Los Angeles Olympics 2 Aug 1932 won silver medal in 4x400 metres relay (lead-off runner)

Rhino Link 11 - Commissioned into the Royal Signals from Woolwich ('The Shop') in January 1931, and the following year - having won the Army and the AAA 440 yards - represented Britain in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, winning a silver medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay. After serving as Signal Officer with 11th Field Brigade RA, and 1st Guards Brigade, and with the League of Nations Plebiscite Force in Saarbrucken, he volunteered for service with the KAR and arrived in Nairobi in January 1936. There he joined HQ Northern Brigade as Brigade Signal Officer and lived with 3 KAR in their Nairobi barracks. He made frequent safaris to the Northern Frontier District where he had radio stations in Meru, Wajir, Moyale, Mandera and Garissa; and to Turkana and Uganda, where signallers were stationed in Kitale, Kapenguria, Moroto, Lokitaung and Bombo .......…. (more)

Competed for Britain in 1932 Olympics - 4x400m relay, won silver medal.

Rhino Link 29: Crew served as Signal Officer with 11th Field Brigade Royal Artillery, with 1st Guards Brigade and in the League of Nations Plebiscite Force at Saabrucken before, in 1936, joining Northern Brigade King's African Rifles in Nairobi as Brigade Signal Officer. As he had radio stations at Meru, Wajir, Moyale, Mandera and Garissa he made frequent tours of the Northern Frontier District and he also travelled extensively in Turkana and Uganda whilst visiting detachments in Kitale, Kapenguria, Moroto, Lokitaung and Bombo. In the run-up to the war, he was involved in training the first signallers from tribes other than Wakamba, which previously had provided all the KAR signallers.  Short range radio was introduced into the KAR and long range sets were assembled from American kits of parts.

In 1940, Crew became GSO 2 Signals in Headquarters East Africa Command, moving with the Force Tactical headquarters into Somaliland and Abyssinia, managing to act as Best Man at Michael Biggs' wedding before the campaign. For the part he played in the campaign against the Italians he was mentioned in dispatches.

Crew was posted to GHQ MELF in Cairo and, after attending the Staff College at Haifa both as a student and then a member of the Directing Staff, joined 1St Division Signals and took part in the landing at Anzio. After a period at Allied Force HQ in Algiers he became Commanding Officer of ^1StDivision Signals and took part in the crossing of the River Arno. He remained with the Division during the advance to the Gothic Line. In 1945 he moved with the Division to Palestine. Amongst his post-war appointments were attendance at the Joint services Command and Staff College and spells in the Military Mission to Greece and in GHQ in Egypt.  In 1951 Crew became Chief Signal Officer Headquarters London District and thus held this post during the Coronation, with responsibility for ensuring that the gun salutes commenced at the exact moment of crowning, which he achieved by giving the order to fire by radio from Westminster Abbey. He then took up an intelligence appointment in Egypt, which covered the Suez operation before he moved on to Cyprus where he remained during the EOKA troubles.

In 1958 Crew was appointed to be the Organising Secretary of the World Modern Pentathlon which was taking place in the United Kingdom. His contacts from his Olympic days stood him in good stead during this appointment, which lasted for six months and which he described as the most demanding of his entire career. Promoted Brigadier in 1959, Crew became Deputy Signal Officer-in-Chief and then commanded Singapore Area until retiring in 1964. He became a Colonel Commandant, Royal Signals.