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Frank Parks was born in London in 1875 and became a member of the Polytechnic Boxing Club in 1892. He had great success as an amateur boxer and won his first Polytechnic competition that same year. By 1899, he had won his first English Championship, competing for the Poly. Parks was the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) Heavyweight Champion in 1899, 1901-1902 and 1905-1906. He also won the Polytechnic’s Studd Trophy in 1902 for the best athletic achievement. French Championships in 1905. Won Olympic Bronze in 1908.

In 1905 he retired from boxing and spent his retirement coaching novices. However, he returned to the ring in 1911 for a series of ABA exhibition bouts at Madison Square Garden in New York with fellow Brit Reuben Charles Warnes.

In 1914 he was made Honourable Secretary of the Polytechnic Boxing Club and remained involved with the club until his death in 1945. The Club dedicated a laurel wreath plaque to his memory with the inscription ‘as a token of admiration by his many friends for his high example and untiring efforts for the welfare of this club for 52 years’.

Willie Applegarth made his debut in the AAA Championships in 1910 when, as a 20-year-old Post Office worker representing Polytechnic Harriers, he finished third in the 100 yards. Two years later he won the 200 yards and finished second in the 100 yards, and these performances won him a place in the 1912 Olympic team in both the individual sprints and the relay. Applegarth was eliminated in the semi-finals for the 100 metres in Stockholm, but after some great running the early stages of the 200 metres final he held on the take the bronze medal; then as lead-off man, he put Britain on their way to the gold medals in the relay. He maintained his brilliant form in post-Olympic meetings, setting a world best of 19.8 seconds for 200 yards and equaling the world 100 metres records of 10.6 seconds. He also claimed a new British record of 21.8 seconds for 200 yards and equaled the British 100 yards record of 9.8 seconds. In 1913 he twice equaled his British 100 yards record and set a world best of 14.6 seconds for 150 yards, but the highlight of the season came at the AAA Championships where he had become the first home athlete to take the sprint double. His winning time of 21.6 seconds in the 200 yards was yet another British record. 1914 was Applegarth’s last season as an amateur, and after equaling his own British records in both the 100 yards and 200 yards he won his second AAA double, with the finest performance of his career coming in the 200 yards as he set a world record of 21.2, which was to remain unbeaten for 18 years.

In November 1914, Applegarth turned profession and twice beat the Australian Jack Donaldson, the reigning “world champion.” He continued to run as a “pro” after the war but in 1922 he immigrated to America, where he took up an appointment as a soccer and track coach at Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania. During his early days in the US he played for Brooklyn in the American Soccer League and took part in a few exhibition races. On one notable occasion, at Fordham University, he beat Robert McAllister who was one of the leading American sprinters of the time. Willie Applegarth’s coaching appointment at Mercersburg was relatively short-lived and in 1925 he joined the General Electric Company as a welder. He remained with the company for 30 years until his retirement in 1955.

Served in the Royal Army Service Corps during WW1.

Cyclist, Service No. 1887, No. 8 Platoon, 2/25th London Regt. No. 2 Coy., 1/25th London Regt. B. Coy., 1/25th London Regt. 5th Platoon.

He succeeded in joining the 25th London Regiment at the end of November 1914, having been rejected several times on account of his eyes. Early in 1916 he went with his Battalion to India and died from wounds inflicted during a fight with insurgents on the NW frontier in the Waziristan campaign. Obituaries feature in the various Poly publications of the time, with comments such as: "He was a real brick, willing to do a good turn for everyone."
At the end of the war, it was proposed by the Poly Cycling Club to establish a Memorial Trophy in Gayler's name:

"It will of course be impossible to ever replace Bert Gayler in the hearts of those who had the luck to work with him and share his companionship, but it would seem very desirable that stpes should now be taken to show our appreciation of his good work by endeavouring to perpetuate his memory for all time by means of a Memorial Trophy bearing his name.... Is not the time ripe for an "Open 12" on the North Road, and would it not be well to associate Bert Gayler's name with a classic "open" on the road he loved so much?"

