Harry Dickason

Harry Dickason was taught gymnastics after joining the Cadbury’s chocolate company as a youngster, and would go on to be the company’s gymnastics champion on six occasions. He spent over 44 years with Cadbury’s until his retirement in 1950. Dickason also devoted time to training new young Cadbury’s workers in the art of gymnastics.

Dickason was an all-round sportsman and was a fine high- and long jumper, and also played cricket for the Birmingham Athletic Club. He secured a place on the British gymnastics squad at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics after finishing second overall in the Birmingham and District Gymnastic Association Championship that year. He was part of the team that won the bronze medal in Stockholm.

Dickason spent two years working for Cadbury’s in Tasmania in the 1920s, but most of his time was spent in the mould-making department of their Bournville factory, where one of his fellow workers was the 1924 Olympic athletics silver-medallist, Bert Macdonald.