John Besford

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John Charles Preston Besford, OBE (30 January 1911 – 26 February 1993) was an English swimmer who specialized in backstroke. He was born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Lancashire, England, and studied dentistry at the University of Manchester.

Besford competed for Great Britain in the Olympics and European championships, and for England in the British Empire Games in the 1930s. In the 1928 Summer Olympics he finished sixth in the 100-metre backstroke. He won a bronze medal in the 100-yard backstroke at the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton, Canada. He became the European champion in the 100-metre backstroke in 1934 in Magdeburg. At the 1934 British Empire Games in London he earned a silver medal for England in the 100-yard backstroke and helped the English team win bronze in the 3×100-yard medley relay. Four years later he was eliminated in the semi-finals of the 100-metre backstroke.

After World War II he served as an officer and later taught dentistry at the University of Beijing, China. He spent time in Yokohama, Japan, before returning to the UK to run a dental practice in Brighton. In 1975 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to the British community in Tokyo. He died in Spain at the age of 82.