Raymond Etherington-Smith

Raymond Etherington-Smith was educated at Radley and Trinity College, Cambridge but before going to university competed for the London Rowing Club and was a member of their Thames Cup crew in 1895. After being in the eight that finished second in the Grand in 1896, 1899 and 1900 he finally achieved success in 1901 when he stroked Leander to a memorable victory over the University of Pennsylvania. In 1903 and 1905, Etherington-Smith was again in the winning Leander crew in the Grand and in 1905 and 1906 he was in the Leander boat that won the Stewards’. He rowed against Oxford in 1989, 1899 and 1900 and in his last year, when he was President; a unique record was set when his brother, Thomas was also in the Oxford boat. To counter the strong challenge of the Belgian, who had won the Grand in 1906 and 1907, Great Britain chose a vastly experienced Leander crew for the eights at the 1908 Olympics. The 31-year-old Etherington-Smith rowed a fine race at number seven and after one of the great races in Olympic rowing history, Leander won by two lengths. On leaving Cambridge, Raymond Etherington-Smith qualified as a surgeon but after performing an operation at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital on a gangrenous lung he contacted peritonitis which sadly, caused the death of both patient and surgeon.