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Louis Baillon

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Louis Baillon
Personal information
Born(1881-08-05)5 August 1881
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Died9 September 1965(1965-09-09) (aged 84)
Brixworth, Northamptonshire, England
Sport
SportField hockey
Medal record
Men's field hockey
Representing  United Kingdom
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1908 London Team competition

Louis Charles Baillon (5 August 1881 – 9 September 1965)[1] was an English field hockey player, who won a gold medal with the Great Britain team at the 1908 Summer Olympics.[2][3]

Personal life

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Louis Baillon was born in Stanley, Falkland Islands at the house of his grandmother, Julia Williams. His father, Louis Augustine Baillon emigrated to the Falklands in the mid-1800s to become a sheep farmer. In 1888, he and his family returned to England and settled in Northamptonshire.[2]

In 1910, Louis married Mildred Isobel Green and they had 5 children together. He then joined the Royal Army Service Corps in 1914 and saw service in France during World War I and later left the army in 1920. After leaving the army, Baillon joined the Phipps Northampton Brewery Company where he rose to the rank of director.[2]

During World War II, two of Louis's sons, Paul and Mark were killed in action during the Battle of Britain.

Sports career and later life

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When Louis and his family returned to England, he established himself as an excellent sportsman excelling at hockey, football, and tennis. Baillon played as a full-back for England men's national field hockey team at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London.[2] The team subsequently won their first and only gold medal to date making him the only Falkland Islander to win a gold medal at the Olympics.[4]

Louis played football at Wandsworth AFC and was still a member of the Northants County Lawn Tennis at the age of 50. He would ultimately remain in Northamptonshire for the rest of his life. Louis died aged 84 on 9 September 1965.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Louis Baillon". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Palmer, Stephen. "BAILLON, LOUIS CHARLES 1881-1965". Dictionary of Falklands Biography including South Georgia. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Great Olympians". Skynet. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Louis Charles Baillon: The Only Falkland Islander Olympic Champion". Hockey Museum. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Athlete: Louis Charles Baillon". Team Great Britain. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
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