CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

The past month has seen our rowing and social activities suffer through the latest national lockdown. With vaccines being rolled out across the country and infection rates now steadily reducing, I am looking forward with hope to the announcements from the Government in the next few weeks. We will be ready to make the most of any release from the current restrictions both on the water and in our events space.

The response to our recent request for financial support has been remarkable and is both humbling and gratifying. We are now over three quarters of the way to our target and any additional support will be most welcome as we aim for the finishing line. It is clear that individuals who have enjoyed their time training, racing and socialising at the Club are prepared to help to ensure that others are able to do so too.

Last evening 76 members joined a Zoom meeting to hear an update from the committee on our current situation and works ongoing to move our Club forward in uncertain times. It is a balancing act which requires constant attention and adjustment and I am grateful to everyone working on the committee and subcommittees for their efforts and support. Despite the challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic, the enthusiasm across the membership came across clearly and is a sound basis on which to move our Club forward. You can read Andrew Boyle’s brief summary of the meeting below.

We have two further general meetings in the diary:

On Wednesday 14th April the accounts to the end of July 2020 will be presented to members
We will hold the Club Annual General Meeting for the election of officers on Wednesday 7th July

Simon Harris
Chairman, London Rowing Club

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

I am delighted that the response to our appeal for funds to help us make it through these incredibly difficult times has continued, such that we are now more than three quarters of the way to filling the anticipated hole left by our lack of hospitality income.

Once more, however, I have to sound a note of caution, as we are not out of the financial woods yet. More funds are needed to bridge the gap, and to avoid trimming our expenditure to the extent that we cannot support essential maintenance on our building, or the facilities for our active members, once they can get back on the water. If you haven’t yet contributed, or even if you have, please do look at your finances and see what you can chip in.

The donations to date have come from every class of member, and from near and far. I continue to be delighted by the warmth of feeling towards the Club expressed in some accompanying letters, but there was one which came with an extremely generous lump sum donation from an overseas member, who has allowed me to quote it here. Having first said what an impression LRC had on him, he continued:

“I hope this financial contribution can play a small part in allowing LRC to have the same lasting positive impact on future generations of young female and male rowers, whilst maintaining core values of camaraderie, ambition and drive to perform and relentlessly improve, and openness.”

Says it all, really.

Mike Baldwin
President, London Rowing Club

REPORT ON 10TH FEBRUARY CLUB MEETING

More than 70 members participated in an online club meeting on 10th February. The meeting was an opportunity for our Chairman Simon Harris to introduce the General Committee following its appointment at the AGM last September and for its members to update the club on key issues being addressed. Foremost was the financial position of the club in the midst of Lockdown. Treasurer Philip Carré described how our inability to host commercial events had resulted in a substantial operating deficit net of government support measures. He highlighted the importance of members’ generous response to the fundraising initiative, which had resulted in pledges of £91,760 towards a target of £120,000. Philip said that the donations would effectively bridge the club to a possible resumption of events in the summer. House Steward (Commercial/Events) Chris Goodfellow said that as the size of social gatherings may remain limited, a priority would be smaller business meetings on weekdays. Members’ help in introducing corporate clients would be appreciated.

The club has been very fortunate to receive a bequest from the estate of Dennis Ashton, which has been set aside for capital projects. House Steward (Premises) Eddie Markes described how a portion of the bequest had been allocated to essential roof works above the Long Room. Membership Director Abby Leek described plans to create a new social space for members in the Club Room, which will be renamed the Ashton Room.

Other topics discussed at the meeting included the updating of software to facilitate the club’s relationship with its members, the preparation of a welcome booklet for new members, Strategy Director Colin Christie’s planning process and concerns about a proposal to develop Harrods Wharf as a potential landing point for a ferry between Barnes and Hammersmith (https://harrodswharf.com/).

Notwithstanding the challenges of current circumstances, the meeting highlighted a number of very positive developments. Abby reported an increase over the last 12 months in overall membership from 725 to 753 with significant growth in the Junior, Under 25 and Squad categories. Captain Mark Lucani concluded the meeting by describing the excellent work of the coaching team headed by Stuart Heap and German Pradera, who he said have the knack of making the Squad row hard without it feeling like a gulag. Mark said this was resulting in the club being an enthusiastic and happy place. Resis-coordinator Heather Scott concurred on behalf of her fellow inmates, who currently have the run of the clubhouse but are also looking after it for us.

