John Duff
Born in China to Canadian parents, John Duff led a life full of action and adventure. He traveled overland from China to England to enlist in the British Army in World War One. Rising to the rank of Captain, he was wounded and met his future wife in an English hospital. After the war, he raced Bentley automobiles all around Europe and America and was the winner of the second ever running of the 24 Hour Le Mans auto race.
A second major racing wreck led him to fulfill a promise to his wife to quit racing and he moved his family to Santa Monica, CA. There, he taught fencing and did some movie work, doubling for Gary Cooper in sword fighting scenes.
READ MORE...He taught at a private club and at UCLA, with one of his fencers, Hal Corbin, making the 1932 Olympic Team in epee.
A trophy in his name of two highly engraved epees, the Duff Swords, were awarded in Southern Californian for many years until Duff’s stipulation – that anyone winning the event 3 times in a row could keep the two swords – was met by SoCal Olympian Andrew Boyd. Duff left Santa Monica for China, then Canada, around 1932 and that seems to have been the end of his career as a fencing teacher. He died in a horse riding accident in 1958.
Articles
The First Selection: Ted Lorber
I’m not sure of the original source for the story, but it goes like this. In the early days of the AFLA, precursor to today’s USA Fencing, the East Coast was in charge.
College Annuals vs Space
At some point I will outgrown my available storage. It’s not in any way imminent, but down the road it will be something to deal with. Storage space wasn’t a consideration when I began to purchase relatively low cost university annuals on Ebay.
LA’s Greatest Hits, 1936
When I have the opportunity to visit someone who has fencing memorabilia that I can scan for my collection, I often don’t get a chance to thoroughly take in the significance of everything I’m working with.
A Man without Fear
Captain John Duff. In some circles, his name still resonates. He won the second ever 24 hours of Le Mans auto race and was known as one of “The Bentley Boys”
Photo Gallery
SHARE YOUR
STORY
Have something to share or add? Our goal is to capture the stories we know are out there. Plus photos, videos, home movies, posters—you name it. All this material helps preserve the stories of West Coast fencing.
Stay Informed
Want to know when we publish a story? Or release a new documentary? Sign up for our email list and we’ll keep you posted.