Geoffrey Hett

Geoffrey Hett was the son of the eminent ear, nose, and throat surgeon Geoffrey Seccombe Hett, who was also surgeon to the British Royal Family. The young Hett was educated at Harrow School before going up to Peterhouse, Cambridge, and in 1929 and 1930 was a fencing Blue, captaining the team in the second year. Although he fought with all three weapons, Hett had a preference for the foil and, although he never won a British title, he did reach the final pool of the British Foil Championship in 1930. He was a member of the Great Britain squad at the 1931 Championships of Europe in Wien and 1937 World Championships in Paris.

Hett obtained his pilot’s licence in 1932 and served as a pilot officer in the Civil Air Guard during World War II before becoming a reservist with the RAF. Unlike his father, Hett did not branch into medicine but became a freelance journalist and editor, and in 1939 published his practical guide to fencing simply entitled Fencing.