Roland Willoughby

Roland Willoughby was the son of a London solicitor who died one week after Roland’s 11th birthday. Like his father, Willoughby also went into the legal profession. Roland served as a major in the 9th Battalion of the London Territorial Regiment, and saw service in France during World War I, for which he received the Territorial Decoration (TD).

Willoughby was the 1914 British foil champion, and competed in the foil at both the 1920 and 1924 Olympics. In 1921 he was part of the Great Britain team that travelled to the United States for the Anglo-American match. He was a well-respected fencing judge. Additionally, Willoughby was a keen yachtsman, and regularly took part in races on the Thames. He continued both sailing and fencing into his late sixties.