Horace Dawswell

Horace Dawswell was a member of the gymnastics and wrestling sections of the Northampton Polytechnic Institute. He competed at the 1920 Antwerpen Olympics in the former discipline, and came close to becoming a double Olympian in 1924 when Dawswell competed as a bantamweight in the freestyle wrestling qualifying competition for the Paris Games. It would be at diving, however, that he would gain national honours.

Dawswell started diving competitively in the second half of the 1920s after joining London’s Amateur Swimming Club. He was the joint winner, with team-mate R. A. Cook, of the Amateur Diving Association (ADA) National Graceful Diving Championship, in 1932. The following year Dowswell was the overall ADA champion and in 1934 was overall runner-up, but did secure the high diving title.

At the age of 15 Dawswell started making ivory umbrella handles in his father’s business, before later becoming a mechanical engineer. He joined the RAF in 1918.