John Pinches

1948 London Olympic medals minted at the works of John Pinches inClapham

John Harvey PinchesMC(9 April 1916 – 2 July 2007) was an Englishrower,Royal Engineers officer,medallistand author.

Pinches was born atChelsea, London,the son of John Robert Pinches and Irene Inchbold. His father was a medallist in the family business which was founded in London by Pinches' great-great uncle in 1840.After attendingChelsea Polytechnicand two years' engineering training, Pinches joined the family firm.

Pinches was a memberLondon Rowing Cluband was in the crews which won events atHenley Royal Regattafrom 1935 to 1939 including theGrand Challenge Cup,the leading race for eights at the Regatta, in 1938. He was also a member ofThe Skiff Cluband won the Gentlemen's Single Sculls at theSkiff Championships Regattain 1937, 1938 and 1939. He also won the Gentlemen's Double Sculls in 1937 and 1938.

In theSecond World War,Pinches was commissioned into the Duke of Wellington's Regiment, but was transferred to theRoyal Engineersbecause of his engineering qualifications He served in North Africa, Palestine, Greece and Italy. He won theMilitary Crossat Salerno on 22 September 1943. The British Army's advance north was held up by a lorry and anti-tank gun which had broken down, blocking a bridge. Pinches pulled a heavy winch rope single-handed across the bridge under enemy fire to the damaged vehicle so it could be towed away. Later he served in the occupation of Austria before being demobilised as Lieutenant-Colonel.

In 1947, together withEdward Sturges,he won theSilver Gobletsfor pairs at Henley,after a memorable semi-final victory by six feet. He was approached by theAmateur Rowing Associationto ask if he would make up a crew withDickie Burnellfor the1948 Summer Olympics,which were to be held on the Henley course. Pinches insisted on having proper trials, but as these were not customary at the time, the ARA paired Burnell withBert Bushnell,who subsequently won the pairs. In 1950, Pinches was runner-up in the Silver Goblets with Sturges and won the Gentlemen's Single Scull in the Skiff Championships again. Pinches was an ebullient and enthusiastic captain of the London Rowing Club in 1952. He became an international coach and attended world and European championships, as well as the1960 Summer Olympicsin Rome, when he advised thecoxless foursandcoxed fours.He continued to row competitively until he was 60, his last victory being in an international veterans' regatta in 1976 at Tours, France.

Pinches continued to run the family medallion business, whose output included badges and insignia in Britain, commemorative issues for much of the Commonwealth, and decorations andordersfor overseas governments. In 1940 the business was turned into a Limited Company -John Pinches (Medallists) Ltd.It was sold to theFranklin Mintof Philadelphia, USA, in 1969 and Pinches moved to Wiltshire. His wife, Rosemary, had worked at theCollege of Arms,contributed a comprehensive bibliography ofBurke's PeerageLtd publications produced between 1826 and 1976 to Burke's Family Index (1976),and established a heraldry and genealogy business. Together they wrote books on heraldry and genealogy.

Pinches died in 2007 at the age of 91.

Publications

• Pinches, J. H.; Pinches, R. V. (1974).The Royal Heraldry of England.London: Heraldry Today.ISBN090045525X.
• Pinches, John Harvey (1981).The Family of Pinches: the medallists, their Shropshire forebears back to 1490, and some collateral families.London: Heraldry Today.ISBN0900455306.
• Pinches, John Harvey (1987).Medals by John Pinches: a catalogue of works struck by the company from 1840 to 1969.London: Heraldry Today.ISBN0-900455-43-8.(A private printing limited to 500 copies.)
• Pinches, J. H. (1994).European Nobility and Heraldry: a comparative study of the titles of nobility and their heraldic exterior ornaments for each country, with historical notes.Ramsbury: Heraldry Today.ISBN0900455454.