John William Henry T. DOUGLAS

Although, ultimately, he became much better known as the cricket captain of Essex and England, Johnny Douglas was a highly successful boxer. He played cricket for England (1911-1925), being named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1915, and football for the England Amateur Team. While at Felsted, he won the 1901 Public School’s middleweight championship in 1905 and he took the ABA title. In contrast to his reputation as a defensive cricketer he was a most aggressive boxer. Representing the Mincing Lane Boxing & Athletic Club and the Belsize Boxing Club, Douglas claimed two KOs on his way to the 1908 Olympic middleweight final where he met the formidable Australian, Reginald “Snowy” Baker. It proved to be a classic contest and after getting the verdict by a narrow margin, Douglas presented with his gold medal by his father, the then President of the ABA. The Douglas family owned a successful timber business and often went to Scandinavia on buying missions. In December 1930, their business completed, Johnny Douglas and his father boarded the SS Oberon in Finland with the intention of being home for Christmas. Tragically, their boat was involved in a collision in the Kattegat and they were among the 22 passengers who drowned.