Humphrey Warren

The son of a local Alderman, Humphrey Warren was educated at Mill Hill School before going up to Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1928, where he turned out to be a fine oarsman. Despite his slight frame, Warren went on to become one of the leading British scullers in the 1930s. Although he won the senior sculls at the Marlow, Reading, and Walton regattas, as well as the Seine and Marne Championships in France, he never won the Diamond Sculls at Henley. He contested it three times and was runner-up to Tom Askwith in 1933.

Upon leaving Cambridge, Warren joined the family fuel distribution company, but continued sculling at home and on the Continent and, in total, won 13 of the 20 senior sculling events he entered. An experienced pilot, Warren learned to fly with the University Air Squadron, and used to fly himself to overseas regattas. He had joined the Air Force Reserve in 1933 and when World War II broke out, he flew with the Coastal Command. He reached the rank of wing-commander and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and Air Force Cross (AFC).

After the war, Warren came out of retirement in 1946 to compete at Henley in the inaugural double sculls with partner G. F. Newton, but they lost in the final to the Argentine pair of Panelo and Chafuen. Warren served on the council of the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA) for 10 years and, after leaving the family firm, joined the Council for Small Industries in Rural Areas. He died during the 1978 National Rowing Championships at Hurstpierpoint, when he collapsed while watching the racing while riding his bicycle along the footpath adjacent to the course.