John Goodwin

Although born in Wales, John Goodwin spent a large part of his life after the turn of the 20th century working as a builder in the Willesden area of north London. He was a volunteer with the Bloomsbury Rifles and represented his regiment in the annual rifle shooting competition at Wimbledon. Goodwin became a member of the Middlesex Gun Club in Hendon, and was a regular winner in club championships. He also competed regularly in the Clay Bird Shooting Association’s annual championship, held at his home club.

In 1912 Goodwin, along with Alfred Black and George Pinchard, were selected as reserves for the trap shooting competition at the Stockholm Olympics. All three eventually took part, however, and Goodwin had the unwanted distinction of being the lowest scoring of the nine Britons with just 10 points. He was eliminated after the first round and was classified 56th out of 61.

Goodwin was also an excellent swimmer and cyclist, and raced at the famous Lillie Bridge track. After he died in 1938, he left the modern-day equivalent of more than £7 million in his will, and he bequeathed the sum of just over £52 to the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, as a way of saying “thank you” to them for looking after him following a bicycle accident in 1878, 60 years earlier!