Noel Turnbull
Noel Turnbull (full name Oswald Graham Noel Turnbull) was a British tennis player and shipping-business partner who won the gold medal in men's doubles at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, playing alongside Max Woosnam.1 He represented Great Britain and competed in three tennis events at those Games.1
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Oswald Graham Noel Turnbull, known as Noel Turnbull1 |
| Born / died | 20 December 1890, Highgate, England; 17 December 1970, Whitby, England1 |
| Olympic medal | Gold, men's doubles, 1920 Antwerp, with Max Woosnam1 |
| Other 1920 events | Men's singles fourth; mixed doubles =14 with Winifred McNair1 |
| Military honors | Military Cross (gazetted 1 January 1918) and mention in dispatches (29 May 1917); rose to Captain2 |
| Davis Cup | Debuted 1919; played again in 1921 and 19261 |
Life and business career
Turnbull was born on 20 December 1890 at Highgate, London, into a shipping family.2 After leaving Charterhouse he joined the family firm of ship-owners.1 He became a partner in the business, Turnbull, Scott and Company, and traveled extensively for its interests, particularly to Buenos Aires, Argentina.2
He married Doris Trevor Pearce-Jones in April 1914, divorced her in July 1936, registered a marriage to Audrey Charlotte Croft or Mellor in January 1937, and married Anne Cole-Hamilton in 1959.2 He died at Whitby, North Yorkshire, on 17 December 1970, leaving £167,977 in his will, with his address shown as Fifield House, Fifield, Berkshire.2
Military service in the First World War
Turnbull went to France and Belgium in 1914 in support of the British Expeditionary Force while a member of the Royal Automobile Club, most likely transporting senior staff.2 After serving as a driver he was commissioned into the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC), reaching the rank of Captain.1 • 2 He was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 28 June 1915, mentioned in dispatches on 29 May 1917, and awarded the Military Cross on 1 January 1918.2 Olympedia places his Military Cross and mention in dispatches during the Battle of the Somme.1 For his war service he received the Military Cross, the 1914 Star, the Victory Medal, and the British War Medal.2 His brother Thomas Lancelot Gawain Turnbull died of wounds in April 1915.2
Tennis career
Turnbull first came to prominence as a tennis player in 1919 and made his Davis Cup debut that year.1 He played again in 1921, then virtually gave up tennis for four years to concentrate on golf, in which he played off scratch at St. George's Hill and West Hill.1 On resuming serious tennis he returned to the Davis Cup team in 1926, and he won the singles at the Portuguese Championships in 1921 and 1928.1
He was, at heart, a doubles specialist. At the 1920 Antwerp Olympics, on 23 August 1920, he and Max Woosnam won the men's doubles gold medal, defeating the Japanese pair Ichiya Kumagae and Seiichiro Kashio 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 in the final.2 With Winifred McNair he played Olympic mixed doubles, placed joint fourteenth.1
Family and other Olympians
Turnbull was a first cousin, once removed, of the Olympic hockey players Philip Turnbull and Bertrand Turnbull, who won a bronze medal in men's field hockey at the 1908 London Games.1 • 3
References
- Noel Turnbull, Olympedia
- Captain Oswald Graham Noel (k/a Noel) Turnbull, M.C. – Survived the War, WW1 Lives
- Great Olympians – biographies – TUR
Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Other individual sports and outdoor recreation › Modern pentathletes
Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026
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