Tom Tyler

Tom Tyler was scheduled to row at No.3 in the Great Britain coxless fours at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, but went down with influenza a week before the start of competition, and his place was taken by “Jumbo” Edwards.

Tyler, known to many as “Tig,” enjoyed a long rowing career but was generally a runner-up, rather than victor. He was in the Thames RC eight that lost in the final of the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley to London RC in 1931. He had double misfortune in 1936 when beaten in the final of the Diamond Sculls at Henley by Switzerland’s Ernst Rufli, and was then beaten in the single sculls trial for the Berlin Olympics by Humphrey Warren. In 1938, Tyler lost to the eventual winner, Joe Burk of Pennsylvania, in the semi-final of the Diamond Sculls, and in 1947 Tyler finished third in the Wingfield Sculls behind winner Bert Bushnell.