Harry Nicoll

For three hours before Harry Nicoll, Harry Llewellyn and Arthur Carr took part in the show jumping event at the 1948 Olympics, Nicoll and his horse had been stuck in a lift, and unable to warm up. However, the British trio went on to win the bronze medal.

Although born in England, Nicoll grew up in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), but was educated in England at Marlborough School. After leaving Marlborough in 1926, he went to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich, and was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1928. This heralded the start of a 22-year military career that saw him attain the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Nicoll served in Singapore prior to the outbreak of World War II, and subsequently saw active service in Egypt, Algiers, Sicily, and in the Italian campaign. He returned to Britain, and in 1945 was awarded the OBE for gallant and distinguished service in the Mediterranean Theatre. Nicoll was offered a posting at Eastern Command headquarters in 1948, but declined as he wanted to concentrate on his equestrian career, following show jumping successes in Austria and Switzerland. In the 10 years between 1946 and 1956, Nicoll regularly represented the Great Britain show jumping team and also competed at Badminton.

As a horseman Nicoll was an experienced show jumper, polo player, point-to-pointer and steeplechase jockey, and in 1935 his horse Somnus was entered for the Aintree Grand National, but sustained an injury and had to withdraw. After his riding career, Nicoll went into coaching British youngsters, and also designed and built three-day-event courses. He was also a former chairman of the Pony Club Horse Trials committee, and because of his course designing skills, served on the committee of the Burghley Horse Trials from 1973-90, when he was appointed vice-president. Nicoll’s son Graham, who served in the Welsh Guards, was also a fine steeplechaser, winning the prestigious Grand Military Gold Cup at Sandown Park in 1968.