John Reginald Keith Fenning (23 June 1885 – 3 January 1955) 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, ...

medical doctor and

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

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 ...

. Fenning was born in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

, London. He entered

London Hospital Medical College Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, commonly known as Barts or BL, is a medical school, medical and dental school in London, England. The school is part of Queen Mary University of London, a constituent college of the federal Un ...

in January 1904 but it took him thirteen years to complete his course. He became a rower for

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 ...

. He partnered Gordon Thomson at bow in the

coxless pair A coxless pair is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two rowers, who propel the boat with sweep oars. The crew consists of a pair of rowers, each having one oar, one on the stroke side (rower's right h ...

s to win the gold medal for Great Britain

rowing at the 1908 Summer Olympics At the 1908 Summer Olympics, four rowing events were contested, all for men only. Races were held at Henley-on-Thames. The competitions were held from 28 to 31 July. There was one fewer event in 1908 than 1904, after the double sculls was drop ...

. Later in the same afternoon he and Thomson were in the Leander

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 ...

with

Philip Filleul Philip Rowland Filleul (15 July 1885 – 29 July 1974) was a British rower who competed in the 1908 Summer Olympics. Filleul was born at Bath, Somerset. He was strokeman in the Leander coxless four with John Fenning, Gordon Thomson and Haro ...

and

Harold Barker Harold Barker may refer to: * Harold Barker (rower) (1886–1937), British rower * Harold H. Barker (1889–1949), American politician *Gregg Barton Gregg Barton (Born Harold Wilson Barker, June 5, 1912 – November 28, 2000) was an American ac ...

which won a silver medal, losing to the

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

crew.Sports Reference Olympic Sports – John Fenning
After he qualified in 1927, Fenning initially practiced in the Home Counties but in 1937, he moved to the Midlands. Fenning died at

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

at the age of 69.

References

External links

profile
1885 births 1955 deaths English male rowers British male rowers Olympic rowers of Great Britain Rowers at the 1908 Summer Olympics English Olympic medallists Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Olympic medalists in rowing Members of Leander Club Rowers from Greater London Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics {{UK-rowing-bio-stub