Guy Oliver Nickalls
Encyclopedia
Guy Oliver Nickalls also known as Gully Nickalls, was a British
rower
who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics
and in the 1928 Summer Olympics
.
, who was also a rower and an Olympic gold medalist and his wife Ellen Gilbey Gold. His grandfather, Tom Nickalls, was one of the founding members of London Rowing Club
. Nickalls' mother was the sister of Sir Harcourt Gold, who was chairman of Henley Royal Regatta
from 1945 to 1952 and Chairman of the ARA
from 1948 to 1952.. Nickalls was educated at Eton College
and Magdalen College, Oxford
.
In 1920, rowing for Magdalen, Nickalls partnered Richard Lucas to win the Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup
at Henley Royal Regatta
, beating Bruce Logan
and S I Fairbairn in the final. Later in the year, Nickalls was a member of the Leander eight
which won the silver medal for Great Britain rowing at the 1920 Summer Olympics
, coming within half a length of winning. In 1921, Nickalls rowed in the Oxford
crew which lost to Cambridge in the Boat Race and also lost the final of the Silver Goblets to John Campbell
and Humphrey Playford
. In 1922, he rowed in the losing Oxford Boat Race crew again, but regained Silver Goblets with Lucas, beating Karl Vernon
and H West in the final. In 1923 he was in the winning Oxford boat in the Boat Race but was runner up again in the Silver Goblets. He was runner up in Silver Goblets again with various partners in 1925, 1926 and 1927.
When the outside sport broadcasts covered the Boat Race for the first time on 2 April 1927, Nickalls became the first ex-sportsman to broadcast from an outside broadcast microphone. The BBC had hired the launch Magician to carry four BBC engineers, a pilot, 1,000 lbs of generator and batteries and the two new commentators: Nickalls and Sir John Squire. Nickalls said afterwards: "We stood on each other's foot when it was our turn to interrupt and simply poured excited words from start to finish, totally oblivious to being heard or not." They were - and the director-general, John Reith
, wired his congratulations.
In the 1928 season, Nickalls rowed with the Thames Rowing Club
first eight, which won the Grand Challenge Cup
at Henley Royal Regatta
and then represented Great Britain rowing at the 1928 Summer Olympics
.
Nickalls followed in his uncle's footsteps and was Chairman of the ARA during the 1950s, the period when the ARA amalgamated with the NARA
and finally ending the gentleman/tradesman amateur split in the UK. He was also a steward of Henley regatta - his silver Stewards badge now held by Sir Steve Redgrave, the only person to have surpassed his father's record of six wins in the Goblets.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
rower
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
and in the 1928 Summer Olympics
1928 Summer Olympics
The 1928 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1928 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Amsterdam had bid for the 1920 and 1924 Olympic Games, but had to give way to war-victim Antwerp, Belgium, and Pierre de...
.
Life
Nickalls was the son of Guy NickallsGuy Nickalls
Guy Nickalls was a British rower who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics as a member of the British eight that won gold, won 22 events at Henley Royal Regatta and won the Wingfield Sculls three times....
, who was also a rower and an Olympic gold medalist and his wife Ellen Gilbey Gold. His grandfather, Tom Nickalls, was one of the founding members of London Rowing Club
London Rowing Club
London Rowing Club is one of the oldest rowing clubs on the River Thames in London, United Kingdom.It is regarded as one of the most exclusive and successful rowing clubs in Britain. and its Patron is HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh....
. Nickalls' mother was the sister of Sir Harcourt Gold, who was chairman of Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
from 1945 to 1952 and Chairman of the ARA
Amateur Rowing Association
British Rowing, formerly the Amateur Rowing Association , is the governing body in England for the sport of rowing. It is also responsible for the development and organisation of international rowing teams representing Great Britain...
from 1948 to 1952.. Nickalls was educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
.
In 1920, rowing for Magdalen, Nickalls partnered Richard Lucas to win the Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup
Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup
The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two clubs may combine to make an entry.-History:The Silver Goblets...
at Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
, beating Bruce Logan
Bruce Logan (rower)
Hubert Bruce Logan was a British rower who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.-Life:Logan was born at Chesterton, Cambridge, the son of John Maxwell Samuel Logan and his wife Alice Mary Bullard. He became a member of Thames Rowing Club and in 1909 and 1911 was a member of the crew that won the...
and S I Fairbairn in the final. Later in the year, Nickalls was a member of the Leander eight
Eight (rowing)
An Eight is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for eight rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars, and is steered by a coxswain, or cox....
