Cecil Blacker (Sir)

General Sir Cecil Hugh Blacker was born on 4 June 1916. Known throughout his life – as was his father – by the nickname `Monkey', he followed an outstanding military career with a notable period as a racing administrator. In addition, he was an amateur rider under National Hunt rules, winning the Grand Military Gold Cup at Sandown Park, and a successful international show-jumper.

The son of a highly-decorated cavalry officer, he was educated at Wellington College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the 5th Inniskilling Dragoon Guards in 1936 and was adjutant of the Regiment during the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940. He was later transferred to the 23rd Hussars which then formed part of the 11th Armoured Division. Awarded the Military Cross in 1944, he became Commanding Officer of the 23rd Hussars in 1945.

In 1947, he married Felicity Rew. They had two sons: Terence who went on to be a writer of note, and Philip who, after a successful career as a National Hunt jockey, became a sculptor of renown.

Cecil had ridden in point-to-points and a few times under National Hunt rules before the war. Afterwards he restricted himself to riding in NH races and had his horses trained by Alec Kilpatrick at Collingbourne Ducis. He won two races at Sandown’s 1948 Grand Military Meeting, landing the Services’ Chase on his own horse September Air and the Grand Military Handicap Chase on Martin M.

The following week he rode 100-1 outsider Sir John in the Grand National, only to fall at the thirteenth fence. The next season he partnered Sir John to victory in a Wincanton novice hurdle, his only winner that season.

Back at Sandown, he rode Mountain Earl to win the Grand Military Hunters’ Chase in 1951, but achieved his greatest success under NH rules there three years later aboard Pointsman (formerly known as Food For Thought) in the Grand Military Gold Cup on Friday, 12 March 1954.

In addition to his distinguished military career, Cecil Blacker was also a top-class international show-jumper. In 1955 he acquired the former two-mile chaser Workboy, a ten-year-old winner of 13 chases from 46 races, for £137. Cecil and Workboy represented Great Britain in show-jumping from 1959 to 1961. In 1959 they won the Imperial Cup at the White City International Horse Show and were members of the team that won the Nations Cup in Madrid.

From 1958 to 1960, Cecil worked in Whitehall for General Sir Gerald Templer, receiving an OBE for his work.

He was appointed Commander of 39th Infantry Brigade in Northern Ireland in 1962 and appointed Commander-in-Chief of Northern Division in 1969, going on to become Vice Chief of the General Staff at the Ministry of Defence in 1970, a post he held until he retired in 1976. He was also Colonel Commandant of the Royal Military Police from 1971 to 1976.

Cecil was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1967, a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1969, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in 1975. He was ADC General to the Queen from 1974 to 1976.

Following his retirement from military service, he devoted his time to show-jumping and horse racing administration He was President of the British Show jumping Association from 1976 to 1980 and of the British Equestrian Federation from 1980 to 1984.

As a Jockey Club member, he took charge of the Newmarket dope-testing laboratory, and was one of the two Jockey Club members of the Horserace Betting Levy Board from 1980 to 1983.

In his role as deputy senior steward from 1984 to 1986, he chaired Jockey Club committees that paved the way for all-weather tracks and Sunday racing, and improved local stewarding.

He was also a talented landscape painter who exhibited at the Royal Academy, and a writer, with three books of personal recollections: Soldier In The Saddle (1963), The Story Of Workboy (1966) and Monkey Business (1993).

General Sir Cecil Blacker died on 18 October 2002, aged 86.