Page 151 - Mind, Body and Spirit 2015-16
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Ex (SMI) Frederick Strong
Ex (QMSI) Bernie Durkin
for his service during the Falklands War as a young Sergeant Instructor attached to the 1st/7th Battalion The Gurkha Ri es. Bernie was one of only 7 members of the Corps to receive the South Atlantic Medal. All of these new arrivals along with many others are currently on display in the Museum.
As it is an Olympic year, I could not let this opportunity pass to highlight some of the more obscure Olympians to have served
in Corps. As we are also midway through the First World War Centenary Commemorations it is  tting that I have selected
two former members of the Army Gymnastic Staff (AGS)
who served during the First World War. Reginald Potts was
part of the 1912 British Olympic Gymnastics Team that won
the bronze medal in the team event. Not only an exceptional gymnast, Reginald had from a young age been a keen rugby player, and prior to his participation at the 1912 Olympics had played for the London Saracens. In September 1915 he enlisted with Royal Fusiliers and by mid-December that same year he was a Sergeant Instructor attached with the AGS. Unfortunately we have very little information about Reginald’s service with the AGS, but we do know that he was attached to an Army Service Corps Depot in Sydenham, London. The second is George de Relwyskow who competed in the 1908 London Olympics in Freestyle Wrestling. George competed at both the Lightweight and Middleweight, taking the Gold at Lightweight and Silver at Middleweight (he was at least 6lbs lighter than his opponent!) When war broke out in 1914 he was touring and competing in South America, but returned to England at the earliest opportunity
1912 British Olympic Gymnastics Team
and enlisted in the Army. He was posted to the AGS and for a time attached to the Australian Infantry as an instructor in physical training & bayonet  ghting. While serving in France, he introduced a system of hand-to-hand  ghting and wrestling for use on patrols and raiding. This he taught to classes of unit instructors, who in turn trained selected men in all of the battalions on the Western Front for this special duty. In October 1918 he returned to the UK and was posted to the Headquarters Gymnasium in Aldershot as an instructor of the Army system of wrestling, a style create by George and accepted as the of cial style for the Army.
George de Relwyskow won Reginald Potts Olympic bronze gold & silver in wrestling at the medallist and AGS instructor
1908 London Olympics


































































































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