By July 1919 the Gayler Memorial Fund had raised £60-4-6 and the conditions of the Trophy had been finalised:
The Trophy shall be named 'The Gayler Memorial Trophy' and it shall be a perpetual Trophy in memory of all the Club members who laid down their lives in the Great War 1914-1918. It was to be awarded annually, to the rider who covers the greatest distance in a twelve-hour unpaced road ride on a single machine. The competition was open to all amateur members of the PCC and other cyling clubs. The first winner, on 23 August 1919, was M G Selbach.

Bert Gayler joined the Polytechnic Cycling Club in 1909, becoming Hon General Secretary in 1913. In 1909 Gayler completed the "50" in 2h30m1s; in 1914 he completed the "50" in 2h19m30s with an average speed of 21.5 miles per hour. His last "50" was an army event, promoted by his Battalion in which he made the fastest time, being attired in full army uniform and marching boots. His time was 2h49m54s. Gayler's record for the Poly was the "12" at 223 1/4 miles (unbroken until 1928). He also held the world record in 1917 for an out and home "12". Gayler's last season was in 1914, in which he completed the "25" in 1h7m53s. He was also the first man to win the NCU Gold Proficiency badge for breaking 5h4m for 100 miles.

Competed in the 1912 Stockholm Olympic games.

Buried at Kandiwam, Waziristan N.W.F. India. H H Gayler's name is included on a brass tablet was erected in the church at Jullundur, India, in memory of the men killed at Waziristan.

Arthur Wint was born in Jamaica in 1920 and was a successful athlete from a young age. In 1937 he was named Jamaica Boy Athlete of the Year and at the age of 18 he won gold in the 800m at the Central America Games in Panama. During World War Two, Wint joined the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and in 1942 he was sent to Britain for active combat as a pilot. It was during this time that he joined the Polytechnic Harriers athletics club.

In 1947 he left the RAF but remained in London studying medicine at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Nevertheless, Wint still made time for athletics and remained a member of the Harriers. 1948 saw the first Olympic Games take place since 1936. Wint was selected for the Jamaican track team and competed in three different events. He won gold for the 400m, silver for the 800m and almost had success in the 4x400m relay but got cramp during the race. His gold medal was Jamaica’s first Olympic gold.

Wint also competed in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki where he achieved success with a silver in the 800m once again. He was even more successful as part of the 4x400m relay team who broke the world record with their time of 3.03.9.

Upon graduating as a doctor in 1953, Wint retired from athletics and returned home to Jamaica where he was the only doctor in his parish. However, his ties with the UK remained. In 1954 he was awarded an MBE and from 1974-1978 he served as High Commissioner to Britain.

The ‘Gentle Giant’, as he was known, was inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame in the USA in 1977 and the Jamaica Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. Wint died in 1992.

Enrolled at the Polytechnic Secondary School on 14 January 1908, aged 13. Attended the school until 1911. Member of the Polytechnic Boxing Club and Swimming Club. Served in the 12th London Regiment ‘The Poly Rangers’ in 1914 under the surname Zoller. He appears to have changed his surname in 1920 as hereafter all reference is to Pat O’Hanrahan. In 1922 he was elected Vice-Captain of the Polytechnic Boxing Club, a post he held until 1928 when he was elected Vice-President. In January 1935 he is referred to as an old member and twice ABA Welterweight Champion.

Member of the GB team at the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics. He advanced to the second round of the welterweight class after winning his fight against René Dubois of France on points. The matches were held in the Veledrome d'Hiver. In the next round, O'Hanrahan was defeated by Jean Delarge of Belgium who won the gold medal in this weight class. It was his only Olympic appearance.

In January 1925 he travelled to the USA as part of the British Amateur Boxing Association team and he won the 1925 ABA National Championships.

Harold James Mitchell was a British boxer who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. He won the gold medal in the light heavyweight competition after beating Thyge Petersen in the final.

Mitchell was a four-time ABA champion in the light heavyweight class (1922-25) and was European Champion in 1924