Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Flag of the United Kingdom
IOC code	GBR (GRB used at these Games)
NOC	British Olympic Association
in Melbourne/Stockholm
Competitors	189 (163 men and 26 women) in 17 sports
Flag bearer	George Mackenzie
Medals Ranked 8th	Gold 6 Silver 7 Bronze 11 Total 24
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Other related appearances
1906 Intercalated Games

Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed 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. ^[1]

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.

Medallists

Medals by sport

Sport				Total
Boxing	2	1	2	5
Athletics	1	4	2	7
Equestrian	1	0	2	3
Swimming	1	0	1	2
Fencing	1	0	0	1
Cycling	0	1	2	3
Sailing	0	1	2	3
Total	6	7	11	24

Gold

• Chris Brasher — Athletics, Men's 3.000m Steeplechase
• Terence Spinks — Boxing, Men's Flyweight
• Richard McTaggart — Boxing, Men's Lightweight
• Bertie Hill, Arthur Rook, and Francis Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Team
• Gillian Sheen — Fencing, Women's Foil Individual
• Judy Grinham — Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke

Silver

• Derek Johnson — Athletics, Men's 800m
• Gordon Pirie — Athletics, Men's 5.000m
• Jean Scrivens, Heather Armitage, June Foulds, and Anne Pashley — Athletics, Women's 4 × 100 m Relay
• Thelma Hopkins — 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 Classo

Bronze

• Derek Ibbotson — Athletics, Men's 5.000m
• Michael Wheeler, Peter Higgins, Derek Johnson, and John Salisbury — Athletics, Men's 4 × 400 m Relay
• Nicholas Gargano — Boxing, Men's Welterweight
• John McCormack — Boxing, Men's Light Middleweight
• Tom Simpson, Donald Burgess, Michael Gambrill, and John Geddes — Cycling, Men's 4.000m Team Pursuit
• Alan Jackson — Cycling, Men's Individual Road Race
• Francis Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Individual
• Peter Robeson, Pat Smythe, and Wilf White — Equestrian, Jumping Team
• Margaret Edwards — Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke
• Terence Smith and Jasper Blackall — Sailing, Men's Sharpie 12m²
• Graham Mann, Ronald Backus, and Jonathan Janson — Sailing, Men's Dragon

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Men's 110m Hurdles

• Peter Hildreth

• Heat — 14.5s (→ did not advance)

• Jack Parker

• Heat — 14.8s (→ did not advance)

Men's 1500m

• Brian Hewson

• 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 Allday

• Qualifying Round — 41.45 m (→ did not advance, 14th place)

Boxing

Main article: Boxing at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Men's Light Flyweight (– 48 kg)

• Owen Reilly

Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg)

• Terence Spinks

Men's Bantamweight (– 54 kg)

• Thomas Nicholls

Men's Featherweight (– 57 kg)

• Richard McTaggart

Men's Light Welterweight (– 63.5 kg)

• Nicholas Gargano

Men's Light Middleweight (– 67 kg)

• John McCormack

Men's Middleweight (– 75 kg)

• Ron Redrup

Canoeing

Main article: Canoeing at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Cycling

Main article: Cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Benny Foster was the British cycling team manager. ^[2]

Sprint

• Keith Harrison — 15th place

Time trial

• Alan Danson — 1:12.3 (→ 5th place)

Tandem

• Eric Thompson
  Peter Brotherton — 4th place

Team pursuit

• Donald Burgess
  John Geddes
  Michael Gambrill
  Tom Simpson — 4:42.2 (→ Bronze Medal)

Team road race

• Alan Jackson
  Arthur Brittain
  William Holmes — 23 points (→ Silver Medal)

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

Main article: Diving at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Men

Athlete	Event	Preliminary		Final
		Points	Rank	Points	Rank	Total	Rank
Ray Cann	3 m springboard	67.96	21	Did not advance
Peter Tarsey		72.65	16	Did not advance
Roy Walsh		58.21	24	Did not advance
Ray Cann	10 m platform	60.08	21	Did not advance
Peter Tarsey		68.34	14	Did not advance
Roy Walsh		62.56	20	Did not advance

Women

Athlete	Event	Preliminary		Final
		Points	Rank	Points	Rank	Total	Rank
Ann Long	3 m springboard	63.23	7 Q	44.38	7	107.61	6
Charmain Welsh		59.45	14	Did not advance
Ann Long	10 m platform	49.15	9 Q	27.00	6	76.15	7
Charmain Welsh		46.55	11 Q	22.50	10	69.05	12

Fencing

Main article: Fencing at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Nine fencers, seven men and two women, represented Great Britain in 1956.

