James Alexander MacNabb (26 December 1901 – 6 April 1990) 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

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad () and officially branded as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The opening ceremony was held on 5 July, but some competitions had al ...

. He was the de jure 21st Chief of

Clan Macnab Clan Macnab is a Highland Scottish clan. History Origins of the clan Traditional origins The name Macnab is derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''Mac An Aba'', which means ''child of the abbot''.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish ...

. MacNabb was born at

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford, n ...

, West Yorkshire, the son of Rev. James Frederick MacNabb, and his wife Margaret Elizabeth Waterworth. He was educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England *Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States *Éton, a commune in the Meuse depa ...

and first rowed at Henley in 1920 as a member of the Eton Crew that reached the semi-finals of the

Ladies' Challenge Plate The Ladies' Challenge Plate is one of the events at Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. Crews of men's eight-oared boats below the standard of the Grand Challenge Cup can enter, although international standa ...

. He then went to

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

. At Cambridge, MacNabb, Maxwell Eley, Robert Morrison and

Terence Sanders Terence Robert Beaumont Sanders (2 June 1901 – 6 April 1985) was a British rower who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics, a lecturer in engineering at Cambridge, an army officer engaged in countering the V2 threat, civil servant and High Sher ...

, who had rowed together at Eton, made up 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 ...

that in 1922 at Henley won the

Stewards' Challenge Cup The Stewards' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless fours at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through ...

as Eton Vikings and the

Visitors' Challenge Cup The Visitors Challenge Cup is a sport rowing, rowing event for men's coxless fours at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs and has similar qua ...

as Third Trinity Boat Club. They won the Stewards' Challenge Cup again in 1923. MacNabb 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 1924, and also won

Silver Goblets The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a Rowing (sport), rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs ...

at Henley in 1924 partnering Maxwell Eley.Henley Royal Regatta Results of Final Races 1839–1939
The coxless four crew won Stewards' at Henley again in 1924 and went on to win the gold medal for Great Britain

rowing at the 1924 Summer Olympics The Rowing (sport), rowing competition at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris featured seven events, all for men only. The competitions were held from Sunday to Thursday, 13 to 17 July. Medal summary Participating nations A total of 181 rowers ...

.Sports Reference Olympic Sports – James MacNabb
/ref> MacNabb qualified as an accountant. He was associated with charitable housing for many years and was honorary treasurer at the

Amateur Rowing Association British Rowing, formerly the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), is the national governing body for the sport of rowing (both indoor and on-water rowing). It is responsible for the training and selection of individual rowers and crews representi ...

for 20 years. He was also honorary secretary and treasurer of

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 ...

and a steward of Henley Regatta. He coached the winning Cambridge crew from 1931 to 1933. MacNabb served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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 West Africa and Burma. He attained the rank of lieutenant colonel and was awarded the T.D. He coached the

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

crew from 1949 to 1951, making him one of the few people to have coached both universities. In 1972 he was awarded the O.B.E for his work with the Peabody Trust.

Personal life

MacNabb was married three times: to Ursula Barnett in 1925; to Pauline Mary Beatrice Shears, daughter of

Philip James Shears Major-General Philip James Shears CB (6 April 1887 – 7 April 1972) was a British Army officer.James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

(1926−2013) became the 23rd Chief of Clan Macnab.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macnabb, James 1901 births 1990 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Scottish clan chiefs Scottish male rowers British male rowers Olympic rowers for Great Britain Rowers at the 1924 Summer Olympics Scottish Olympic competitors Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Stewards of Henley Royal Regatta Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War II Olympic medalists in rowing Members of Leander Club Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Military personnel from West Yorkshire 20th-century Scottish sportsmen Sportspeople from Keighley

Personal life

See also

References