Barry Lillywhite

Barry Lillywhite was the 1967 British junior modern pentathlon champion and went to that year´s world junior championships. Also in 1967, he finished third in the senior British Championships, won for the third year in succession by Jim Fox. Lillywhite and Fox were team-mates in the Army squad that won the national team title in 1967. Lillywhite finished second to Robbie Phelps in the British Championships, as Phelps became the first civilian to win the title. During his time in the Army, Lillywhite was also a fine water polo player. He later became a sergeant instructor in the Army Physical Training Corps.

As a 20-year-old, Lillywhite went to his first World Modern Pentathlon Championships at Australia in 1966 and, upon arriving at Melbourne airport, he and his colleagued had their competitive pistols taken off them for not having the right permission to carry firearms. Fortunately, one of the customs officers was a member of the Victorian Modern Pentathlon Association, and the matter was quickly resolved … it’s always who you know, and not what you know!