As part of our celebrations to mark the announcement that Sixes Lacrosse will be featured in the 2028 Olympic Games in LA, USA, we’re taking a look back at the third and last Great Britain team to compete at an Olympics in 1948.
The Games, held in London, England, were the fifth to feature lacrosse after being a competitive medal sport in 1904 and 1908 and a demonstration sport in 1928 and 1932.
Great Britain didn’t participate in the 1932 Olympics in LA with that event seeing Canada and USA compete; USA won two games out of three and were declared winners of the tournament.
In 1948, just two teams competed once again, Great Britain and USA, with the USA team being made up of players from Rensselaer Polytechnic of Troy and Great Britain sending an All-England Lacrosse team.
Just a single game was played between the sides on 5 August at Wembley Stadium in front of an over 35,000-strong crowd; the game ended in a 5-5 draw.
Great Britain goal scorers | Whittaker (2), Dennis, Little, Wilson
John Buckland
Born | 30 June 1922
Died | 5 October 2000
Town | Barton-upon-Irwell
Like his father and two uncles before him, John Buckland attended William Hulme's Grammar School in Manchester. He also followed their footsteps into the school lacrosse team. One of his uncles was George Frederick Buckland, a 1908 Olympian. John Buckland went on to play for Old Hulmeians in the early post-World War II years, and enjoyed a 20-year career at the highest level of northern lacrosse. During his time at the club, the Old Boys won the league championship virtually every year in the 1950s and early 60s as well as the Iroquois Cup three times in 1949-50 and 1962 when Buckland was nearly 40-years-of-age.
A prolific goalscorer, Buckland won representative honours with England and in 1949 played in the first ever England versus Lord Robinson's XII, and also for England against The Rest. He was also in the Great Britain team that played the visiting Yale University team. However, it was in the coveted North versus South match that Buckland had perhaps his best record. He played in 10 consecutive matches between 1947-56, and was honoured with the captaincy in 1956. He continued playing at the highest level into the mid-1960s. Buckland was honoured with a lifetime achievement award by the Centurions in 1990.
Anthony Dennis
Born | 16 May 1921
Died | 24 May 1996
Town | Manchester
Arthur Dennis played lacrosse for Lancashire at the age of 18. He was educated at William Hulme’s Grammar School in Manchester and then went up to Peterhouse, Cambridge, where he studied mathematics. During his time at university, he gained representative honours for The South in the annual match against The North. One of the finest defenders in Britain after the World War I, he played his club lacrosse for the Old Hulmeians before moving to Truro, where he became clerk of the Cornwall County Council.
John Fletcher
Born | 5 December 1915
Died | 12 May 1977
Town | West Wickham
Fletcher played for the impressive northern team Boardman and Eccles and was a member of their team that won both the 1949 Northern and National titles. He also won county representative honours, and played for The North in the annual match against The South. He was capped by England against Lord Robinson’s XII at Lord’s in 1950.
John Foy
Born | Unknown
Died | Unknown
Town | Unknown
John Foy was an outstanding defender and captain. He played his club lacrosse for the Cheshire club Mellor, joining them as a teenager in 1926, and progressed through the ranks, eventually making the first team in 1934. In the three years from 1935-37, Mellor won both the Northern Senior Flags and England Championships. Foy played continually for Cheshire from 1935-52, and in 1937, scored in the 18-3 win over Middlesex that secured the County Championship. That same year, he played against the visiting American All Stars three times, for Mellor, The North, and England. He also played for England against the United States at the White City, in the first recognised international match in England since 1908. During the War, Foy served in India and on resumption of his lacrosse career after the hostilities, he again both won the Northern Flags and England Championships with Mellor in 1948.
Appointed captain of Cheshire in 1949, Foy captained England v Lord Robinson’s XII at Lord’s in both 1950 and 1951, and also skippered Great Britain, the North of England, and Cheshire three times against Yale University, during the American’s visit to Britain in 1950. Foy continued playing for the Mellor first team in the top division of the North of England, until 1960.
