Prince Alex Obolensky
(1916 - 1940)

Prince Obolensky was an ‘all time great’ rugby try-scorer, who was killed in World War II.

Son of Prince Sergei Alexandrovich Obolensky, he was born in St. Petersburg in February 1916 but came to England for a traditional education at Trent College (1929 – 1933) and Brasenose College, Oxford, after his family had fled from the Russian Revolution.

At Trent, Prince Obolensky was a member of the unbeaten 1932 First XV (played 18, won 17, drew 1: points for 539, against only 22). He later played for Oxford in the Varsity matches of 1935 and 1937, and was famous for his try-saving tackle - indeed, a book of flick-cards was published to re-enact it!

In 1936, the Prince was selected to play against the All Blacks, scoring two tries, one of which is regarded as one of the finest tries scored in English rugby.

Prince Obolensky died in 1940, whilst a pilot in the Royal Air Force. He was killed in a landing accident just after going ‘operational’ on ‘Hurricanes’. His name is among those on the war memorial in the School chapel.

The Obolensky Awards
When Wright House became a day house in 1985, the Obolensky Awards were instituted to commemorate Wright’s most famous Old Boy. The awards are given at the discretion of the Housemaster of Wright for an outstanding contribution to the School and House.

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