The son of a medical practitioner, Philip Verdon was educated at Westminster School, then Jesus College, Cambridge. He qualified as a doctor in 1912 and was working as an eye specialist at St. Thomas’s hospital, where he finished his training. He served with the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) during World War I, and in 1917 transferred to the Indian Medical Service and was posted to Egypt before returning to the Indian Southern Command, and continued as an eye specialist with the 5th (Nhow) Division.
As a rower, Verdon never won a Blue at Cambridge although he did take part in the Trial Eights for the 1909 Boat Race. His finest moment, however, came at the 1908 London Olympics when he partnered Eric Fairbairn in the coxless pairs to win a silver medal. In their heat, the Leander pair beat the German duo of Martin Stahnke and Willy Düskow, who stopped rowing at halfway when Düskow was unable to continue. In the final, Verdon and Fairbairn were beaten by fellow Leander members John Fenning and Gordon Thomson. Verdon was also a good golfer and played for St. Thomas’s in the Inter-Hospital Tournament.
Great Britain