Riding boots, Major Arthur Laurence Rook, Olympic Games, 1956

Major Rook was known as 'The Galloping Major' because of his skill as a horseman. He served with the Royal Horse Guards until 1954. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1945 for his bravery in Italy during 1944. He captured a German warrant officer and recovered a Dingo armoured vehicle whilst under fire.

After World War Two (1939-1945), Rook went on to become a European champion in three-day eventing. He competed in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki and, riding 'Wild Venture', he won a team gold medal at the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1956.

Rook became a technical delegate for the International Equestrian Federation. Rook retired from the Army in 1954 and died in September 1989.