John Rainforth

Welsh-born John Rainforth was the son of a ship owner and broker. He grew up in Newport, Wales where he was an active rugby player in his youth. He served in the Royal Navy in the 1950s and was a member of the rugby team in 1955. Named to the 1956 British Olympic bobsled team that competed at Cortina d’Ampezzo, he competed in the two-man event with Keith Schellenberg, finishing 11th and was also a member the crew of the Great Britain 1 sled alongside Schellenberg, Rollo Brandt and brakeman Ralph Raffles.

After attending Oundle School in Northamptonshire, Rainforth was educated at Emmanuel College at Cambridge University and was a member of the rugby team in the late 1950s, earning his rugby Blue in 1958.