Men's foil

• Allan Jay
• Raymond Paul
• René Paul

Men's team foil

• René Paul, Bill Hoskyns, Raymond Paul, Allan Jay, Ralph Cooperman

Men's épée

• Bill Hoskyns
• Allan Jay
• Michael Howard

Men's team épée

• René Paul, Raymond Paul, Michael Howard, Bill Hoskyns, Allan Jay

Men's sabre

• Olgierd Porebski
• Ralph Cooperman
• Bill Hoskyns

Men's team sabre

• Olgierd Porebski, Bill Hoskyns, Ralph Cooperman, Allan Jay, Raymond Paul

Women's foil

• Gillian Sheen
• Mary Glen-Haig

Football

Main article: Association football at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Gymnastics

Main article: Gymnastics at the 1956 Summer Olympics

The British Gymnastics team competed in 15 events, and was made up of 14 gymnasts, (6 men and 8 women), including Frank Turner, competing in his third Summer Olympics.

Hockey

Main article: Field hockey at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Modern pentathlon

Main article: Modern pentathlon at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Three male pentathletes represented Great Britain in 1956.

Individual

• Donald Cobley
• Thomas Hudson
• George Norman

Team

• Donald Cobley
• Thomas Hudson
• George Norman

Rowing

Main article: Rowing at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Great Britain had 12 male rowers participate in three out of seven rowing events in 1956. ^[3]

Men's single sculls - unplaced

• Tony Fox

Men's double sculls - unplaced

• Sidney Rand
• Bill Rand

Men's eight

• Richard Wheadon
• Michael Delahooke
• Ian Welsh
• Kenneth Masser
• Simon Tozer
• Alan Watson
• John A. Russell
• Christopher Davidge
• John Hinde (cox)

Sailing

Main article: Sailing at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Shooting

Main article: Shooting at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Six shooters represented Great Britain in 1956.

25 m pistol

• Henry Steele
• Frederick Cooper

50 m pistol

• Frederick Cooper
• Henry Steele

300 m rifle, three positions

• Steffen Cranmer

50 m rifle, three positions

• Steffen Cranmer
• Frederick Hopkinson

50 m rifle, prone

• Steffen Cranmer
• Frederick Hopkinson

Trap

• Joe Wheater
• Ernest Fear

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Men

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Ronald Roberts	100 m freestyle	58.3	=10 Q	58.9	15	Did not advance
Kenneth Williams		59.4	19	Did not advance
Neil McKechnie	400 m freestyle	4:42.6	15	—		Did not advance
Jack Wardrop		4:39.8	11	—		Did not advance
John Brockway	1500 m freestyle	1:07.7	19	Did not advance
Haydn Rigby		1:06.9	=14 Q	1:07.6	13	Did not advance
Graham Sykes		1:06.2	=8 Q	1:06.5	8 Q	1:05.6	6
Christopher Walkden	200 m breaststroke	2:47.1	11	—		Did not advance
Graham Symonds	200 m butterfly	2:35.7	12	—		Did not advance
Kenneth Williams Ronald Roberts Neil McKechnie Jack Wardrop	4 × 200 m freestyle	8:39.1	3 Q	—		8:45.2	6

Women

Athlete	Event	Heat		Semifinal		Final
		Time	Rank	Time	Rank	Time	Rank
Fearne Ewart	100 m freestyle	1:08.8	=23	Did not advance
Frances Hogben		1:08.5	=20	Did not advance
Margaret Girvan	400 m freestyle	5:23.6	16	—		Did not advance
Margaret Edwards	100 m backstroke	1:13.0	1 Q	—		1:13.1
Judy Grinham		1:13.1	2 Q	—		1:12.9 WR
Julie Hoyle		1:15.0	8 Q	—		1:14.3	6
Elenor Gordon	200 m breaststroke	2:55.4	3 Q	—		2:56.1	6
Christine Gosden		2:58.2	=7 Q	—		2:59.2	8
Anne Morton	100 m butterfly	1:17.7	=9	—		Did not advance
Frances Hogben Judy Grinham Margaret Girvan Fearne Ewart	4 × 100 m freestyle	4:34.6	8 Q	—		4:35.8	8

Water polo

Main article: Water polo at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Weightlifting

Main article: Weightlifting at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Wrestling

Main article: Wrestling at the 1956 Summer Olympics

References

1. "Great Britain at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
2. Daily Mirror Monday 10 September 1956, page 19
3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "England Rowing at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2018.