Wyld, Frederick Henry - R.I.P. in Littleover - Double Olympic Medallist

Fred Wyld's gravestone at St. Peter's Church in Littleover

The four Wyld brothers - Percy, Fred, Ralph and Len

FREDERICK HENRY WYLD, sometimes known as 'Frank' Wyld, was born in Derby on 5 June 1900 and died there on 5 April 1976, aged 75. Between 1930 and 1960 he served the Derby Borough Police Force and in retirement lived at Valley Road, Littleover, with his wife.

Fred Wyld is buried in the churchyard of Littleover St. Peter's. The small gravestone is not in any way lavish. It carries the simple legend: 'HAPPY MEMORIES OF A DEAR HUSBAND FREDERICK HENRY WYLD BORN 5-6-1900 DIED 5-4-1976.'

Yet in the top left corner is an unobtrusive addition. Framed by the dates 1924 and 1928 is a globally-recognised symbol - that of the five interlocked Olympic rings - which modestly acknowledges the sporting achievements of Fred Wyld.

Fred was a keen cyclist and in the 1920s one of Britain's most talented. He won 14 national cycling titles and competed in two Olympic Games. At Paris 1924 he won a Bronze medal in the 50km individual track event, and at Amsterdam 1928 he again won Bronze as part of the four-man Great Britain team which finished third in the 4000m team pursuit.

In the team with him were Len Wyld and Percy Wyld, two of his brothers, for the Wyld family were part of a veritable cycling dynasty. For many years Fred's other brother Ralph ran a well-known Derby cycling shop with his son - also Ralph - at 61 Nottingham Road.

Although Fred's immediate family and friends knew of his sporting achievements, most of the Derby people he met in the course of his duties as a 'bobby on the beat' could not have guessed they were in the presence of a rare breed indeed - an Olympic medallist, and a double one at that. His gravestone is a small reminder of his fine sporting achievements.

This piece is part of the You and Yesterday Grave Matters project which aims to identify and record graves in Derbyshire which are either particularly unusual or mark the final resting place of 'celebrity' residents. If you know of any others, why not add them to the ever-growing list on the Grave Matters page and write a small piece like this one.

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