John Warwick Bampfylde

John Warwick Bampfylde was the only son of George Wentworth Warwick Bampfylde, 4th Baron Poltimore. Like his father before him, John was educated at Eton, but did not follow other family members and go to Oxford. Instead, he went straight into the Royal Horse Guards at the age of 19.

Bampfylde was a keen sportsman and fenced at Eton, representing the college on many occasions. In 1931 he was runner-up to fellow Etonian M. S. Balmain in the Public Schools Sabre Championship, and was also runner-up to Bert Pelling in the National Épée Championship on his début in the competition in 1934. Bampfylde was the one-time Inter-Services Sabre champion.

Bampfylde also had a love of riding, whether it be with the local Hunt, in point-to-point races, or steeplechasing. He won the Royal Horse Guards Regimental Challenge Cup on his own horse Coileree in April 1936 and that year went to Berlin to act as a fencing judge at the Olympics. Sadly, two months later, Bampfylde lost his life while taking part in a steeplechase at Taunton.

Two days after being thrown from his horse Row On in the day’s last race, the Wellington Steeplechase, Bampfylde died from severe head injuries after being kicked by another horse while lying on the ground. He was just 32 years-of-age at the time. Buried with full military honours at Devon, the coffin bearers were members of his Regimental fencing team, of which Bampfylde was the captain.