Geoffrey Barron Taylor (February 4, 1890 – April 25, 1915) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

from

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

who competed in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were originally schedu ...

and the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...

. As a member of Toronto's

Argonaut Rowing Club The Argonaut Rowing Club is an amateur rowing club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club was founded in 1872. The current junior head coach is Connor Elsdon. In the past, the club fielded teams in ice hockey and football, and the football team c ...

, he was stroke of the 1907 Junior four and eight at 17 years of age. That year, at the

Royal Canadian Henley Regatta The Royal Canadian Henley Regatta started in 1880 as the first championship for the newly formed Canadian Association of Amateur Oarsmen. History It changed venues often until 1903, when it was decided to hold it at St. Catharines Port Dalhou ...

, he made history, winning the Junior, Intermediate, and Senior fours as well as the Junior and Senior Eights. In all, five Henley wins in one day - a feat that has never been equaled over 100 years later. He was stroke of the Canadian boat which won the bronze medal in the

coxless four A coxless four, abbreviated as a 4- and also called a straight four, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars, without a coxswain. The crew consists of four ...

in 1908, when he also stroked the Canadian

eight 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

which won the bronze medal behind

Leander Club Leander Club, founded in 1818, is one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, and the oldest non-academic club. It is based in Remenham in Berkshire, England and adjoins Henley-on-Thames. Only three other surviving clubs were founded prior ...

(gold) and Belgium (silver). Taylor was a student at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

when

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

began. He left his studies and was commissioned into the

15th Battalion (48th Highlanders of Canada), CEF The 15th Battalion (48th Highlanders of Canada), CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I. The 15th Battalion was authorized on 1 September 1914, embarked for Britain on 26 September 1914, and arrived ...

, on the unit's arrival in England in February 1915 with the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

, and fell in action with it as a lieutenant on April 24, 1915, aged 25 at the

2nd Battle of Ypres The Second Battle of Ypres was fought from 22 April – 25 May 1915, during the First World War, for control of the tactically-important high ground to the east and the south of the Flanders, Flemish town of Ypres, in western Belgium. The ...

. His body was not recovered from the field, and his name is engraved on the gateway for the missing of the Ypres Salient at Menin.

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profile
* 1890 births 1915 deaths Canadian male rowers Olympic rowers for Canada Rowers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Olympic medalists in rowing Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force officers 20th-century Canadian sportsmen {{Canada-rowing-bio-stub

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