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. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

who competed in the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

. MacNabb was born at

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a 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 city centre, north-west of Bi ...

, 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 dep ...

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 standard ...

. He then went to

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

. 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 Sheri ...

, who had rowed together at Eton, made up the

coxless four A coxless four is a rowing boat 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 rowers, each having one oar. There are two rowers on th ...

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 at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing clubs. Two or more clubs may combine t ...

as Eton Vikings and the

Visitors' Challenge Cup The Visitors Challenge Cup is a 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 qualifying rules t ...

Third Trinity Boat Club The First and Third Trinity Boat Club is the Sport rowing, rowing club of Trinity College, Cambridge, Trinity College in Cambridge, England. The club formally came into existence in 1946 when the First Trinity Boat Club and the Third Trinity Bo ...

. They won the Stewards' Challenge Cup again in 1923. MacNabb rowed for

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

in the

Boat Race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

in 1924, and also won

Silver Goblets The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a 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 club A rowing club ...

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 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 from 14 nations ...

.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 representin ...

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 to ...

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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

crew from 1949 to 1951, making him one of the few people to have coached both universities. He was recognised as de jure 21st Chief of Clan Macnab and was succeeded by his son James Charles MacNabb. In 1972 he was awarded the

O.B.E The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for his work with the Peabody Trust.

References

External links

The MacNab website – The Olympic Games: A Macnab Gold Medal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macnabb, James 1901 births 1990 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge English male rowers British male rowers Olympic rowers of Great Britain Rowers at the 1924 Summer Olympics English Olympic medallists 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

See also

References

External links