Stuart Heap described how this positive attitude was translating into steady improvements in the speed of the men’s and women’s crews. Mark expressed particular pride at seeing the development of the women’s crews. With the prospect of regattas uncertain, Mark said that private matches would be arranged when possible. At the risk of tempting fate, he said that he was looking forward to returning the Boustead Cup to its rightful place in our clubhouse.

Andrew Boyle
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club

*** * * STOP PRESS * * ***

Jessica Salter, Membership Secretary, notes that “following the meeting on 10th February, the immediate response to the fundraising appeal has taken a giant leap forward to 86% of the target figure of £120k, now reaching over £103k. Grateful thanks go to all those who have been inspired to support LRC as we navigate onwards with discipline and determination to succeed.”

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

All things being equal, this is the time of year when I would hope to be found warming myself up next to the fireplace in the Long Room after a row. Ideally this image would be completed by a freshly pulled Guinness, the Six Nations on the big screen and me reminding everyone who the reigning Rugby World Champions are. Alas, I have had to keep my smugness in a holding pattern but, with any luck, not for too much longer.

At the time of writing, we still don’t have a clear view of when we can expect to be back at the club and in boats, however it does seem likely that the return will be very quick and we should all be prepared to go from zero to full throttle at very short notice. This of course means that we all need to be ready to implement and follow all the necessary Covid protocols as well as being sure to refresh ourselves on all the safety considerations involved in rowing on our quirky stretch of the Tideway.

*Heather Scott enjoying the snow on the balcony.*

Of similar import, I strongly suggest we all ensure we are physically prepared to return to boating and the unique stresses and strains it puts on our bodies.

Personally, between Lizzie’s Thursday circuits, the weekly erg program, Monday morning yoga, and Basil’s Zoom erg sessions, I am in grave danger of actually getting relatively fit! Despite this surprising consequence, I cannot thank the individuals who have been organising these sessions enough; it has done wonders to keep our club together and engaged while we are not able to get down to SW15 1LB.

The squad continues to train hard over lockdown under the watchful eye of our coaches with numerous 1-2-1 sessions, coached ergs and squad engagement sessions. As a group they continue to march forward, spring loaded to take to the water and begin racing as soon as we are allowed. Having delivered our friends down the way in black and red on notice - we are likely to see the Boustead and the Rayner trophies being contested very soon.

*Resis: Joe, Ricky, Grum, Grace, Meg, Ed, Finn, Heather and Harry.*

With any luck it won’t be too long until I can once again prop up the LRC bar and bore you all to tears with tales of the mighty Springboks of 2019.

Until then: BANG THE DRUM!

Mark Lucani
Captain, London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

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

IRREGULARS’ REPORT

Over the past month, with no activity on the river, a few of us got together and contrived to contact 40 to 50 of our more regular ‘Irregulars’ just as a way to keep in touch (swap ergo scores and bike rides - that sort of thing), the main aim being to keep the inimitable spirit going and have a good chat but also, on a practical level, to impart the new door codes. It won’t be much use if, come the call to oars, we cannot get into the clubhouse!

Many of the older brigade have now had their first vaccinations so their arms will be well pumped up. Iain Laurenson has had both doses - he knows someone!

I would just like to say that despite no rowing and the drying up of events revenue, there are a lot of positive things going on at the Club. By the time you read this there will have been the remote club meeting on the 10th February. I hope many of you attended and saw some familiar faces that you may not have been able to see for a while.

Eddie Markes

THE PREMISES SUB-COMMITTEE

Each month we would like to highlight the work of a member of the General Committee and the relevant sub-committee so that members can understand what is happening behind the scenes and spot opportunities to offer support when appropriate. This month I spoke to Hon. House Steward (Premises) Eddie Markes about his role and that of the Premises Sub-Committee, which comprises Eddie, Peter Halford, Lawrence Ho, Tim Leppard, Josh Mc Inerney, Richard Philips, Heather Scott and Simon Smithson.

We are fortunate that Eddie and several the members of the Premises Sub-Committee can draw upon professional experience in the property sector. Eddie has been in the building trade for over 40 years and has extensive experience of Victorian and listed buildings. Sub-Committee members also have longstanding knowledge of our clubhouse. The recent development of the gym was a formative experience.

