Colonel Sir George Malcolm Fox (4 March 1843 – 10 March 1918) was Inspector General of Gymnasia at Aldershot, (1890-1897) and Director of Physical Training at the Military School, Aldershot.

Early life

Fox was born in

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

in 1843, one of six children born to Marianne ''née'' Strutt (1814–1898) and Douglas Fox (1798–1885), a magistrate and surgeon. He was educated at

Rossall School Rossall School is a private Day school, day and boarding school, boarding school in the United Kingdom for 0–18 year olds, between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. Rossall was founded in 1844 by St. Vincent Beechey, St Vincent Beechey as a ...

and

Brighton College Brighton College is a fee-charging, co-educational, boarding and day public school for boys and girls aged 3 to 18 in Brighton and Hove, England. The school has three sites: Brighton College (the senior school, ages 11 to 18), Brighton Co ...

before joining the army. Fox began his military career serving with the 100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot from 1863-1875, being promoted to Lieutenant in 1865 and Captain in 1871. With his regiment he saw service in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

. After transferring to the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot (the 'Black Watch') he was with his regiment in Aldershot in 1881 before seeing service in the Egypt Campaign where he was wounded during the

Battle of Tell El Kebir The Battle of Tel El Kebir (often spelled Tel-El-Kebir) was fought on 13 September 1882 at Tell El Kebir in Egypt, 110 km north-north-east of Cairo. An entrenched Egyptian force under the command of Ahmed ʻUrabi was defeated by a British ...

in 1882. In

Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville (; 31 May 183518 May 1885) was a French academic painter who studied under Eugène Delacroix. His dramatic and intensely patriotic subjects illustrated episodes from the Franco-Prussian War, the Crimean War, the ...

's painting ''The Storming of Tel el Kebir'' (1882) Fox is depicted to the left wounded in the shoulder and being held by another soldier, whereas in reality he was shot in the thigh.

At Aldershot

Fox had an interest in physical training, in particular in fencing and boxing, and he organised various sporting competitions in the Army which lead to his appointment at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

in April 1883 as Assistant Inspector of Gymnasia under Colonel G. M. Onslow. In July 1883 he was promoted Major. Fox was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 1888 and was a Colonel by 1900.Amateur Athletic Association - The Coming of Age Dinner
ATHLOS: A website dedicated to athletics literature Fox married firstly Mary Rose "Minnie" Newall in 1881 who died in childbirth in 1882 giving birth to her daughter Mary Agnes Dorothy Fox (1882–1968); and secondly, Marion Jane Mills (1863–1957) in 1884, with whom he had a daughter: Marion Inez Douglas Fox (1885–1973).

Inspector of Gymnasia

From 1890 to 1897 Fox was Inspector of Gymnasia at Aldershot, having succeeded Colonel G. M. Onslow, and financed the expansion of the army athletic grounds and gymnasia at Aldershot using his second wife's money including in 1894 building the gymnasium that was later to bear his name. An expert swordsman, he designed swords for the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

including the 1895 Infantry Sword Exercise and the

Pattern 1897 infantry officer's sword The 1897 pattern infantry officers’ sword is a straight-bladed, three-quarter basket-hilted sword that has been the regulation sword for officers of the line infantry of the British Army from 1897 to the present day. History The curved, Gothic ...

, leading to his 'Swordsmanship'

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...

appearing in '' Vanity Fair'' in 1896, drawn by ''

Spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

''. He was also influential in the design of the

pattern 1908 cavalry sword The Pattern 1908 cavalry trooper's sword (and the 1912 Pattern, the equivalent for officers) was the last service sword issued to the cavalry of the British Army. It has been called the most effective cavalry sword ever designed, although its in ...

. As Inspector of Gymnasia Fox had the responsibility for deciding which skills needed to be incorporated to form the set routines for gymnastics competitions in Scotland. The original gymnasium of 1861 was replaced with the much larger Headquarters Gymnasium in 1894 at the instigation of Fox.

Later life

In 1900 he retired with the rank of Colonel. He was temporarily Inspector of Gymnasia from 1900 to 1902 during his retirement while Lieutenant-Colonel J. Scott Napier, the then holder of the post was employed in South Africa during the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

.Biography of Colonel Fox
''Mind, Body and Spirit: The Annual Journal of the Royal Army Physical Training Corps'', 3 June 2015, pp. 89-90 In 1903 he was seconded to the

Board Of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

as the Chief Inspector of Physical Training. He was a member of the Bartitsu Club. Headquarters Gymnasium Aldershot 1917

Colonel George Malcolm Fox was knighted in 1910. After a series of strokes Fox died at his home, Rustington House near

Littlehampton Littlehampton is a town, seaside resort and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the English Channel on the eastern bank of the mouth of the River Arun. It is south south-west of London, west of Brighton and ...

in March 1918. In his will he left an estate valued at £31,244 12s 5d. The Headquarters Gymnasium in Aldershot built by him in 1894 was renamed the Fox Gymnasium in his honour in the 1940s and remains the main training gymnasium of the

Royal Army Physical Training Corps The Royal Army Physical Training Corps (RAPTC) is the British Army corps responsible for physical fitness and physical education and has been headquartered in Aldershot since its foundation in 1860. Its members are all Royal Army Physical Traini ...

(RAPT). Fox Lines, where today the RAPT complex is located, was also named in his memory in 1994.Barrack Finder
Friends of the

Aldershot Military Museum Aldershot Military Museum in Aldershot Military Town in Hampshire, England, was conceived by former Aldershot Garrison commander Brigadier John Reed (1926–1992). Reed believed that it was essential to preserve the history of the military town ...

website

Medal entitlement

George Malcolm Fox was entitled to the following medals:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, George Malcolm 1843 births 1918 deaths People educated at Rossall School People educated at Brighton College British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War Military personnel from Derby Royal Army Physical Training Corps soldiers Recipients of the Order of the Sword