Joseph George Dorian Williams

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1 July 1914 – 21 July 1985) was a British

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

, journalist, broadcaster, author and patron of the arts.

Life

Williams was educated at

Hawtreys Hawtreys Preparatory School was a private boys' preparatory school in England. First established in Slough, it later moved to Westgate-on-Sea, then to Oswestry, and finally to Tottenham House near Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire. Until 1916 it was kn ...

prep school, then

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and served as a soldier. He was, from the 1950s until his retirement in 1980, the voice of

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ar ...

British television Television broadcasts in the United Kingdom began in 1932, however, regular broadcasts would only begin four years later. Television began as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transm ...

, succeeded by Raymond Brooks-Ward who broadcast with Williams from 1956. He was largely responsible for making it into a mainstream TV sport that was enjoyed by millions throughout the 1970s and continues to be enjoyed. His final broadcast as a full-time commentator was at the Olympia Horse Show in December 1980, although he continued to commentate on pre-recorded (filmed) coverage of dressage once a year until 1984. In addition to his TV work he was also an author, writing the Wendy series which were aimed at children and could be termed "traditional pony books". He also wrote two adult horse novels and several works of non fiction concerning show jumping and equestrianism in general. He was Chairman of the

British Horse Society The British Horse Society (BHS) is a membership-based equine charity, with a stated vision of "a Society which provides a strong voice for horses and people and which spreads awareness through support, training and education". It currently has ...

, and instrumental in setting up a National Equestrian Centre at

Stoneleigh Abbey Stoneleigh Abbey is an English country house and estate situated south of Coventry. Nearby is the village of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. The Abbey itself is a Grade I listed building. History In 1154 Henry II of England, ...

in Warwickshire. He was also Master of the Whaddon Chase hunt. He was appointed OBE in the

1978 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1978 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, to celebrate the year passed and mark the begin ...

. In 1949 he founded the Pendley Open Air Shakespeare Festival in the grounds of his ancestral family home of

Pendley Manor Pendley Manor is a hotel, conference and function centre near Tring, Hertfordshire, UK. It is a historic country house and is Grade II listed as an important example of Victorian architecture. History A village of Pendley (or ''Penley'', ''Pen ...

near

Tring Tring is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Dacorum, Hertfordshire, England. It is situated in a gap passing through the Chiltern Hills, classed as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, from Central London. Tring is linked ...

, Hertfordshire. He married twice: * 1. The Hon. Moyra Lubbock 1938 (marriage dissolved 1949) * 2. Jennifer (one daughter Carola and one son Piers) He died from pancreatic cancer in July 1985 following an earlier cancer operation in 1973. In 2005, he was one of the inaugural laureates appointed to The British Horse Society Equestrian Hall of Fame.BHS Equestrian Hall of Fame article 5 August 2005

References

* ''Master of One, an Autobiography'', Dent, 1978. {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Dorian 1914 births 1985 deaths Deaths from pancreatic cancer British sports broadcasters Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Hawtreys People educated at Harrow School