Edward Radcliffe-Nash (9 June 1888 – 21 February 1915) was a British soldier and

horse rider Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

who competed in the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

. He was killed in action during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Early life and education

Born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 9 June 1888, to Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Nash JP, late the Essex Regiment, of Ballycarty, Tralee,

Co. Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

, and Constance, daughter of John Radcliffe JP of Moorfield Withington. He was educated at Mr. Bulls Preparatory School,

Westgate on Sea Westgate-on-Sea is a seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of Kent, England. It is within the Thanet local government district and borders the larger seaside resort of Margate. Its two sandy beaches have remained a popular touris ...

(1898–1902),

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 dep ...

(1902 – July 1905) and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

, into which he passed by the entrance exams on 15 August 1905 with the position of 119 from a cadetship of 196, receiving 7,838 marks. He commenced his period at the Royal Military College in September 1905. Edward Radcliffe Nash left Eton at the earliest possible moment (giving up all that Eton could give him over the next two years) to enroll at Sandhurst to enable him to gain seniority in the Army. In July 1906 Nash passed out of Sandhurst with the position of 87 from 218 cadets.

Military career

On 29 August 1906, Edward Radcliffe Nash was gazetted a 2nd lieutenant into the

16th Lancers The 16th The Queen's Lancers was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1759. It saw service for two centuries, before being amalgamated with the 5th Royal Irish Lancers to form the 16th/5th Lancers in 1922. History Early war ...

and joined his regiment on 3 October 1906. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 15 January 1909 and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 10 October 1914. Nash qualified at the School of Musketry in their examinations on 14 October 1910. With the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Nash was sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in August 1914. He took part in the retreat from

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

, the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne was a battle of the First World War fought from 5 to 12 September 1914. It was fought in a collection of skirmishes around the Marne River Valley. It resulted in an Entente victory against the German armies in the ...

, the

First Battle of the Aisne The First Battle of the Aisne (french: 1re Bataille de l'Aisne) was the Allied follow-up offensive against the right wing of the German First Army (led by Alexander von Kluck) and the Second Army (led by Karl von Bülow) as they retreated aft ...

, and the First Battle of Ypres. He was killed in action near Ypres on 21 February 1915, aged 26, when the 16th Lancers suffered severely through the blowing up of a trench. At the time of his death he was acting adjutant of his regiment. Captain Edward Radcliffe Nash was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

by Lord John French on 8 October 1914. In De Ruvigny’s ''Roll Of Honour 1914–1924'' it is said that : - “As conspicuous for dash, energy and endurance in War as in sport, he was the ideal cavalry officer and appeared to have a distinguished career before him. His exuberant vitality found expression in all that he said or did, and one who knew him well, observed on hearing that he had been killed: “Of all the deaths in this war, his death is the hardest to realise”.” Captain Edward Radcliffe Nash is buried in the Ypres Town Cemetery,

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, Row G, Grave 4. Captain Edward Radcliffe Nash had a younger brother, Llewellyn Charles Nash (a Captain in the

King’s Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

) who died of wounds on 28 September 1915.

Sporting career

Edward Radcliffe Nash was a splendid all round sportsman. He distinguished himself at Eton as a

long distance runner Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...

and as a “wet bob”. In 1905 he won the Junior Sculls and stroked his Junior House Four up to “head”, the last time that the colours of Miss Evan’s were seen on the river. While at Sandhurst he proved himself to be a remarkable athlete, winning against competitors considerably older than himself in the equivalent of the “Victor Ludorum” cup. After joining the

he ran twice in the Army Championship for the mile, being second on both occasions with practically no training. However he devoted himself to riding. He was well known at Olympia and represented Britain at the Stockholm Olympic Games in 1912. He did not finish the Individual eventing (Military) competition, also the British team did not finish the team event. However, in the individual jumping event he finished 29th on ''The Flea''. He was first and second in successive years at the Grafton Pont-to-Point, won his Regimental Light Weight Steeplechase on two occasions and was “placed” at a number of other meetings at which he rode.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radcliffe-Nash, Edward 1888 births 1915 deaths Equestrians at the 1912 Summer Olympics Olympic equestrians for Great Britain British male equestrians British show jumping riders British event riders 16th The Queen's Lancers officers People educated at Eton College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I

Early life and education

Military career

Sporting career

See also

References