which won the silver medal for Great Britain rowing at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Rowing at the 1920 Summer Olympics
The Olympic Rowing Events at the 1920 Summer Olympics, the first Olympics after World War I, saw five events. The competitions were held from August 27, 1920 to August 29, 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
, coming within half a length of winning. In 1921, Nickalls rowed in the Oxford
Oxford University Boat Club
The Oxford University Boat Club is the rowing club of the University of Oxford, England, located on the River Thames at Oxford. The club was founded in the early 19th century....
crew which lost to Cambridge in the Boat Race and also lost the final of the Silver Goblets to John Campbell
John Campbell (rower)
John Alan Campbell was a British rower who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics.Campbell was educated at Melbourne Grammar School and Jesus College, Cambridge. He rowed for Cambridge in the Boat Race in 1920. In 1920 he was a crew member of the British boat, which won the silver medal in the...
and Humphrey Playford
Humphrey Playford
Humphrey Blake Playford was an English rower who won Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta.Playford was born in the Kingston upon Thames district. He served in World War I as a lieutenant. but afterwards attended Jesus College, Cambridge. Playford was 6 ft 5in with a long reach and rowed...
. In 1922, he rowed in the losing Oxford Boat Race crew again, but regained Silver Goblets with Lucas, beating Karl Vernon
Karl Vernon
Karl Vernon , sometimes known by his nickname The Bean was a British rower and coach who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.-Life:Vernon was born in Neuenahr, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany...
and H West in the final. In 1923 he was in the winning Oxford boat in the Boat Race but was runner up again in the Silver Goblets. He was runner up in Silver Goblets again with various partners in 1925, 1926 and 1927.
When the outside sport broadcasts covered the Boat Race for the first time on 2 April 1927, Nickalls became the first ex-sportsman to broadcast from an outside broadcast microphone. The BBC had hired the launch Magician to carry four BBC engineers, a pilot, 1,000 lbs of generator and batteries and the two new commentators: Nickalls and Sir John Squire. Nickalls said afterwards: "We stood on each other's foot when it was our turn to interrupt and simply poured excited words from start to finish, totally oblivious to being heard or not." They were - and the director-general, John Reith
John Reith
John Reith may refer to:*John Reith, 1st Baron Reith , Scottish broadcasting executive*John Reith...
, wired his congratulations.
In the 1928 season, Nickalls rowed with the Thames Rowing Club
Thames Rowing Club
Thames Rowing Club is a rowing club situated on the River Thames in Putney, London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1860.-Club colours:Red, white and black in stripes, the white stripe lying between the red and black and being of half their width....
first eight, which won the Grand Challenge Cup
Grand Challenge Cup
The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and most prestigious event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs...
at Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta
Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...
and then represented Great Britain rowing at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Rowing at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Rowing at the 1928 Summer Olympics featured 7 events, for men only. The competitions were held from August 2, 1928 to August 10, 1928.-Medal summary:-Participating nations:A total of 245 rowers from 19 nations competed at the Amsterdam Games:...
.
Nickalls followed in his uncle's footsteps and was Chairman of the ARA during the 1950s, the period when the ARA amalgamated with the NARA
National Amateur Rowing Association
The National Amateur Rowing Association was founded in 1890 to cater for the large number of working class men who were prevented from joining the Amateur Rowing Association by virtue of their manual occupations...
and finally ending the gentleman/tradesman amateur split in the UK. He was also a steward of Henley regatta - his silver Stewards badge now held by Sir Steve Redgrave, the only person to have surpassed his father's record of six wins in the Goblets.
Henley Wins
- 1920 - Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge CupSilver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge CupThe Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two clubs may combine to make an entry.-History:The Silver Goblets...
- 1922 - Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge CupSilver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge CupThe Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two clubs may combine to make an entry.-History:The Silver Goblets...
- 1928 - Grand Challenge CupGrand Challenge CupThe Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and most prestigious event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs...
Published works
- Rowing, 1949 - G.O. Nickalls and Dr P.C. Mallam
- Life's a pudding: an autobiography, 1939 - Guy NickallsGuy NickallsGuy Nickalls was a British rower who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics as a member of the British eight that won gold, won 22 events at Henley Royal Regatta and won the Wingfield Sculls three times....
with additional chapter by G.O. Nickalls - With the Skin of their Teeth. Memories of great sporting finishes, 1951 - Edited by G.O. Nickalls
- A Rainbow in the sky: Reminiscences, 1974 -G.O. Nickalls