Archie Crabbe

Fifth in the Great Britain II bob at the 1924 Winter Olympics, along with Gray Horton, Gerard Fairlie and George Pim, Archie Crabbe was certainly an interesting member of the four-man crew.

Hailing from Edinburgh, wealthy landowner Crabbe was a descendant of Miller Crabbie, founder of the John Crabbie & Son whisky business in the early 1800s. It is alleged that after John Crabbie applied to join the exclusive New Club in Edinburgh around 1900, he was blackballed because he was a tradesman when the club was for “gentlemen” only. Because the name Crabbie was so well known in the area he changed his surname to Crabbe the next day, and thus gained membership. Despite the change, the name Crabbies still exists as one of the best known alcoholic ginger beers in Britain.

Very tall, Archie Crabbe was educated at Eton and later served in the Scots Guards, where he was a good all-round sportsman. He rowed for the Guards, played polo for Roehampton and Hurlingham, and was a good standard low-handicap golfer. He also enjoyed hunting and racing fast cars, and in the late 1930s was often seen racing his BMW around the famous Brooklands track. His son Colin also followed him into the guards, and also had the same love of fast cars. In 1969 and 1970, he entered one of the last privately-owned teams in Formula One. The top Swedish driver Ronnie Peterson drove a Colin Crabbe McLaren in 1970.

Archie Crabbe also enjoyed flying, having obtained his aviator’s licence in 1934, the same year he was involved in a minor flying accident when, as a passenger, the plane he was travelling in stalled and crashed into a field near Retford, Nottinghamshire. Fortunately, he only received minor injuries. He reached the rank of lieutenant in the Guards and received the OBE in 1945 for his military service in North Europe during World War II. Crabbe was the Great Britain flagbearer at the 1924 Winter Olympic Opening Ceremony.