platform
Men's foil
Men's team foil
Men's épée
Men's team épée
Men's sabre
Men's team sabre
Women's foil
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
competed as Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. British athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that...
. 189 competitors, 163 men and 26 women, took part in 108 events in 17 sports.
The Melbourne Games
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...
saw an improvement on Great Britain and Northern Ireland's performance at the two preceding Games. British athletes won six gold medals (up from just one in 1952
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...
). Overall, they won twenty-four medals, finishing eighth.
Gold
- Chris BrasherChris BrasherChristopher William "Chris" Brasher CBE was a British athlete, sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon.-History:...
— Athletics, Men's 3.000m Steeplechase - Terence SpinksTerence SpinksTerence "Terry" George Spinks MBE is a former boxer from Great Britain, who won the gold medal in the flyweight division at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. In the final he defeated Mircea Dobrescu of Romania on points...
— Boxing, Men's Flyweight - Richard McTaggartRichard McTaggartRichard McTaggart MBE is a retired boxer from Dundee, Scotland, who competed in the Lightweight division during his career as an amateur.-Amateur career:...
— Boxing, Men's Lightweight - Bertie HillBertie HillAlbert "Bertie" Edwin Hill was a British equestrian.After serving in the Home Guard during the Second World War, Hill became an amateur jockey in point-to-point racing...
, Laurence Rook, and Frank Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Team - Gillian SheenGillian SheenGillian Sheen is a British fencer and Olympic champion in foil competition. She won a gold medal in the women's individual foil event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. She also competed at the 1952 and 1960 Summer Olympics....
— Fencing, Women's Foil Individual - Judy GrinhamJudy GrinhamJudy Grinham MBE is a British Olympic swimmer. She was born in the London suburb of Hampstead and grew up in Neasden. She married Pat Rowley in Neasden in 1960, in St...
— Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke
Silver
- Derek JohnsonDerek JohnsonDerek Johnson was a British athlete, who was born in Chigwell, Essex. He did his National Service in Egypt before going up to Lincoln College, Oxford to read medicine in 1953...
— Athletics, Men's 800m - Gordon PirieGordon PirieDouglas Alistair Gordon Pirie was an English long-distance runner and orienteerer.He was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England and died of stomach cancer in Lymington, Hampshire....
— Athletics, Men's 5.000m - Jean ScrivensJean ScrivensJean Scrivens is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.She competed for Great Britain in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia in the 4 x 100 metres where she won the Silver medal, behind host nation Australia, with her team mates Anne Pashley, June Foulds and...
, Heather ArmitageHeather ArmitageHeather Joy Armitage is a British athlete who competed in sprint events.She competed for Great Britain in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia where she won the silver medal in the 4 x 100 metres with her team mates Anne Pashley, Jean Scrivens and June Foulds...
, June FouldsJune FouldsJune Foulds is a British athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.She competed for Great Britain in the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland where she won the Bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres with her team mates Sylvia Cheeseman, Jean Desforges and Heather Armitage.She returned...
, and Anne PashleyAnne PashleyAnne Pashley is a retired female track and field sprinter, who represented Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics...
— Athletics, Women's 4x100m Relay - Thelma HopkinsThelma Hopkins (athlete)Thelma Hopkins is a Northern Irish athlete, who competed in the high and the long jump.On 5 May 1956 she broke the world record in high jump in Belfast with a jump of 1.74 meters, breaking the record of 1.73 meters set by Aleksandra Chudina of the USSR on 22 May 1954...
— Athletics, Women's High Jump - Thomas Nicholls — Boxing, Men's Featherweight
- Arthur Brittain, William Holmes, and Alan Jackson — Cycling, Men's Team Road Race
- Robert Perry, David Bowker, John Dillon, and Neil Kennedy-Cochran — Sailing, Men's 5½ Meter Class
Bronze
- Derek IbbotsonDerek IbbotsonGeorge Derek Ibbotson MBE was an English runner who excelled in athletics in the 1950s. His most famous achievement was setting a new world record in the mile in 1957....
— Athletics, Men's 5.000m - Michael WheelerMichael Wheeler (athlete)Michael Keith Valentine "Mike" Wheeler is a former British athlete who competed in the 440 yards / 400 metres.He competed for Great Britain in the 1956 Summer Olympics held in Melbourne, Australia where he won the bronze medal in the 4 x 400 metre relay with his team mates Peter Higgins, John...