Derek Gleave
Born | 7 August 1922
Died | 28 January 2013
Town | Cheadle
Derek Gleave was educated at Cheadle Hulme School, Cheshire, where he first took up playing lacrosse. However, World War II put his sporting career on hold as he firstly joined the Home Guard before enlisting in the 39th Cheshire Regiment. He transferred to the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1941 and, after training in England and Canada, Gleave was promoted to flight sergeant and the following year went to Gibraltar for his first operational post with the 48 Squadron Coastal Command. He was later involved in the dropping of troops over France for the D-Day landings. However, while on a supply mission over Arnhem in 1944 his plane was shot down and crashed in German-held territory. He was initially reported as missing but was actually in a German military hospital, Gleave was then held as prisoner-of-war at Stalag VIIA. Towards the end of the War, Gleave and two other prisoners escaped Stalag and ended up in Paris on VE Day. He returned to England and was discharged from the RAF in October 1946.
After the hostilities, Gleave resumed his sporting career and played lacrosse for Old Waconians. He made his début for Lancashire in 1947, and for the North in 1950. He also played at cover point for Great Britain at the 1948 London Olympics when he was one of seven Old Waconians in the British squad of 18.
In 1954, Gleave married Jean Heaton, a leading tennis player in the Cheshire area.
Jack Little
Born | Unknown
Died | Unknown
Town | Unknown
Normally playing at 2nd home, Jack Little played for the Manchester team, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and won representative honours with Lancashire in the Northern Counties Championship. Little also played for The North in the annual match against The South both before and after World War II, and in 1938 scored six goals in The North’s 14-6 win at Kennington Oval.
Brian Makin
Born | March 1918 (exact date unknown)
Died | 15 December 2008
Town | Stockport
Brian Makin was a member of the impressive Old Waconians lacrosse team that was invincible in the years immediately before and after World War II. They won six out of the nine Iroquois Cup finals between 1938-53.
Makin was one of eight children, five of whom excelled at sport, and two of his brothers, like Brian, played lacrosse at Cheadle Hulme School. Makin served with the Royal Corps of Signals during World War II and, after the hostilities, resumed his career with the Post Office, for whom he worked most of his life. Despite being from the Lancashire-side of the Pennines, it was after a posting to the Post Office in Leeds in 1936 that he played his club lacrosse for Parkside, and won county honours, for Yorkshire. He later went on to captain Lancashire, however, and also skippered the Old Waconians, and in 1952 had the honour of captaining The Rest in the annual match against England at Lord’s. Makin also played in the prestigious North versus South match on several occasions, and played for England against Lord Robinson’s XI in 1951.
Henry Prime
Born | 9 March 1918
Died | 29 March 1990
Town | Waltham Forest
Educated at Manchester Grammar School, Henry Prime played lacrosse for the Old Mancunians after his schooldays. Prime was a member of the Lancashire team that beat Cheshire at Cheadle Hulme to win the County Championship in 1949, and in 1951 played for The North in the annual match against The South at Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Reggie Renshaw
Born | 25 January 1915
Died | 17 March 1987
Town | Cheltenham
Reggie Renshaw started playing lacrosse during his time at Cheadle Hulme school, and later played for their old boys’ team, Old Waconians, of whom he was also an honorary secretary. A fine attacking player, and prolific scorer, he was four times a member of the Waconians Iroquois Cup-winning team in 1937-38, 1947 and 1951. He also played for The North in the prestigious annual match against The South at Lord’s both before and after World War II. He also won representative honours for Lancashire and England.
John Sizmur
Born | 22 December 1921
Died | 10 December 1996
Town | Hillingdon
John Sizmur attended St. Dunstan’s College in Catford, London, and played most of his senior lacrosse for the Old Dunstonians. An England international, he was also a Middlesex county player, and represented The South in the prestigious annual match against The North. In 1952 he moved to the Kenton club, and in 1953 was appointed treasurer of the South of England Lacrosse Association. Sizmur served with the RAF during World War II, and was promoted from flying officer to flight lieutenant in 1944, when he was involved in the Normandy landing, and was, that year, awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC).
