Francis Joseph WALTER

Francis Walter attended Stowe School before going to Christ Church, Oxford, where he became a double Blue at fencing and skiing. In 1932, three years after winning his first skiing Blue, he was captain of the Oxford team and won the individual cross country event at the Varsity match. Walter won representative skiing honours for England against Scotland, also in 1932, and, that same year, was in the combined Oxford and Cambridge team in a match against McGill University at Quebec. He was elected president of the Oxford University Ski Club in 1933 and the following year was the British Cross Country champion. Walter represented Great Britain in the 18km event at the 1936 Winter Olympics, but finished a lowly 71st. In 1947, he qualified as a flying instructor.