Louis Baillon
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 5 August 1881 Stanley, Falkland Islands | ||||||||||||||
| Died | 9 September 1965 (aged 84) Brixworth, Northamptonshire, England | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Field hockey | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Louis Charles Baillon (5 August 1881 – 9 September 1965)[1] was an English field hockey player, who won a gold medal with the Great Britain team at the 1908 Summer Olympics.[2][3]
Personal life
[edit]Louis Baillon was born in Stanley, Falkland Islands at the house of his grandmother, Julia Williams. His father, Louis Augustine Baillon emigrated to the Falklands in the mid-1800s to become a sheep farmer. In 1888, he and his family returned to England and settled in Northamptonshire.[2]
In 1910, Louis married Mildred Isobel Green and they had 5 children together. He then joined the Royal Army Service Corps in 1914 and saw service in France during World War I and later left the army in 1920. After leaving the army, Baillon joined the Phipps Northampton Brewery Company where he rose to the rank of director.[2]
During World War II, two of Louis's sons, Paul and Mark were killed in action during the Battle of Britain.
Sports career and later life
[edit]When Louis and his family returned to England, he established himself as an excellent sportsman excelling at hockey, football, and tennis. Baillon played as a full-back for England men's national field hockey team at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.[2] The team subsequently won their first and only gold medal to date making him the only Falkland Islander to win a gold medal at the Olympics.[4]
Louis played football at Wandsworth AFC and was still a member of the Northants County Lawn Tennis at the age of 50. He would ultimately remain in Northamptonshire for the rest of his life. Louis died aged 84 on 9 September 1965.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Louis Baillon". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d Palmer, Stephen. "BAILLON, LOUIS CHARLES 1881-1965". Dictionary of Falklands Biography including South Georgia. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ^ "Great Olympians". Skynet. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "Louis Charles Baillon: The Only Falkland Islander Olympic Champion". Hockey Museum. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ "Athlete: Louis Charles Baillon". Team Great Britain. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
External links
[edit]
- 1881 births
- 1965 deaths
- English male field hockey players
- Field hockey players at the 1908 Summer Olympics
- Olympic field hockey players for Great Britain
- British male field hockey players
- Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain
- Falkland Islands sportspeople
- People from Brixworth
- People from Fox Bay
- Olympic medalists in field hockey
- English Olympic competitors
- Falkland Islands sportsmen
- Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics
- Royal Army Service Corps officers
- British Army personnel of World War I
- People from Stanley, Falkland Islands