George Eric Fairbairn (18 August 1888 – 20 June 1915) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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 ...

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 ...

. He was killed in action in the

First World War 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 ...

. Fairbairn was born at

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Australia, the son of Thomas Fairbairn, a pastoralist, and his wife Lena Carmyle. He was also the nephew of rower

Steve Fairbairn Stephen Fairbairn (25 August 1862 – 16 May 1938) was a rower and an influential rowing coach at Jesus College Boat Club, Cambridge University, Thames Rowing Club and London Rowing Club in the early decades of the 20th century, and founded t ...

. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

and rowed for

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

in the

Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the Uni ...

in 1908. At the 1908 Summer Olympics, most of the Cambridge crew competed in the eight, which won the bronze medal, but Fairbairn went into the

coxless pair A coxless pair, abbreviated as a 2- and also known as a straight pair, is a racing shell used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars. The crew consists of a pair of rowers, each ...

s with

Philip Verdon Philip Verdon (22 February 1886 – 18 June 1960) was a British rower who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics. Born in Brixton, London, he was educated at Westminster School London, then at Jesus College, Cambridge. As the strokeman in the ...

and won the silver medal.Sports Reference Olympic Sports – George Fairbairn
In 1909 he missed the Boat Race because of illness. Fairbairn also played

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

for

Rosslyn Park F.C. Rosslyn Park Football Club is a rugby union club based in south west London currently playing in National League 1 - a tier 3 league in the English rugby union system. History Founded in 1879 by cricketing friends in north London, at the end o ...

Richard Cable ''Case Study: Rosslyn Park's Unknown Soldiers'' BBC
/ref> During the

, Fairbairn served as a second lieutenant with the

Durham Light Infantry The Durham Light Infantry (DLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1968. It was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) and ...

and was killed in action, aged 26, at Bailleul. He was buried at the Bailleul Communal Cemetery nearby.Fairbairn, George Eric
''Commonwealth War Graves Commission'', retrieved 17 November 2017

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbairn, George 1888 births 1915 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge British male rowers Olympic rowers for Great Britain Rowers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Durham Light Infantry officers British military personnel killed in World War I Olympic medalists in rowing Artists' Rifles soldiers Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics George Eric British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Melbourne Burials in Hauts-de-France Rosslyn Park F.C. players

See also

References

External links