, Peter Higgins, Derek JohnsonDerek JohnsonDerek Johnson was a British athlete, who was born in Chigwell, Essex. He did his National Service in Egypt before going up to Lincoln College, Oxford to read medicine in 1953...
, and John Salisbury — Athletics, Men's 4x400m Relay - Nicholas GarganoNicholas GarganoNicholas Gargano is a former English boxer, who won the bronze medal in the welterweight division at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia...
— Boxing, Men's Welterweight - John McCormack — Boxing, Men's Light Middleweight
- Thomas Simpson, Donald BurgessDonald BurgessDonald Christopher Burgess is a retired track cyclist from Great Britain, who represented his native country at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. There he won the bronze medal in the men's 4.000 metres team pursuit, alongside Alan Newton, George Newberry, and Ronald Stretton...
, Michael Gambrill, and John Geddes — Cycling, Men's 4.000m Team Pursuit - Alan Jackson — Cycling, Men's Individual Road Race
- Frank Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Individual
- Peter Robeson, Patricia Smythe, and Wilf White — Equestrian, Jumping Team
- Margaret EdwardsMargaret EdwardsMargaret Edwards was an Olympic swimmer for Team GB at the 1956 Summer Olympics where she won a bronze medal in the women's 100 m backstroke in the time of 1:13.1.-References:...
— Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke - Terrence Smith and Jasper BlackallJasper BlackallJasper Blackall is a British sailor. He won a bronze medal in the Sharpie class with Terence Smith at the 1956 Summer Olympics-References:* at sports-reference.com...
— Sailing, Men's Sharpie 12m² - Graham MannGraham MannGraham Mann was a British competitive sailor and Olympic medalist. He won a bronze medal in the Dragon class at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, together with Ronald Backus and Jonathan Janson.-References:...
, Ronald BackusRonald BackusRonald Backus is a British competitive sailor and Olympic medalist. He won a bronze medal in the Dragon class at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, together with Graham Mann and Jonathan Janson.-References:...
, and Jonathan JansonJonathan Janson (sailor)Jonathan Janson is a British competitive sailor and Olympic medalist. He won a bronze medal in the Dragon class at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, together with Graham Mann and Ronald Backus.-References:...
— Sailing, Men's Dragon
Athletics
Men's 110m Hurdles- Peter HildrethPeter HildrethPeter Hildreth was a British hurdling athlete. Born in Bedford, he reached the semi-finals of the 110 metre hurdles at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, finishing 12th. He also represented Britain at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the 1960 Rome Games...
- Heat — 14.5s (→ did not advance)
- Jack Parker
- Heat — 14.8s (→ did not advance)
Men's 1500m
- Brian HewsonBrian HewsonBrian Stanford Hewson is a retired track and field athlete, who represented Great Britain at two consecutive Summer Olympics in the men's 1500 metres and in the men's 800 metres. He won the gold medal in the men's 1500 metres at the 1958 European Championships in Stockholm, Sweden.-References:* *...
- Final— 3:42.6 (→ 5th place)
- Ian Boyd
- Final— 3:43.0 (→ 8th place)
- Ken Wood
- Final— 3:44.76 (→ 9th place)
Men's Marathon
- Harry Hicks — 2:39:55 (→ 15th place)
- Fred Norris — did not finish (→ no ranking)
- Ron Clark — did not finish (→ no ranking)
Women's Discus Throw
- Suzanne AlldaySuzanne AlldaySuzanne Farmer-Allday was a female discus thrower and shot putter, who represented Great Britain at three Summer Olympics: 1952, 1956 and 1960....
- Qualifying Round — 41.45 m (→ did not advance, 14th place)
Boxing
Men's Light Flyweight (– 48 kg)- Owen Reilly
Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg)
- Terence SpinksTerence SpinksTerence "Terry" George Spinks MBE is a former boxer from Great Britain, who won the gold medal in the flyweight division at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. In the final he defeated Mircea Dobrescu of Romania on points...
Men's Bantamweight (– 54 kg)
- Thomas Nicholls
Men's Featherweight (– 57 kg)
- Richard McTaggartRichard McTaggartRichard McTaggart MBE is a retired boxer from Dundee, Scotland, who competed in the Lightweight division during his career as an amateur.-Amateur career:...
Men's Light Welterweight (– 63.5 kg)
- Nicholas GarganoNicholas GarganoNicholas Gargano is a former English boxer, who won the bronze medal in the welterweight division at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia...
