Thomas Fremantle

Thomas Fremantle, to give him his full title, was the 3rd Baron Cottesloe of Swanbourne and of Hardwicke, in the county of Buckinghamshire. Fremantle was also the Lord Lieutenant of the county for many years. He was educated at Eton, where he was on the school shooting team and, in 1880, was a member of the Eight that won the public schools’ Ashburton Shield. After going to Balliol College, Oxford, Fremantle continued shooting for the University, and in 1884 reached the final stage of the Queen’s Prize, the final of which he reached on two other occasions, in 1893 and 1921.

Fremantle had a long and successful Bisley career and last competed when in his 80s. He first represented England in the Elcho Shield in 1895 and was captain between 1920-28. He also captained Great Britain in the 1902 and 1903 Palma Trophy, at the 1908 Olympics, and in the 1910 Empire match. For many years Fremantle also represented the House of Lords in the annual shooting match against the House of Commons.

Fremantle was involved in ballistic research and, with his knowledge, served as chairman of Small Arms Committee at the War Office. In 1889 he was appointed assistant secretary of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and played an important role in moving the Association’s headquarters from Wimbledon to Bisley. He was chairman on the NRA Council from 1930-39. Fremantle wrote, or co-wrote, several books on rifle shooting, including one on the history of the NRA from its foundation in 1859, up to 1909. At the time of his death in 1956, Fremantle was at 94-years-of-age, the oldest living Olympian at the time.