When Eddie took on his role in September, there was an urgent need to deal with numerous leaks that were appearing around the clubhouse. He and Peter Halford have managed an extensive renovation of the roof and grandstand above the Long Room. This was funded by a portion of the bequest that the club received from the estate of Dennis Ashton. Other pressing matters now addressed included an upgrading of our fire, gas and electric appliance regulatory compliance measures, which was essential for safety and insurance. Eddie has replaced a number of suppliers to reduce costs and improve services.

Eddie has a soft spot for the Resis, whom he values as part of the soul of the club. They are also very willing to lend a hand around the clubhouse and watch over it. This was particularly important during the recent security scare when an intruder targeted the club and others along the Tideway. Eddie is working to upgrade the Resis' quarters. A recent renovation of the showers represented a significant milestone.

As urgent jobs are completed and we emerge from Lockdown, the role of the Premises Sub-Committee will become more prominent. Important projects to be developed include the 150th anniversary of the clubhouse, which Eddie hopes will be celebrated with a renovation of the interior and façade for the benefit of members and sponsors of commercial events. There is also the development of a social space for members in the Club Room, which will be renamed the Ashton Room.

Eddie would be delighted to be contacted by any members with an interest in developing the clubhouse, in helping with monitoring roles or with contacts among reliable service providers (facilitymanagement@londonrc.org.uk).

Andrew Boyle
Honorary Secretary, London Rowing Club

IN MEMORIAM

We are sorry to inform members of the recent passing of three senior members of the Club: J W (“Joe”) Fraser on 23rd December, Simon C Crosse on 14th January and David H King, on 2nd February.

Joe Fraser rowed for the Club at Henley in the Thames Challenge Cup in 1962 and was later a Cambridge Blue and President of CUBC.

Simon Crosse was one of the Club’s first international oars after World War II and the architect of the major development of the entire clubhouse building in 1969-72.

David King rowed for the Club at nine successive Henleys between 1959 and 1967 and will be remembered for his devoted service as Honorary House Steward in more recent years.

Obituaries are being prepared on Joe Fraser and David King, for publication in the Obituaries section of the Club website (this section comes under ‘News’). Chris Dodd has written an obituary on Simon Crosse which has been published on the ‘Hear The Boat Sing’ website.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Information has also reached us belatedly of the death of Colin F Porter last August. He had been living and working in Australia for many years. Although never a London member, he was a leading oarsman, coach, author and ARA selection board chairman in the 1950s and 1960s. Chris Dodd has written an obituary, which is again on the ‘Hear The Boat Sing’ website.

Members are recommended to follow this website for news on rowing, in particular rowing history, if they are not already aware of it.

Julian Ebsworth
LRC Librarian & Archivist

ROWING FOR LRC FROM 1962-67

PART 4b: A REMINISCENCE, 1965-66

Head of the River 1st Eight 1966 who started 16th finished 19th. Differences from Henley are Alan Sutton is stroking with Charles Moore at six, I was at five and Thirkettle was at 3. Bob Bell and Ken Houston subsequently changed seats for Henley wit… — Head of the River 1st Eight 1966 who started 16th finished 19th. Differences from Henley are Alan Sutton is stroking with Charles Moore at six, I was at five and Thirkettle was at 3. Bob Bell and Ken Houston subsequently changed seats for Henley with Charlie stroking, Simon at 6 and Pete Harris at 5, me at 3.

For 1965/66 Simon returned from Nautilus and only Peter Fraser, Roger Hughes, and Julian Ebsworth of our members remained. They rowed for Nautilus at Henley, in a Stewards four, with Peter Fraser steers and JR Burnett stroke. They lost in the third round to Mercantile RC Australia by 2 ¼ lengths. The Grand Crew was again mixed with Hicks, Marks, King, Royle, Coni plus four newcomers, Alan Sutton, John Thirkettle, and Mike Robertson with John Medhurst as cox. They lost to Oxford University by 2 2/3 lengths.

*Left to right: Pete Harris, Dave King, R.I.P., and me, Colin Smith.*

The Wyfold crew was all new with Andrew Weyeneth (a Diamond Sculler), Lee Marriner, Robert Rakison, and Andy Cameron. They had to go through qualifying where they beat Imperial College London but lost in the first round to Bedford RC by 2 ¾ lengths.

