John Emrys LLOYD

At the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, Emrys Lloyd came close to joining that small band of sportsmen and women to compete at the Olympics in two sports. He went on to represent Great Britain at fencing in four consecutive Games 1932-52 but, on the way across the Atlantic to the Los Angeles Olympics, the captain of the British rowing team noticed Lloyd’s diminutive stature, and that he was also wearing a Leander tie. He was duly signed as a reserve cox for the rowing squad.

Lloyd was educated at Winchester and King’s College, Cambridge. His introduction to fencing came as a result of an injury to a foot that prevented him playing for the Winchester cricket XI. His fencing skills soon developed, and in 1924 he won the revived Public Schools Championship. The last winner, 12 years earlier, was Oswald Mosley, and another famous former winner was Winston Churchill. Lloyd continued fencing at Cambridge, and also coxed for the eight in Boat Race trials. It was as a fencer that he became invincible, however, winning the National Foil Championship a record seven times between 1928-38 including four years in succession 1930-33.

At the 1948 London Games Lloyd was the Great Britain flag bearer, and also both a member of the Organising Committee and a competitor. He enjoyed his finest Olympic moment in 1948 when he narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the individual foil. The first thing he did after his final bout was to apologise to the British team captain Charles de Beaumont. Internationally, Lloyd won three World Championship bronze medals, at team foil in 1931 and 1933, and team sabre in 1933. He was honoured with the OBE, and in 1978 received the Olympic Order of Silver.

By profession, Lloyd was a commercial lawyer with a successful international practice. He was a legal advisor to the British Olympic Association for a while, and was also an advisor to the Central Council of Physical Recreation. Lloyd also served on the committee of the Amateur Fencing Association for 40 years, and was one-time president of the Welsh Fencing Union.