Knyvett was born in
Jessore,
British Raj (modern-day Bangladesh). He was the son of A. V. Knyvett
CIE, and he followed in his father's footsteps as a member of the Bengali Police. William was educated at
Malvern College, Worcestershire and followed his father into the Bengal Police. He reached the semi-finals of the
110 metre hurdles competition, where he finished with the second fastest time overall of all the semi-final heats. Nevertheless, as he was second in his heat, he was eliminated. The winner of his heat,
Forrest Smithson of the USA, went on to win the Olympic Gold Medal in the final. == References ==