Jack Whitehead
Born | 12 October 1910
Died | 7 November 1994
Town | Flixton
Jack Whitehead was captain of the 1948 Great Britain Olympic team. A member of the Old Waconians (Cheadle Hulme School old boys), he was one of seven "Old Wacs" in the squad. Whitehead, who played for Lancashire and the North of England, also captained his club side to five northern senior flags between 1947-55, going on to win the Iroquois Cup on each occasion.
Whitehead served in the Royal Navy during World War II, and his involvement in the raid on Dieppe in 1942 won him the Distinguished Service Cross, to which a bar was added following his involvement in the Normandy Landings. Whitehead spent all his working life at Barclays Bank, and after his retirement, was a non-executive director of Morland Brewery for 12 years. Later he was a general commissioner for the Inland Revenue taxation department, looking into complaints.
Roy Whittaker
Born | 21 October 1918
Died | 15 April 1998
Town | Chesterfield
Roy Whittaker attended Cheadle Hulme School, and first played lacrosse in 1928 at the age of 10. He also played cricket for the school first XI and was later a member of the Sale Cricket Club. After leaving school, he played lacrosse for the Old Waconians, and scored five goals on his debut as a 17-year-old. At the outbreak of World War II, Whittaker joined the Manchester Regiment. During his time in the Army he played football, rugby and hockey for his regiment, before his demobilisation in 1946. Whittaker played for Lancashire and The North, and was a member of the highly successful Old Waconians team in the immediate post-war years.
Rick Wilson
Born | 23 July 1922
Died | 4 June 2017
Town | Great Barton
Rick Wilson of the Old Waconians played against the touring Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (USA) lacrosse team three times in 1948. A prolific goalscorer, he played for both the North of England and Lancashire against them, and then at Wembley Stadium in the Olympics. In 1951, Wilson played for England in the prestigious match against Lord Robinson's XII. Later that year, Wilson moved south and joined Purley, and in 1952, after many years as the regular choice as first home for The North, he played for The South in the annual fixture. He also helped Purley win the Senior Flags for the first time, although they were beaten in the Iroquois Cup by Wilson's old team, Old Waconians.
Wilson was born in Cheetham Hill, Manchester and acquired the nickname “Rick” or “Ricky” in his youth during his time in Scouts. In addition to lacrosse, he also played cricket during his six years at Cheadle Hulme School from 1933 to 1939. He later attended Manchester University from 1939 to 1942 where he earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering. He was a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (MICE) and spent most of his career working for the government in the capacity of a civil engineer, also spending time in Germany and Cyprus in his profession. He also served with the Royal Engineers during World War II. Upon his retirement in 1982 he moved to Great Barton, Suffolk where he remained until his death in 2017.
H. Wyatt
Born | Unkown
Died | Unknown
Town | Unknown
H. Wyatt played in goal for the All-England lacrosse team in the 1948 Olympic match against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (USA). Three weeks earlier, he played against them as a member of the Lancashire team at the Manchester rugby union ground at Kersal. Wyatt played his club lacrosse with the top northern side Boardman and Eccles.
Norman Coe
Born | 23 July 1905
Died | 17 January 1959
Town | Stretford
During his time at William Hulme’s Grammar School in Manchester, Norman Coe developed his lacrosse skills. After joining the Old Hulmeians, he went on to gain representative honours for Lancashire, and was also a regular member in The North side in the annual fixture against The South throughout the 1930s, and again after World War II. He also had the honour of being vice-captain of The North against the touring USA side at Headingley, Leeds, in 1937.
