John Harvey Pinches (9 April 1916 – 2 July 2007) was an 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 ...

, Royal Engineers officer,

medallist A medalist (or medallist) is an artist who designs medals, plaquettes, badges, metal medallions, coins and similar small works in relief in metal. Historically, medalists were typically also involved in producing their designs, and were usually ...

and author. Pinches was born at

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

, the son of John Robert Pinches and Irene Inchbold. His father was a medallist in the family business which was founded in London by Pinches' great-great uncle in 1840. After attending

Chelsea Polytechnic Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London based in London, United Kingdom, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation. It offers further and higher educat ...

and two years' engineering training, Pinches joined the family firm. Pinches was a member

London Rowing Club London Rowing Club (LRC, or colloquially, 'London') is the second-oldest of the non-academic active rowing clubs on the Thames in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1856 by members of the long-disbanded Argonauts Club wishing to compete at ...

and was in the crews which won events at

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thr ...

from 1935 to 1939 including the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event 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 rowin ...

, the leading race for eights at the Regatta, in 1938. He was also a member of

The Skiff Club The Skiff Club is the oldest skiff and punting club in existence, having been founded in 1895. It is based on the River Thames in London, on the Middlesex bank between Teddington Lock and Kingston upon Thames. The Club supports two traditional ...

and won the Gentlemen's Single Sculls at the Skiff Championships Regatta in 1937, 1938 and 1939. He also won the Gentlemen's Double Sculls in 1937 and 1938. In the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

, Pinches was commissioned into the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, but was transferred to the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

because of his engineering qualifications He served in North Africa, Palestine, Greece and Italy. He won the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

at Salerno on 22 September 1943. The British Army's advance north was held up by a lorry and anti-tank gun which had broken down, blocking a bridge. Pinches pulled a heavy winch rope single-handed across the bridge under enemy fire to the damaged vehicle so it could be towed away. Later he served in the occupation of Austria before being demobilised as Lieutenant-Colonel.John Pinches
''The Times'' Obituary. 17 August 2007. In 1947, together with Edward Sturges, he won the

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 clubs. Two clubs may ...

for pairs at Henley, after a memorable semi-final victory by six feet. He was approached by 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 representi ...

to ask if he would make up a crew with

Dickie Burnell Richard Desborough Burnell (26 July 1917 – 29 January 1995) was an English rower who won a gold medal at the 1948 Olympics alongside Bert Bushnell in the double sculls. He and his father Charles are the only father and son in Olympic history ...

for the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ...

, which were to be held on the Henley course. Pinches insisted on having proper trials, but as these were not customary at the time, the ARA paired Burnell with Bert Bushnell, who subsequently won the pairs. In 1950, Pinches was runner-up in the Silver Goblets with Sturges and won the Gentlemen's Single Scull in the Skiff Championships again. Pinches was an ebullient and enthusiastic captain of the London Rowing Club in 1952. He became an international coach and attended world and European championships, as well as the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

in Rome, when he advised 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 t ...

s and

coxed four A coxed four, also known as a 4+, is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for four persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of four rowers, each having one ...

s. He continued to row competitively until he was 60, his last victory being in an international veterans' regatta in 1976 at Tours, France. Pinches continued to run the family medallion business, whose output included badges and insignia in Britain, commemorative issues for much of the Commonwealth, and decorations and orders for overseas governments. In 1940 the business was turned into a Limited Company -John Pinches (Medallists) Ltd. It was sold to the

Franklin Mint The Franklin Mint is a private mint founded by Joseph Segel in 1964 in Wawa, Pennsylvania. The building is in Middletown Township. The brand name was previously owned by Sequential Brands Group headquartered in New York City, New York. It is ...

of Philadelphia, USA, in 1969 and Pinches moved to Wiltshire. His wife, Rosemary, had worked at the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovere ...

, contributed a comprehensive bibliography of

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great ...

Ltd publications produced between 1826 and 1976 to Burke's Family Index (1976),Burke's Family Index, 1976, Burke's Peerage Ltd, London, pp. xiii–xxx and established a heraldry and genealogy business. Together they wrote books on heraldry and genealogy. Pinches died in 2007 at the age of 91.

Publications

* * * (A private printing limited to 500 copies.) *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinches, John 1916 births 2007 deaths British male rowers English medallists Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Military Cross 20th-century sculptors