John DICKIN

Jack Dickin and his younger brother Albert both started swimming during their time at St. Stephen's School in Shepherd's Bush, London. Both went on to become Hammersmith Schools' champions, Hammersmith Swimming Club champions, and both also became Olympians. However, it was Albert who was the most successful of the two in terms of titles won. He enjoyed many triumphs in the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and Amateur Diving Association (ADA) Championships, while the best Jack could muster was a third place in the 1920 ADA Plain Diving Championship, won by Albert.

The war years interrupted the careers of both siblings, and towards the end of the hostilities, Jack joined the Royal Flying Corps as a cadet in 1918. After the war, he returned to swimming and also playing water polo with his brother in the Hammersmith Athletic Club team. The two siblings competed in the 100 metres freestyle at the 1920 Antwerpen Olympics, but neither qualified beyond their heat. Jack qualified for the Games thanks to finishing second in the final trial at Southport shortly before the Games.