Hugh Ginn
Born | 1 December 1916
Died | 29 December 1979
Town | Wilmslow
Hugh Ginn attended Cheadle Hulme School, and was head boy in 1934. He later went to Manchester University where he played lacrosse, normally as a right attack. He also played for the Willoughby club, and appeared in his first North v South match in 1939, representing The South. That same season, he was in the Willoughby side beaten by Hampstead in the final of the Southern Flags. After World War II, he played for the Old Waconians (ex Cheadle Hulme students), and in 1947 appeared in his second North v South match, this time representing The North. That year, he also helped the Wacs to retain the Iroqouis Cup, which they had last won in 1939, with a 17-5 victory over Hampstead. He was appointed the honorary secretary of the Old Waconians, and in 1950, Ginn had the honour of playing for Lord Robinson’s XII, in what was to be the first annual match against an England XII at Lord’s. Ginn was still playing for the Old Waconians in 1961 aged 45, and during his time at the club they won the Iroquois Cup five times. After his playing days, Ginn became a referee and officiated at the 1968 Varsity Match.
Jack Griffith
Born | 9 January 1923
Died | 28 April 1994
Town | Stockport
Jack Griffith of Stockport was the best goalkeeper in English lacrosse in the 1940s and 50s. He won representative honours with The North, Cheshire and England.
Joe Swindells
Born | 20 April 1913
Died | 20 April 2005
Town | Glossop
Although educated at New Mills Grammar School in north Derbyshire, close to the lacrosse “hot-spot” of Stockport, Joe Swindells’ job as a construction engineer took him around the country, and consequently he played for lacrosse teams in both the Northern and Southern Leagues. Before World War II, he played for London side Willoughby, and in 1937, made the first of several appearances in the annual South versus North match. That same year he was in the Middlesex side beaten by Cheshire in the County Championship final. The following year, Swindells scored six goals for Willoughby as they beat Surbiton 19-3 in the Southern Flags final. Unfortunately, Willoughby lost 12-2 to Old Waconians in the Iroquois Cup.
After the War, Swindells played for Hampstead, and was again on the losing side in the Iroquois Cup, after his new team lost, again, to Old Waconians. In 1949 he played for The South against The North. The game ended 9-9, and was the first time since 1908 that The North had failed to win. Later that year, after moving to Birmingham to work, Swindells played for both the Birmingham and Leicester lacrosse clubs. He ended his career with the Yorkshire side Old Grovians, in the third division of the North of England Lacrosse Association, leaving them midway through the 1954/55 season to work and live abroad.
A one-time assistant secretary of the South of England Lacrosse Association, Swindells, whilst serving as a lieutenant with the Royal Engineers in October 1945, became one of a small handful of mountaineers to have climbed the 18,500 ft Mount Damavand in Tehran. He made the climb accompanied by two other men.
Swindells later retired to Cyprus in 1974 where he lived in Kyrenia with his wife.
Richard Zimmern
Born | 18 December 1925
Died | March 2014
Town | Hitchin
Educated at Manchester Grammar School, before going to St. John’s College, Cambridge, Richard Zimmern played both lacrosse and ice hockey in the annual matches against Oxford. He won a lacrosse Half-Blue in 1948 and 1949, when he was team captain, but Blues were not awarded when he made his ice hockey appearance in 1949. Zimmern also skippered the University side to the final of the 1948 University Lacrosse Championship when they were beaten, ironically, by Manchester in the final. During his time at University, Zimmern appeared for The South in the annual match against The North in 1947. He moved back to the north of England late in 1949, and played his club hockey with Old Mancunians. Having been a reserve for the All-England team at the 1948 Olympics, Zimmern got a chance to play for Great Britain at Inverleith in 1950, when they played the visiting Yale University team. In 1961 he managed a combined Oxford/Cambridge University team on a tour of the United States. Shortly after World War II, Zimmern served in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
Our records on the 1948 Great Britain Olympic team are currently incomplete. If anyone has any more information about the 1948 Games and the players involved, please contact us via email on j.naylor@englandlacrosse.co.uk.