Men's Light Middleweight (– 67 kg)
- John McCormack
Men's Middleweight (– 75 kg)
- Ron Redrup
Cycling
Men's 1.000m Scratch Sprint- Keith Harrison — 15th place
Men's 1.000m Time Trial
- Alan Danson — 1:12.3 (→ 5th place)
Men's 2.000m Tandem
- Eric ThompsonEric Thompson (cyclist)Eric Gordon Thompson was a British Olympic cyclist. He died after cycling across Spain with friends in May 1996...
Peter Brotherton — 4th place
Men's 4.000m Team Pursuit
- Donald BurgessDonald BurgessDonald Christopher Burgess is a retired track cyclist from Great Britain, who represented his native country at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. There he won the bronze medal in the men's 4.000 metres team pursuit, alongside Alan Newton, George Newberry, and Ronald Stretton...
John GeddesMichael GambrillThomas Simpson — 4:42.2 (→ Bronze Medal)
Men's Team Time Trial
- Alan JacksonArthur BrittainWilliam Holmes — 23 points (→ Silver Medal)
Men's Individual Road Race
- Alan Jackson — 5:23:16 (→ Bronze Medal)
- Arthur Brittain — 5:23:40 (→ 6th place)
- William Holmes — 5:23:40 (→ 14th place)
- Harold Reynolds — 5:24:44 (→ 19th place)
Diving
Men's 10m Platform- Peter Tarsey
- Preliminary Round — 68.34 (→ did not advance, 14th place)
- Roy Walsh
- Preliminary Round — 62.56 (→ did not advance, 20th place)
- Raymond Cann
- Preliminary Round — 60.08 (→ did not advance, 21st place)
Women's 10m Platform
- Phyllis Long
- Preliminary Round — 49.15
- Final — 76.15 (→ 7th place)
- Charmain Welsh
- Preliminary Round — 46.55
- Final — 69.05 (→ 12th place)
Fencing
Nine fencers, seven men and two women, represented Great Britain in 1956.Men's foil
Fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's foil
The men's foil was one of seven fencing events on the fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics programme. It was the twelfth appearance of the event. The competition was held on November 26, 1956. 32 fencers from 14 nations competed.-Results:...
- Allan JayAllan JayAllan Louis Neville Jay MBE was a British foil and épée fencer.One of the greatest fencers in British history, Jay competed in five Olympiads in both épée and foil, winning two medals.-National championships:...
- Raymond PaulRaymond PaulRaymond Paul is a British Olympic fencer. He competed at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. He is the brother of René Paul, ex-husband of June Foulds-Paul, uncle of Barry Paul and father of Steven Paul.-References:...
- René PaulRené PaulRené Paul was a British Olympic fencer. He competed at four Olympic Games.-References:...
Men's team foil
Fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's team foil
The men's team foil was one of seven fencing events on the fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics programme. It was the ninth appearance of the event. The competition was held November 23 1956...
- René PaulRené PaulRené Paul was a British Olympic fencer. He competed at four Olympic Games.-References:...
, Bill HoskynsBill HoskynsHenry William Furse "Bill" Hoskyns was a British fencer who appeared at six Olympic Games, winning two silver medals in 1960 and 1964. No British fencer has won an Olympic medal since. He was born in London. He competed with all three weapons but he was especially effective at Épée, where he was...
, Raymond PaulRaymond PaulRaymond Paul is a British Olympic fencer. He competed at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. He is the brother of René Paul, ex-husband of June Foulds-Paul, uncle of Barry Paul and father of Steven Paul.-References:...
, Allan JayAllan JayAllan Louis Neville Jay MBE was a British foil and épée fencer.One of the greatest fencers in British history, Jay competed in five Olympiads in both épée and foil, winning two medals.-National championships:...
, Ralph CoopermanRalph CoopermanRalph Cooperman was a British Olympic fencer. He competed at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics.-References:...
Men's épée
Fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's épée
The men's épée was one of seven fencing events on the fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics programme. It was the twelfth appearance of the event. The competition was held on November 30 1956. 41 fencers from 18 nations competed.-Results:...
- Bill HoskynsBill HoskynsHenry William Furse "Bill" Hoskyns was a British fencer who appeared at six Olympic Games, winning two silver medals in 1960 and 1964. No British fencer has won an Olympic medal since. He was born in London. He competed with all three weapons but he was especially effective at Épée, where he was...
- Allan JayAllan JayAllan Louis Neville Jay MBE was a British foil and épée fencer.One of the greatest fencers in British history, Jay competed in five Olympiads in both épée and foil, winning two medals.-National championships:...
