Harold John Parlett (19 April 1925 – 6 March 2022) was a British

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

athlete who competed in the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and officially branded as London 1948, were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus cau ...

. He was born in Bromley, Greater London.

Biography

Parlett attended Tiffin School, where he joined the ATC. He later joined the RAF, and left in 1947. In 1942, he joined the Dorking St. Paul's Athletic Club and broke he 880 yards club record before winning the Surrey and Southern Counties title and represeting England against France in 1947. Parlett finished third behind Tom White in the 880 yards event at the

1947 AAA Championships The 1947 AAA Championships was the 1947 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 18 to 19 July 1947 at White City Stadium in London, England. Summary The ...

before becoming the became the British 880 yards champion after winning the British

AAA Championships The AAA Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association of England. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime, despite the existence of the offi ...

title at the

1948 AAA Championships The 1948 AAA Championships was the 1948 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 2 to 3 July 1948 at White City Stadium White City Stadium in London, E ...

. Shortly after his AAA win he represented the Great Britain team at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Parlett won a second AAA title at the

1949 AAA Championships The 1949 AAA Championships was the 1949 edition of the annual outdoor track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAA). It was held from 15 to 16 July 1949 at White City Stadium in London, England. Summary The ...

. Parlett was the

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

champion at the

1950 European Athletics Championships The 4th European Athletics Championships were held from 23 August to 27 August 1950 in the Heysel Stadium of the Belgium, Belgian capital Brussels. Contemporaneous reports on the event were given in the Glasgow Herald. Men's results Complet ...

. Representing

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, he won the 880-yard run at the

1950 British Empire Games The 1950 British Empire Games were the fourth staging of what is now called the Commonwealth Games. It was held in Auckland, New Zealand, between 4 and 11 February 1950, after a 12-year gap from the third edition of the games. A documentary fil ...

and was also a silver medallist in the 4 × 440 yards relay. His personal best for the 800 m was 1:50.5 minutes, set in 1950. On 26 September 1951 he set a world record as part of a 4 × 800 metres relay team, that consisted of

Bill Nankeville George William Nankeville (24 March 1925 – 8 January 2021) was a British middle distance athlete who won the AAA mile title four times in five years between 1948 and 1952 and ran a best recorded time of 4:08.8 in 1949. He was born in Guildf ...

, Albert Webster and Frank Evans. The quartet recorded 7:30.6 at the

White City Stadium White City Stadium in London, England, was built for the 1908 Summer Olympics. It hosted the finish of the first modern marathon and swimming, speedway, boxing, show jumping, athletics, stock car racing, concerts and a match at the 1966 FIFA W ...

. In 1979 Parlett married

Dorothy Manley Dorothy Gladys Manley (later Hall, then Parlett; 29 April 1927 – 31 October 2021) was a British Sprint (running), sprinter. She competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics, held in London, in the 100 metres where she won the silver medal with a time ...

(then Dorothy Hall, widowed in 1973). He died on 6 March 2022, at the age of 96.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parlett, John 1925 births 2022 deaths Alumni of Sir John Cass College People educated at Tiffin School Athletes from the London Borough of Bromley English male middle-distance runners British male middle-distance runners Olympic athletes for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Athletes (track and field) at the 1950 British Empire Games European Athletics Championships medalists Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics