Edward Gardère

Edward Gardère was born in the mountainous region of the Vosges. Between 1930 and 1944 he won 10 French Championships in the individual foil, a record which still stands today. At the World Championships, he won two silver medals in team foil in 1937-38 as well as a silver and bronze medal as an individual in those years. Gardère’s only team silver in the sabre came in 1938. At the International Championships, which preceded the official World Championships until 1935, he won an individual foil gold in 1935 and three silvers in 1930, 1934 and 1935. After the end of his active career, he became a fencing master and opened his own fencing school. Gardère had a short cameo appearance in the 1943 French movie “Le Colonel Chabert.”