CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

As I write we are entering a further four weeks of lockdown when our club facilities will be closed to all of us other than those Resis living at the Club. It is important that we all comply with the guidelines issued by British Rowing and this means that nobody may access the clubhouse or the boathouse. Further details are provided elsewhere; please make yourself familiar with the rules. Sadly, until early December, they are not complicated. As before, your committee will work to ensure that we are ready to reopen the facilities at the earliest opportunity and to the greatest extent possible.

The coronavirus has had a significant impact on our events business with our revenue stream reducing markedly. Your committee continues to work hard to manage the financial impact on the club and our ongoing activities. Needless to say, it is not possible at this stage to predict when we might fully reopen the events space. Until this is the case we will have to continue to seek cost savings and support from you, our membership. Please consider what you are able to do to support London Rowing Club through this period. In the next few weeks I shall be writing to all members outlining the current situation and the needs of the club.

With the needs of the club in mind, it is pleasing to read the news of the latest Casamajor Club draw; and the £600 special Christmas prize on offer. The Casamajor Club has provided steady support to the club for many years and has recently been reactivated thanks to the efforts of John Auber and Kathleen Curran. Please consider joining – details are provided below…

Casamajor Club has been running for well over 50 years.

50% goes to prizes, 50% to LRC, directed to boats, which has amounted to about £5k per year (we can grow this!).
CMC relaunched earlier this year, now comprises 50+ members, plus those migrating over from the original Club.
Participation cost is £60 per year or £5 per month.
Last week, 6 members have won £75 each in prizes
the special Christmas Star Prize is £600
for more details please contact John Auber
subscriptions are payable via GoCardless

Simon Harris
Chairman, London Rowing Club

*A mellow autumn shining on the Embankment.*

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

See more detail for these events, visit our Calendar of Events…

LRC’S NEW GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE

The new governance structure is now fully operational and is supporting the management of the club in these challenging times.

Previously, the club was managed by a committee comprising its officers and ten representative members. Under the new structure the representative members no longer sit on the General Committee.

Instead, it is now made up of just eight people, namely the Chairman, the Captain, the Hon. Secretary, the Hon. Treasurer, two Hon. House Stewards responsible for Premises and House/Events respectively, a Membership Director and a Strategy Director.

Broader participation of members is now achieved through six sub-committees covering Rowing, Membership, Finance & Administration, Premises, House/Events and Strategy. Our President, Mike Baldwin, and our Vice Presidents advise the General Committee but are not formal members.

The new structure enables greater focus and delegation of responsibilities. The sub-committees support the club’s officers and enable more members to participate in the management of the club. One very productive feature is the mix of ages, skills and experience of everyone involved.

You can see a list of the members participating by clicking here.

You can read about the backgrounds of the members of the General Committee here in our Committee biographies section. While you are there, please take time to read the club’s Rules and Bye-laws on the Governance page. These have been updated.

We need to develop a group of members willing to become involved in future years and so if you are interested please contact Andrew Boyle.

Andrew Boyle
Secretary, London Rowing Club

IRREGULARS’ REPORT

It is difficult to know what to write about this month as we approach what is looking like a stop to all rowing and social occasions for a month or so. Chin to the fore and we’ll get through it!

Two recollections from the last month:

Firstly, a particular bow steerer has taken to introducing time trials to the Sunday morning outings – that’s a bit keen isn’t it? – I can only think it is to add a bit of interest to the customary three round trips to Harrods Wall. Anyhow, 1,40 minutes and 38 strokes is the benchmark between the Mile Post and Harrods buoy. I bet no one will beat that in the next month!
Secondly, the Youngs app has been mastered at The Duke’s Head where some of us have been retiring to after outings the last couple of Sundays – needs must and it has been very pleasant.

Keep well everybody at the club.

Eddie Markes

LONDON ROWING CLUB’S WORLD WAR II FALLEN

PART 2

The October edition of London Roar summarised the 31 members who appear on the World War II Roll of Honour in the Clubhouse. That article was written to mark the 75th anniversary this year of the end of hostilities, and promised further details on individual members.

