Guy Harry

In 1923, left-hander Guy Harry of the Artists’ Rifles was equal third in a sabre competition that was later to be recognised as the British junior sabre championship (‘junior’ not in age but rather in being open only to those fencers who had not reached the senior final). Four years later he was runner-up to Archie Corble in the senior British sabre championship and in 1928 went one better to capture the title after a barrage with Alex Forrest. Harry was too ill to defend his title in 1929, but came back to finish runner-up to Geoffrey Trinder in 1930 after another barrage. That year he was appointed captain of the British sabre team at the European championships in Liège. In 1931 he was again second to Trinder in the British championship and repeated that achievement in 1936 (behind Robin Brook), a result which saw him called up for his second Olympics.

The son of a London publican, Harry served an apprenticeship in the wine trade, and more than 50 years later, in October 1966, he had the honour of being installed as the new Master of the Company of Distillers. He served in the Army as a lieutenant in the East Surrey Regiment in World War I and received British War and Victory medals. At the outbreak of World War II he rejoined as a lieutenant with 11th Queen’s Regiment (West Surrey) TA before being disabled out of service in 1945 with the rank of honorary major. In 1952 he was awarded the TA Efficiency Decoration. His brother Roy served in the Royal Navy and was the Navy sabre champion on several occasions. Guy was a keen golfer and played in regimental tournaments in his mid-fifties, when he still held a single-figure handicap.