Edward M Sturges was an English rower

Rowing (sport)

Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...

, a behind-the-lines marines officer in World War II and a fitness enthusiast who ran an elite gymnasium in London.

Sturges was born at Kensington. He was educated at Radley College

Radley College

Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...

 where he was one of the winning crew in the Ladies' Challenge Plate

Ladies' Challenge Plate

The Ladies' Challenge Plate is one of the events at Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. Crews of men's eight-oared boats below the standard of the Grand Challenge Cup can enter, although international standard heavyweight crews are not permitted to row in the...

  at Henley Royal Regatta

Henley Royal Regatta

Henley Royal Regatta is a rowing event held every year on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. The Royal Regatta is sometimes referred to as Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage...

 in 1938. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 he served as a major in the Royal Marines

Royal Marines

The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...

 in Burma behind enemy lines. In spite of his size, he was able to creep as stealthily as a cat and ran an effective guerilla campaign.

After the second world war, Sturges joined London Rowing Club

London Rowing Club

London Rowing Club is one of the oldest rowing clubs on the River Thames in London, United Kingdom.It is regarded as one of the most exclusive and successful rowing clubs in Britain. and its Patron is HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh....

 and won Silver Goblets at Henley Royal Regatta partnering John Pinches

John Pinches

John Harvey Pinches, MC, was an English rower, Royal Engineers officer, medallist and author.Pinches was born at Chelsea, 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...

. They were runners up in the same event in 1950 and also in 1950, Sturges won the Wingfield Sculls.

Sturges ran a gymnasium in Knightsbridge for forty years and trained generations of young people, including the four children of Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...

. He retired to Benson, Oxfordshire

Benson, Oxfordshire

Benson is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England. It is about north of Wallingford at the foot of the Chiltern Hills at the confluence of a chalk stream and the River Thames, next to Benson Lock...

in 1992. He trained every day and had sculled on the evening he died at the age 76.