Malcolm Cuthbert Nokes MC MA BSc (20 May 1897 – 22 November 1986) was a British schoolteacher, soldier, research scientist and Olympic athlete, who competed in the

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consist ...

and

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

Biography

He won the bronze medal in the hammer throw at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Four years later he finished eleventh in the 1928 Olympic hammer throw competition. In 1923 he beat the British hammer throw record, but did so in a demonstration rather than a competition, so his throw did not count for record purposes. He won the gold medal for England in the

1930 British Empire Games The 1930 British Empire Games were the inaugural edition of what now is known as the Commonwealth Games, and were held in Hamilton, Ontario, from 16 to 23 August 1930. The games were organized by ''Hamilton Spectator'' sportswriter Bobby Robinso ...

in the hammer throw contest and finished fifth in the discus throw event. At the

1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events we ...

he won again the gold medal in the hammer throw competition. Nokes was the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) Champion from 1923 to 1926 and placed second in 1921–22 and 1927–28. He was chairman of the AAA's Coaching Committee, and also a member of the

Achilles Club The Achilles Club is a track and field club formed in 1920 by and for past and present representatives of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Members have won 19 Olympic Gold Medals (most recently Steph Cook in 2000) and held 38 World Records. On ...

. He was a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford, where he studied chemistry and wrote a thesis on metaphenetidine. Nokes served in the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in the trenches and then as an

observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Computer science and information theory * In information theory, any system which receives information from an object * State observer in co ...

in the Royal Flying Corps. He was awarded a

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

for his service, becoming MC Nokes MC. In

the Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

he served as an officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (Training Branch) while a schoolmaster. He taught chemistry at Malvern College and later at Harrow School, where he was appointed Head of Science; he had come to the attention of Harrow when two schools colocated during the Second World War, although they did not merge. His practical demonstrations of the reaction of

sodium Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable ...

with water were popular and famous among his pupils. These often entailed an explosion as MC Nokes put more than the recommended quantity of sodium into the water, and as the smoke cleared and noise subsided, MC Nokes would say "Note the small report." He was a member of the Science Masters' Association. Later he worked at Harwell and then was Head of Laboratories at CENTO Institute of Nuclear & Applied Science in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. In retirement he lived in Honiton, Devon, and then in Alton, Hampshire. His nicknames included "Nokey", "Glaxo" and "Stally." The chronology of his career was: * 1909—16 schoolboy at

Bishop's Stortford College Bishop's Stortford College is a independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition for more than 1,200 pupils aged 4–18, situated in a campus on the edge of the market town of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, Englan ...

(School House A) * 1916—18

Royal Garrison Artillery The Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) was formed in 1899 as a distinct arm of the British Army's Royal Regiment of Artillery serving alongside the other two arms of the Regiment, the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) and the Royal Horse Artillery (RHA) ...

(RGA) & Royal Flying Corps (RFC), served on the Western Front. (August 1917 awarded MC) * 1918—19

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

, served on the Western Front * 1921 Completed the shortened course in Chemistry at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

Magdalen College Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

, with a distinction * 1923 Awarded BSc. Chemistry, Oxford University, Magdalen College * 1922—46 Malvern College, science teacher & head of department. (Housemaster 1932–40) * 1946—57 Harrow School * 1957—59 Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell (Isotope Division) * 1959—66

CENTO The Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), also known as the Baghdad Pact and subsequently known as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Tur ...

Institute of Nuclear Science, Tehran, with status of

Third Secretary Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

in the British Embassy, Tehran * 1966—69 Tehran University Institute of Nuclear Science During his time at Harrow, he served as a councillor in what is now

Harrow London Borough Council Harrow London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Harrow in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. It is currently controlled by the Conservative ...

, being elected as a Conservative for the ward of Harrow-on-the-Hill & Greenhill. During his service as a borough councillor, he proposed and was instrumental in bringing into service one of the first electric dust carts to be used in England, as part of the modernization of public health services in Harrow. MC Nokes was one of eight children of Walter Nokes. His brothers included Gerald Dacre Nokes,Gerald Dacre Nokes
/ref> a barrister and Indian judge, and George Augustus Nokes.

Publications

* ''Modern Glass-working and laboratory techniques'.' London, 1937: William Heinemann. * ''Simple Experiments in the theory of flight''. London, 1941: William Heinemann. * "Aircraft instruments" in ''Air training manual; a practical guide to aero-engines, aircraft construction, wireless and electricity, and air navigation for members of the A. T. C. and all interested in modern aeronautics.'' London, 1943: Odhams Press. * ''Science in education''. London, 1949: Macdonald. * ''Demonstrations in modern physics''. London, 1952: William Heinemann. * "Throwing the Hammer" (with Lt. Col. C. J. Reidy) in ''Athletics, by Members of the Achilles Club.'

(Ed.: Meyer, HM). London, 1955: JM Dent & Sons. * ''Radioactivity measuring instruments: a guide to their construction and use''. Melbourne, 1958: William Heinemann.

References

External links

*
Malcolm Nokes
''Track Stats, May 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nokes, Malcolm 1897 births 1986 deaths Athletes from London People from Edmonton, London People from Alton, Hampshire People from Honiton British male hammer throwers British male discus throwers English male hammer throwers English male discus throwers Olympic athletes of Great Britain Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1924 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1928 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1930 British Empire Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games Teachers at Harrow School Royal Garrison Artillery officers Royal Flying Corps officers

Officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Recipients of the Military Cross Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Academic staff of the University of Tehran Science teachers British Army personnel of World War I 20th-century chemists Nuclear chemists English chemists Scientists from London British nuclear physicists Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists in athletics (track and field) Schoolteachers from Worcestershire Medallists at the 1930 British Empire Games Medallists at the 1934 British Empire Games