- Michael HowardMichael Howard (fencer)Michael Howard is a British fencer. He won a silver medal in the team épée event at the 1960 Summer Olympics.-References:...
Men's team épée
Fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's team épée
The men's team épée was one of seven fencing events on the fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics programme. It was the tenth appearance of the event. The competition was held on November 28 1956...
- René PaulRené PaulRené Paul was a British Olympic fencer. He competed at four Olympic Games.-References:...
, Raymond PaulRaymond PaulRaymond Paul is a British Olympic fencer. He competed at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. He is the brother of René Paul, ex-husband of June Foulds-Paul, uncle of Barry Paul and father of Steven Paul.-References:...
, Michael HowardMichael Howard (fencer)Michael Howard is a British fencer. He won a silver medal in the team épée event at the 1960 Summer Olympics.-References:...
, Bill HoskynsBill HoskynsHenry William Furse "Bill" Hoskyns was a British fencer who appeared at six Olympic Games, winning two silver medals in 1960 and 1964. No British fencer has won an Olympic medal since. He was born in London. He competed with all three weapons but he was especially effective at Épée, where he was...
, Allan JayAllan JayAllan Louis Neville Jay MBE was a British foil and épée fencer.One of the greatest fencers in British history, Jay competed in five Olympiads in both épée and foil, winning two medals.-National championships:...
Men's sabre
Fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's sabre
The men's sabre was one of seven fencing events on the fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics programme. It was the thirteenth appearance of the event. The competition was held on December 5 1956. 35 fencers from 17 nations competed.-Results:...
- Olgierd PorebskiOlgierd PorebskiOlgierd Porebski was a British Olympic fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics.-References:...
- Ralph CoopermanRalph CoopermanRalph Cooperman was a British Olympic fencer. He competed at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics.-References:...
- Bill HoskynsBill HoskynsHenry William Furse "Bill" Hoskyns was a British fencer who appeared at six Olympic Games, winning two silver medals in 1960 and 1964. No British fencer has won an Olympic medal since. He was born in London. He competed with all three weapons but he was especially effective at Épée, where he was...
Men's team sabre
Fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Men's team sabre
The men's team sabre was one of seven fencing events on the fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics programme. It was the tenth appearance of the event. The competition was held on December 3 1956...
- Olgierd PorebskiOlgierd PorebskiOlgierd Porebski was a British Olympic fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics.-References:...
, Bill HoskynsBill HoskynsHenry William Furse "Bill" Hoskyns was a British fencer who appeared at six Olympic Games, winning two silver medals in 1960 and 1964. No British fencer has won an Olympic medal since. He was born in London. He competed with all three weapons but he was especially effective at Épée, where he was...
, Ralph CoopermanRalph CoopermanRalph Cooperman was a British Olympic fencer. He competed at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics.-References:...
, Allan JayAllan JayAllan Louis Neville Jay MBE was a British foil and épée fencer.One of the greatest fencers in British history, Jay competed in five Olympiads in both épée and foil, winning two medals.-National championships:...
, Raymond PaulRaymond PaulRaymond Paul is a British Olympic fencer. He competed at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. He is the brother of René Paul, ex-husband of June Foulds-Paul, uncle of Barry Paul and father of Steven Paul.-References:...
Women's foil
Fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics – Women's foil
The women's foil was one of seven fencing events on the fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics programme. It was the seventh appearance of the event. The competition was held on November 29 1956. 23 fencers from 11 nations competed.-Results:...
- Gillian SheenGillian SheenGillian Sheen is a British fencer and Olympic champion in foil competition. She won a gold medal in the women's individual foil event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. She also competed at the 1952 and 1960 Summer Olympics....
- Mary Glen-HaigMary Glen-HaigDame Mary Alison Glen-Haig DBE is a British fencer who competed in four Olympic games in 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1960. She was born in London, the daughter of William James, a fencer at the 1908 London Olympics...
Rowing
- Single scullSingle scullA single scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand....
- Tony FoxTony FoxThomas 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....
- Unplaced
- Double scullDouble scullA double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars, one in each hand....
- Sidney Rand, W H Rand - Unplaced
- EightEight (rowing)An Eight is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or cox....
- M G Delahooke, J A L Russell, S G D Tozer, A R Watson, I Welsh, Chris DavidgeChris DavidgeChristopher Guy Vere Davidge is a former British rower who competed in the Summer Olympics three times in 1952, 1956 and 1960 and won the Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta three times....
, R A Wheadon, K A Masser, J F K Hinde