Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics

Great Britain at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. British athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games. 189 competitors, 163 men and 26 women, took part in 108 events in 17 sports.
The Melbourne Games saw an improvement on Great Britain and Northern Ireland's performance at the two preceding Games. British athletes won six gold medals (up from just one in 1952). Overall, they won twenty-four medals, finishing eighth.
Medallists
Gold
Chris Brasher — Athletics, Men's 3.000m Steeplechase
Terence Spinks — Boxing, Men's Flyweight
Richard McTaggart — Boxing, Men's Lightweight
Bertie Hill, Arthur Rook, and Francis Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Team
Gillian Sheen — Fencing, Women's Foil Individual
Judy Grinham — Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke
Silver
Derek Johnson — Athletics, Men's 800m
Gordon Pirie — Athletics, Men's 5.000m
Jean Scrivens, Heather Armitage, June Foulds, and Anne Pashley — Athletics, Women's 4 × 100 m Relay
Thelma Hopkins — Athletics, Women's High Jump
Thomas Nicholls — Boxing, Men's Featherweight
Arthur Brittain, William Holmes, and Alan Jackson — Cycling, Men's Team Road Race
Robert Perry, David Bowker, John Dillon, and Neil Kennedy-Cochran — Sailing, Men's 5½ Meter Classo
Bronze
Derek Ibbotson — Athletics, Men's 5.000m
Michael Wheeler, Peter Higgins, Derek Johnson, and John Salisbury — Athletics, Men's 4 × 400 m Relay
Nicholas Gargano — Boxing, Men's Welterweight
John McCormack — Boxing, Men's Light Middleweight
Tom Simpson, Donald Burgess, Michael Gambrill, and John Geddes — Cycling, Men's 4.000m Team Pursuit
Alan Jackson — Cycling, Men's Individual Road Race
Francis Weldon — Equestrian, Three-Day Event Individual
Peter Robeson, Pat Smythe, and Wilf White — Equestrian, Jumping Team
Margaret Edwards — Swimming, Women's 100m Backstroke
Terence Smith and Jasper Blackall — Sailing, Men's Sharpie 12m²
Graham Mann, Ronald Backus, and Jonathan Janson — Sailing, Men's Dragon
Athletics
Men's 110m Hurdles
Peter Hildreth
Heat — 14.5s (→ did not advance)
Jack Parker
Heat — 14.8s (→ did not advance)
Men's 1500m
Brian Hewson
Final— 3:42.6 (→ 5th place)
Ian Boyd
Final— 3:43.0 (→ 8th place)
Ken Wood
Final— 3:44.76 (→ 9th place)
Men's Marathon
Harry Hicks — 2:39:55 (→ 15th place)
Fred Norris — did not finish (→ no ranking)
Ron Clark — did not finish (→ no ranking)
Women's Discus Throw
Suzanne Allday
Qualifying Round — 41.45 m (→ did not advance, 14th place)
Boxing
Men's Light Flyweight (– 48 kg)
Owen Reilly
Men's Flyweight (– 51 kg)
Terence Spinks
Men's Bantamweight (– 54 kg)
Thomas Nicholls
Men's Featherweight (– 57 kg)
Richard McTaggart
Men's Light Welterweight (– 63.5 kg)
Nicholas Gargano
Men's Light Middleweight (– 67 kg)
John McCormack
Men's Middleweight (– 75 kg)
Ron Redrup
Canoeing
Cycling
Sprint
Keith Harrison — 15th place
Time trial
Alan Danson — 1:12.3 (→ 5th place)
Tandem
Eric ThompsonPeter Brotherton — 4th place
Team pursuit
Donald BurgessJohn GeddesMichael GambrillTom Simpson — 4:42.2 (→ Bronze Medal)
Team road race
Alan JacksonArthur BrittainWilliam Holmes — 23 points (→ Silver Medal)
Individual road race
Alan Jackson — 5:23:16 (→ Bronze Medal)
Arthur Brittain — 5:23:40 (→ 6th place)
William Holmes — 5:23:40 (→ 14th place)
Harold Reynolds — 5:24:44 (→ 19th place)
Diving
Men's 10m Platform
Peter Tarsey
Preliminary Round — 68.34 (→ did not advance, 14th place)
Roy Walsh
Preliminary Round — 62.56 (→ did not advance, 20th place)
Ray Cann
Preliminary Round — 60.08 (→ did not advance, 21st place)
Women's 10m Platform
Ann Long
Preliminary Round — 49.15
Final — 76.15 (→ 7th place)
Charmain Welsh
Preliminary Round — 46.55
Final — 69.05 (→ 12th place)
Fencing
Nine fencers, seven men and two women, represented Great Britain in 1956.
Men's foil
Allan Jay
Raymond Paul
René Paul
Men's team foil
René Paul, Bill Hoskyns, Raymond Paul, Allan Jay, Ralph Cooperman
Men's épée
Bill Hoskyns
Allan Jay
Michael Howard
Men's team épée
René Paul, Raymond Paul, Michael Howard, Bill Hoskyns, Allan Jay
Men's sabre
Olgierd Porebski
Ralph Cooperman
Bill Hoskyns
Men's team sabre
Olgierd Porebski, Bill Hoskyns, Ralph Cooperman, Allan Jay, Raymond Paul
Women's foil
Gillian Sheen
Mary Glen-Haig
Football
Gymnastics
The British Gymnastics team competed in 15 events, and was made up of 14 gymnasts, (6 men and 8 women),
including Frank Turner, competing in his third Summer Olympics.
Hockey
Modern pentathlon
Three male pentathletes represented Great Britain in 1956.
Individual
Donald Cobley
Thomas Hudson
George Norman
Team
Donald Cobley
Thomas Hudson
George Norman
Rowing
Great Britain had 12 male rowers participate in three out of seven rowing events in 1956.
Men's single sculls - unplaced
Tony Fox
Men's double sculls - unplaced
Sidney Rand
Bill Rand
Men's eight
Richard Wheadon
Michael Delahooke
Ian Welsh
Kenneth Masser
Simon Tozer
Alan Watson
John A. Russell
Christopher Davidge
John Hinde (cox)
Sailing
Shooting
Six shooters represented Great Britain in 1956.
25 m pistol
Henry Steele
Frederick Cooper
50 m pistol
Frederick Cooper
Henry Steele
300 m rifle, three positions
Steffen Cranmer
50 m rifle, three positions
Steffen Cranmer
Frederick Hopkinson
50 m rifle, prone
Steffen Cranmer
Frederick Hopkinson
Trap
Joe Wheater
Ernest Fear
Swimming
Water polo
Weightlifting
Wrestling
References
Nations at the 1956 Summer Olympics
1956
Summer Olympics