John Kidley

Irish boxer John Kidley had a Welsh father and mother of Irish descent. He was born in Wales but spent much of his life in Curragh, County Kildare. He was a driver in the RASC (Royal Army Service Corps) during World War I and in 1924 won the Army light-heavyweight title, just two years after taking up boxing. He then went to the Paris Olympics, only to lose to Norway’s Sverre Sørsdal in their second-round contest, after the Irishman had received a first-round bye. A few weeks later Kidley reached the light-heavyweight semi-final at the inaugural Tailteann Games in Dublin, only to lose to England’s Harry Mitchell.