Kenneth Cecil Gandar-Dower (31 August 1908 – 12 February 1944) was a leading English sportsman, aviator, explorer and author. Born at his parents' home in Regent's Park, London, Gandar-Dower was the fourth and youngest son of independently wealthy Joseph Wilson Gandar-Dower and his wife Amelia Frances Germaine. Two of his elder brothers, Eric and Alan Gandar Dower, served as Conservative Members of Parliament. Other brothers include Ronald, Leonard and Howard. All used different versions of their surname: Gandar-Dower, Gandar Dower and Dower respectively. Education Gandar-Dower was educated at Windlesham House School and Harrow School, where he played cricket, association football, Eton fives and rackets and, with Terence Rattigan, wrote for The Harrovian. He then received a scholarship to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1927 to read History, gaining an upper second. There, he won athletic blues in billiards, tennis and real tennis, Rugby fives, Eton fives and rackets. In addition, Gandar-Dower edited Granta magazine and chaired the Trinity debating society. Sporting career Gandar-Dower became a leading tennis player, competing in a number of tournaments throughout the 1930s, including Wimbledon and the French Championships. He was nicknamed "The Undying Retriever" for his ability to run large distances during matches. At the 1932 Queen's Club Championship in London Gandar-Dower had his greatest tennis success when he defeated Harry Hopman in three sets. Newspaper reports stated that he "had Hopman perplexed with his unorthodox game and the number of astonishingly low volleys from apparently impossible positions." Gandar-Dower also won the British Amateur Squash championships in 1938 and continued to play cricket competitively throughout the 1930s. Gandar-Dower twice won the principal trophy in Eton Fives – the Kinnaird Cup – in 1929 and 1932, and was in the defeated pair in the 1931 final. Gandar-Dower caused a reputation for himself in real tennis through his tactic of getting to the net as quickly as possible and volleying everything in sight. This was frowned upon by traditionalists and it was considered that Gandar-Dower "disrupted the game for a while". Aviator In June 1932, with minimal flying experience, Gandar-Dower entered the King's Cup Air Race and "soon became one of the most colourful aviators of his era", making one of the first flights from England to India. Explorer In 1934 Gandar-Dower led an expedition to Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Range in an attempt to capture a marozi, a spotted lion rumoured to exist. While he failed