This is the first of four articles listing a total of 27 members who can almost certainly be identified satisfactorily in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission records. Each entry also lists the year of election to LRC plus such information as we have on rowing careers (mainly appearances at Henley) from annual reports, or which we have obtained readily from elsewhere. The remaining four of the 31 will be included in the final article in February.

It is worth noting that the England VIII which won the Gold medal at the British Empire Games in Sydney in 1936 included five oarsmen and the cox who were all London members and four of the oarsmen lost their lives in the War – Beazley, Kingsford, J Turnbull and Turner.

The alphabetical list starts below:

Richard Graham Addis. Lieutenant RNVR. Killed in action on 30th March 1944, aged 27, on board HMS Laforey, an L-Class destroyer. Commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, panel 88, col. 1. Awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Mentioned in Despatches. Elected 1937. Son of Sir Charles Stuart Addis, KCMG, LLD (1861-1945), banker and Government adviser.

Basil Saunders Beazley. Major, Royal Engineers, 9th (Airborne) Field Company. Killed in action on 10th July 1943, aged 29, in the Sicily landings. Interred in Syracuse War Cemetery, Sicily, grave II.A.6. Mentioned in Despatches.

Elected 1933. Vice Captain 1936. On Committee 1937. Rowed in the Thames Cup 1933 and 1934 and in the Grand in 1935, 1936 and 1937. Member of LRC coxed four which won at Figueira da Foz international regatta, Portugal, 1936. Won Gold medal in England VIII at British Empire Games, Sydney, in 1938 (with D G Kingsford, J Turnbull and T Turner, qvv.). In winning HORR crews of 1935 and 1936.

Bentinck Howard Cumberland. Captain, The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), 1st Battalion. Killed in action on 30th April 1943, aged 25. Interred at Massicault War Cemetery, Tunisia, grave V.M.3.

Elected 1936.

Robert Wylie Burns Cuming. Flight Lieutenant, Royal Australian Air Force. Killed in action on 20th January 1942, aged 30. Interred at Ambon War Cemetery, Indonesia, coll. grave II.D.5-16.

Elected 1933. Rowed in both the Thames Cup and the Wyfolds’ in 1934.

Cecil Clement Hood Davis. Flight Lieutenant RAFVR. Killed in action on 20th November 1942. Commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt. Mentioned in Despatches.

Elected 1932. Rowed in Grand crew 1936.

John Oswald Valentine Edwards. Captain, East Surrey Regiment, seconded to Burma Frontier Force. Killed in action on 10th April 1942 at Paungde, Burma, aged 30. Commemorated on Rangoon Memorial, face 13.

Elected 1932 (won OUBC Challenge Pairs the same year). The youngest of three brothers, all of whom started successful rowing careers at Westminster School, and of whom two lost their lives in WWII. The surviving brother was the London member, Group Captain H R A (Jumbo) Edwards DFC AFC, as mentioned in the October London Roar.

Herbert Hugh Elliot. Pilot Officer, RAFVR. Killed in action on 13th July 1942, aged 33. Commemorated at Nanyuki War Cemetery, Kenya. BA Cantab.

Elected 1932. On Committee 1938. Rowed in the Thames Cup in 1937, 1938 and (with P J Stone, qv) 1939.

Richard Leslie Hall. Surgeon Lieutenant RNVR. MRCS, LRCP. Killed in action on 21st August 1944, aged 28, on board the sloop HMS Kite. Commemorated on Plymouth Naval Memorial, panel 93, column 1.

Elected 1935.

Julian Ebsworth
LRC Librarian & Archivist

HEAD OF THE CHARLES 2020

This year the Head of the Charles was run as a global remote event and three LRC members took part. One of the ways to participate was to row 4,702 metres on an erg in London and submit a time. Jess Eddie posted a time in the Women’s Masters (30+) which not only won that competition by a comfortable margin, as a Henley commentator might have put it, but was the fastest time across all women’s categories. Rory O’Sullivan in the Men’s Grand Master (50+) put in an impressive performance coming 6th out of 73 in that category. Richard Metcalf took part in the Men’s Veteran (60+). A shout out also for LRC alumnus Steve Chilmaid, now rowing out of Virginia Boat Club, who won his category in Men’s Veteran (60+) sculling 4702 metres on his local water, recording his race on GPS and then uploading the data to the Head of the Charles time team.

