Percy Legard

Percy Legard (17 June 1906 – 16 February 1980) was a British Army officer and sportsman. Legard competed as an Olympian in both Summer and Winter disciplines. He was, respectively, a modern pentathlete and a Nordic combined skier. He also took part in the demonstration of the winter pentathlon as an Olympic sport. In addition, he took part in the inaugural meeting of the Badminton Horse Trials. He was a regular officer in the British Army and during the Second World War he served in the Commandos, where he was the initial Commanding Officer of No.4 Commando. Early life Legard was born in 1906 in Saltash in Cornwall but spent most of his childhood in Sweden, where he developed his un-English expertise in skiing and other Nordic sports. He came from a junior branch of the long-established family of Yorkshire gentry. The family had been loyal servants of the Crown since the Civil War and his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all officers, either of the British Army - and Britain's Indian Army - or, since the family lived close to Scarborough, the Royal Navy. Legard's father was a naval officer. He returned to England to enter the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. On passing out, he joined the elite cavalry regiment which, after a couple of variants of name-style, became known as the 5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards. In 1938 the regiment was mechanised to become an armoured regiment. Athletic career Legard became the British ski-jump champion in St. Moritz in January 1929. Legard became one of the first three British men to achieve a 50 m. jump, together with Guy Nixon and Colin Wyatt. These three men were considered sufficiently credible competitors to represent Britain in the 1931 World Championships in Oberhof in Thüringen in Germany. 73 men entered the competition but only 47 completed the events, among whom was Legard, in 43rd place. Legard attended the 1934 World Championships, held at Sollefteå in Sweden. The field was 71, but this time Legard had less success and came 65th overall.