Stanley Vivian Bacon (13 August 1885 – 13 October 1952) 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, ...

sport wrestler Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...

who competed in the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

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 ...

and the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

. He lived for many years in the Stamford Hill section of London. As a child, many of his friends and classmates were Jewish. This led to him being sensitive to antisemitism and sympathetic to Jewish refugees throughout his life. In 1908 he won the Olympic gold medal in the freestyle middleweight class. He also competed in the Greco-Roman middleweight competition but was eliminated in the first round. Bacon moved to Kenya in autumn 1909 and returned to England in January 1912. He competed for the British olympic team again in 1912, but he was eliminated in the second round of the Greco-Roman middleweight event at the

. In 1920 he was eliminated in the second round of the freestyle middleweight competition. From 1921 to 1922 Bacon was an advisor to the Olympic committee of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...

and

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. Several of the wrestlers he trained competed for

Czechoslovakia at the 1924 Summer Olympics Czechoslovakia competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. 133 competitors, 129 men and 4 women, took part in 75 events in 16 sports. Medalists Aquatics Diving Two divers represented Czechoslovakia in 1924. It was the nation's ...

. He also served as an advisor to Wacław Okulicz-Kozaryn who competed for Poland at the 1924 Summer Olympics. In summer 1925 he moved to

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, living on a ranch that was only a few miles from

Thomson's Falls Nyahururu Falls is a waterfall on the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Central Rift Valley Kenya, a few kilometres from Lake Ol Bolossat, which drains from the Aberdare Range. It is situated from the town of Nyahururu, at elevation. In 1883 Joseph Thomson ...

. While in Kenya, Bacon maintained a written correspondence with his colleagues in the British athletic community, as well as with his friends in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. In 1928 Bacon travelled to the Netherlands to be a judge at the

1928 Summer Olympics The 1928 Summer Olympics ( nl, Olympische Zomerspelen 1928), officially known as the Games of the IX Olympiad ( nl, Spelen van de IXe Olympiade) and commonly known as Amsterdam 1928, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated from ...

. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, Bacon was neighbors in Kenya with fellow Olympic gold medalist Ronald Rawson, who had a small

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

a few miles away from him. Bacon lived in Kenya from 1921 until March 1938, when he returned to England to attend the funeral of two family members. Upon returning to England he followed the events leading up to the

German occupation of Czechoslovakia German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

with great alarm. He was "mortified" by the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, Germany, the United Kingdom, French Third Republic, France, and Fa ...

, and he became an early supporter of

Duff Cooper Alfred Duff Cooper, 1st Viscount Norwich, (22 February 1890 – 1 January 1954), known as Duff Cooper, was a British Conservative Party politician and diplomat who was also a military and political historian. First elected to Parliament in 192 ...

and

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

over the issue, however, at the time this made him an outlier, as the

was largely popular in Britain when it occurred. Bacon supported Britain's declaration of war against Nazi Germany in response to the Nazi

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

. He stayed in England throughout the duration of the war. After the war he found the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe "terrifying" and he closely followed events such as the rise of communist rule in Poland. In January 1947 he moved back to Kenya, once again living not far from

, though this time at a different property. While in Kenya, Bacon tried to remain in contact with his friends in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, however, political developments in

and

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

made this difficult. Bacon lost contact with all of his friends in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

after the

1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état In late February 1948, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia. It marked the onset of four decades of the party's rule in the country., sk, Február 1948) or ...

. In late 1948 he said it was "clear to him" that "communism was the greatest threat to the world."Stanley Bacon: Wrestling Life In August 1952 he was advised to return to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

after having health complications relating to his heart, and he did so; nonetheless he died in England that October at the age of 67.

References

External links

* 1885 births 1952 deaths Olympic wrestlers for Great Britain Wrestlers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1920 Summer Olympics British male sport wrestlers British anti-communists British Kenya people Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Olympic medalists in wrestling English Olympic medallists Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from London {{UK-wrestling-bio-stub