Christopher Davidge OBE DL

Davidge at the 1952 Olympic Games
Personal information
Birth name	Christopher Guy Vere Davidge
Born	5 November 1929 Northampton
Died	22 December 2014(2014-12-22) (aged 85) Little Houghton House, Little Houghton, Northamptonshire
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	Trinity College, Oxford
Height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	79 kg (174 lb)
Sport
Sport	Rowing
Medal record Men's rowing Representing  England British Empire and Commonwealth Games 1962 Perth Coxless four 1962 Perth eights Representing  Great Britain European Rowing Championships 1954 Amsterdam Coxless pair 1957 Duisburg Coxless pair

Christopher Guy Vere Davidge, of Little Houghton House, OBE DL (5 November 1929 – 22 December 2014) was a British rower who competed in the Summer Olympics three times in 1952, 1956 and 1960 and won the Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta three times.

Biography

Davidge was born in Northampton, son of Cecil Vere Davidge and Ursula Catherine Smyth, and the grandson of Cecil William Davidge. He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Oxford and rowed in the Oxford boat in the 1949 Boat Race. He returned to stroke Oxford in the 1951 Boat Race, when the Oxford boat sank, and the race was rerun on the following Monday.^[1] He was in the winning Oxford crew in the 1952 race and umpired the 1971 and 1975 races.^[2]

In 1952 Davidge competed for Great Britain, rowing at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He was in the coxless pair with David Callender and came fourth.^[3] In 1955 Davidge was runner-up partnering J A Gobbo in the Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta to the Russians Buldakov and Ivanov.^[4] In 1956 he competed for Great Britain rowing at the 1956 Summer Olympics where he was a member of the unplaced eight.^[3] He won the Silver Goblets at Henley in 1957 and 1958, partnering Tony Leadley. In 1959 he switched to the double sculls and won the Double Sculls Challenge Cup at Henley partnering Stuart Mackenzie and beating George Justicz and Nicholas Birkmyre. Davidge competed for Great Britain again rowing at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was in the coxless four with Michael Beresford, Colin Porter, and John Vigurs, coming fifth.^[3]

Davidge represented England and won a gold medal at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in the coxless four with Michael Clay, John Beveridge and John Tilbury. In 1963 Davidge won Silver Goblets again, this time partnering Stuart Mackenzie. Davidge later served as President of the Leander Club. Davidge was also awarded an OBE "for services to Rowing". He died on 22 December 2014, aged 85.^[5]

He was High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1988, following his father Cecil Vere Davidge, who was High Sheriff in 1950.^[6] On 14 March 1994 he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire.^[7]

See also

• List of Oxford University Boat Race crews

References

Bibliography

• Burnell, Richard (1979). One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. Precision Press. ISBN 0950063878.

Notes