One of seven children, all boys, born to a Church of England vicar, John Robinson, the only University Blue in England’s 1908 Olympic hockey team, came from a family with an outstanding record in the sport. Robinson was in the Oxford XI for four years (1906-09) and in his first three matches against Cambridge his twin brother, Laurence, was on the opposing team. Laurence captained Cambridge in 1908, John was the Oxford captain the following year and in 1912 a third brother, Hugh, captained Cambridge. John went on to play nine times for England between 1907 and 1911 with Laurence being capped three times. John Robinson went up to Merton College, Oxford from Radley, where he played in the cricket and football first XIs.
When he left University, after graduating with honours in history, he was a schoolmaster, first at Sherborne and then Broadstairs for a short while before being commissioned into the 7th battalion, Prince of Wales’s North Staffordshire Regiment. He was soon promoted at the rank of captain but in the campaign in Mesopotamia he received serious spine injuries which were to prove fatal, because he died after being invalided back to England. He was mentioned in dispatches and also won the Military Cross six months before his death. Brother Hugh also served with the Staffs, and another brother Henry was killed in action in 1918.
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