Richard Metcalf

ROWING FOR LRC FROM 1962-67

PART 2: A REMINISCENCE, 1963-64

One great memory is the kitchen. Our food and drink were provided by Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, our House Steward and his wife. Her cooking was fantastic (for hungry oarsmen) and we sat down to a large dinner every weekday evening at 8:30 I seem to remember, except Fridays. The bar was open every evening and Saturday and Sunday lunchtimes with food.

One thing I couldn’t squeeze in last time was our other Henley entries in 1963. The Grand crew did well, only losing to Cornell by 3/4 length in a semi-final. The Wyfold four also did well before losing to Derby RC. Our fourth entrant was Kevin Smith in the Diamonds. He lost to the eventual winner G Kottmann but was not at his best, as he had been suffering from the effects of TB all year. (If you want to know crew names and results I can send you the spread sheet)

The person I haven’t mentioned yet was George Plumtree our coach in 1962- 63. George was also Captain of LRC in 1963/64. He was a character; rotund, red-faced, and with a penchant for dipping snuff. One great advantage was that he had his own little metal coaching craft. Early in 1964, I was at the bar when I noticed that a young lady was not enjoying attention from George. This was Jacque Habbitts. Her father was Len Habbitts Captain of Barclays Bank RC, which at that time was next door, and who was a renowned sculler. Having got to the Final of the Diamonds in 1938, he was bested only by the American Joe Burk, the greatest pre-war American Sculler and Athlete who set a final course record of 8:02 which lasted for 27 years. Len had two daughters Leslie and Jacque. Leslie was dating Steve Royle. I intervened by suggesting Jacque might like to view the Tank, and a year and a half later we were married.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Simon Rippon had taken residence in 1963 at #8 Ruvigny Mansions (subsequently #12), where he was soon joined by Steve Royle (both ex Reading RC). Desmond Hampton then took over #7 Ruvigny Mansions where I joined him. For the 1963/64 season, we had the making of a coxless four who could boat at 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM for practice, with Simon stroking, Steve steering, and Desmond and me in the powerhouse. We were offered the #10 start in the Fours Head and rowed strongly, finishing 3rd. and subsequently rowed in the Stewards for 1964. We then paired up with our Prince Philip four to form the Grand Eight. We all lost fairly quickly, Stewards (us again) to Queens College Cambridge (1 3/4 lengths), Prince Philip, Wyfold and Grand Eight. Hugh Burkitt departed for Cambridge and Kevin went back to Nottingham, but Hugh at bow won the Ladies Plate with Pembroke College Cambridge!!

The Thames Cup crew did even better than 1963 making the final but lost to Eliot House USA by 2 lengths. Dan Topolski, after his blue, went on to coach Oxford University BC for many successful years after which Steve Royle was appointed Director of Training for Oxford University BC for many years. Keith Hicks became a fixture at bow in our Grand Eight.

Here are 2 photos of Henley training in 1964. Our four and the combined Grand VIII, racing I believe our Thames Cup VIII. The Prince Philip crew was Coni, Marks, Whalen, and Dulley at 4,5,6,7! Neil Rosser is on the bicycle in both.

Colin Smith
LMBC & LRC

Part 3: ‘1964-65’ will be published in the December edition of the London Roar.

REPORTING SAFETY INCIDENTS

All members are reminded that if you are involved in or witness a water safety incident, you are required to report it on safety@londonrc.org.uk

The Club will file any necessary reports on your behalf with British Rowing and the PLA. Members should not submit reports directly to either body.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the London Roar. If you have an idea for an article or would be interested in submitting a piece for inclusion in a future edition, please email me on miles.preston@londonrc.org.uk

Please do not submit an article without first liaising with me.

Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar