R.D. Burnell

Richard 'Dickie' Desborough Burnell, born in Henley-on-Thames and was the son of gold medal winning Olympian, Charles Burnell. Dickie was educated at Eton College and then read at Oxford University. He rowed on the losing Oxford team in the 1939 Oxford versus Cambridge boat race. He competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal alongside his partner Bertram 'Bertie' Bushnell in the double sculls. In 1940 Dickie married Rosalind Garton, daughter of gold medal winning rower, Stanley Garton, and they had five children together, Peter, John, Edward, Alexandra 'Zandra' and Elizabeth 'Tizzy'. Their son Peter competed in the 1962 Oxford versus Cambridge boat race, and like his father was on the losing side. Dickied died on the 29th January 1995 in his birth town of Henley-on-Thames. Dickie and his father, Charles Burnell, are the only father and son in Olympic history to have won gold medals in rowing.