John Walker

John Walker was the son of a London-born Church of England minister, who was also a tutor at Queen’s College, Oxford. Walker also went to Oxford (New College) after his schooling at Clifton College, Bristol.

At Oxford, Walker coxed for his college eights and seemed as if he would receive a spot on the 1914 Boat Race team in place of Henry Wells, cox in 1911, 1912, and 1913. After contracting influenza the month before the race, however, Walker lost his place, and Wells went on to compete in his fourth consecutive race. Walker coxed New College in the Grand at Henley in 1912 and 1913, but his finest moment was at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, when he was cox to the New College eight that won the silver medal for Great Britain.

Walker worked as a clerk for the Ministry of Shipping, before joining the Sea Transport Division of the Ministry of War Transport during World War II, and he later became an assistant director. In the 1943 New Year’s honours list he received the MBE. Walker also acted as secretary to the central board of finance of the Church of England.