John Holt

The son of a civil engineer based in Uganda, John Holt and his younger brother Tom learned to swim in Lake Victoria. When the family returned from Africa, to live in Monmouth, Wales, John, Tom, and a third brother Mick, regularly swam in the River Wye. When their father heard of the exploits of Paul Radmilovic, Weston-super-Mare’s best known Olympic swimmer and water polo player, he moved the family to Weston in 1937, where the siblings swam at the local baths. That same year, at the Somerset Boy Scouts Meeting at the Whitestone Baths, John won the senior cup, while Tom won the junior cup. The three brothers all played together in the Weston water polo team, and all three served their country in World War II - John and Tom in the RAF, while Mick served in the Royal Navy Air Arm. The three siblings were all selected for the 1948 Olympics, but Mick could not compete in the water polo competition because he could not get time away from work with the Royal Navy Air Arm.

Following on from his Boy Scouts success in 1937, John also won the 100 yards freestyle at the Western Boys’ Championship, and was third in the senior 220 yards that same year. In 1938, he won his first Somerset title and the first of many Western Counties titles, the 220 yards. Holt made his international début against Germany just before the outbreak of World War II. He had finished fifth in the ASA 220 that year, and his best performance at the ASA Championships was second, in the 100 yards freestyle, at New Brighton in 1946. He also finished second in that year’s English Mile Championship. That same year, Holt went to St. Lukes College Exeter (the science and sports college), where he swam, and played for their water polo team. Holt continued winning Western County titles, at either 100, 220 and 440, up to 1947, and in 1948 he won all three South-West area freestyle sprint titles. He emigrated to Sydney, Australia in 1952 with his family and later worked as a school teacher. He received a posting to work at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in 1963, and died there three years later from cancer in 1966.