Jeanette Bailey

A member of the Southside Fencing Club at the time, Jeanette Bailey competed in the Women’s World Team Fencing Championships that were held in England for the first time in 1956. She also competed regularly in the world championships throughout the 1960s. Bailey never won an individual British title but was third in the British Foil Championship in 1959. She was, however, on the winning Polytechnic side that captured the team championship several times in the 1960s. Bailey was captain of the Polytechnic Ladies Fencing Club in that period.

Having made her international début in 1956, Bailey was selected for the women’s foil team event at the 1960 Roma Olympics, but the British team finished joint ninth and last. Four years later Bailey was first reserve for the British women’s team at the Tokyo Olympics. Also in 1964, she was appointed secretary of the Peterborough Fencing Club a few months after moving to the city to become secretary to the Bishop of Peterborough.