This left the main hope with the Thames Cup eight. It was a good crew, with the usual Rippon, Smith, Hampton but bolstered by Ken Houston at bow, Nick Hornsby (soon to get a blue) at 4, Peter Harris at 5, Simon at 6, Bob Bell at 7 and stroked by the formidable Charles Moore, with Peter Jones as cox. We proceeded past Hollingworth Lake, Manchester University, and Nottingham & Union but on Saturday morning we had to face Harvard University. We fought hard, we were ahead at the Barrier and Fawley, but the final verdict was 2/3 length to Harvard.

*Henley picture of Harvard beating us in the semi-final.*

We swopped jerseys on the finish line absolutely exhausted. Harvard went on to beat Isis BC (Oxford University Boat race crew – Topolski, Lovett, Porter, Stewart, Thomson, Carr, Albert, Pritchard – LRC members highlighted) in the final.

One more incident about cars, to introduce Charles Moore. He was an extremely likeable Australian whose passions were rowing and sailing, and by sailing we are talking big boats. He was our stroke all year taking the load off Simon for once. On May 4th, 1966, we were coming back from our outing when Tom shouts from the hard, “Mr. Smith you got a daughter”. What was I to do? Getting to the nursing home at Chalfont St Peter by public transport was almost impossible due to the time involved. Immediately Charles said, “take my Mini Colin, you can bring it back tomorrow”. That was the sort of guy he was.

Another couple of incidents concerning big boats and oars introduces the Golden Oar. Our plans included racing abroad and one of the events in 1966 involved travelling to the event across the channel. In those days, the only way to travel to Belgium was by ship if you were taking your oars. At Brussels railway station we had to change trains. This involved going up an escalator! Each member of the crew stepped on to the escalator with the blade upwards… Suddenly there was a breaking sound as the first oar came into contact with the ceiling of the floor above. The second man looked round to see what was up… There was a breaking sound as his oar shattered on the ceiling above. The third man… lowered his oar and shouted to the rest to do likewise. We had only lost two oars.

When we got to our accommodation, we found it to be a fantastic old chateau with a moat. The first day for breakfast we got continental and were still hungry, the second day for breakfast, after much gesticulation, we got dinner plate size thick omelletes. And duly won our Golden Oars.

On the way home for some reason, our group got broken up so that a few of the party, including Desmond, were directed on to a later ship. Desmond was not pleased and could be seen on the other ship shouting something and waving his British Passport. This didn’t go down too well with the authorities and he was soon seen to be taken away. He somehow got his passport back and was eventually let go. Losing two oars and Desmond would have been too much to pay for a golden oar.

Colin Smith
LMBC & LRC

Part 5: ‘1966-67’ will be published in the March edition of the London Roar.

LONDON ROWING CLUB’S WWII FALLEN

PART 5

This is the last article in the series begun last autumn on the names of those on the Roll of Honour, in the lobby next to the Fairbairn Room, who are definitely identifiable in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) records. There are three final names - W M Turnbull, T Turner and D J Wilson, summarised below.

This article also discusses four other names on the Roll of Honour where research has run into difficulties.

William Mackay Turnbull. Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, 162 Field Regiment. Killed in action on 17th January 1943 aged 22, and commemorated on Rangoon Memorial, Burma, face 2. BA Cantab. Australian.

Elected 1938.

Timothy Turner. Captain, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 2nd Battalion. Died on 7th June 1943, aged 32, probably in a typhoid epidemic at a Japanese prisoner of war camp and commemorated at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand, Sp. Mem. 9.M.4. This cemetery was one of three associated with the construction and maintenance of the infamous Japanese Burma-Siam Railway. Son of Colonel J E Turner, CMG, DSO, formerly of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles); his mother was a member of the Nickalls family.

Elected 1929. The finest London stroke of his generation. His record at stroke included: winning Thames Cup crew of 1931; the winning Grand crew of 1933; the winning HORR crews in 1933 and 1934; and the LRC crew which visited and won at Melbourne in 1934 (see photo). He also competed in the Grand in 1934. Arguably his greatest personal achievement was to win a Gold medal in the English VIII at the British Empire Games, Sydney, in 1938 after having been brought in 12 days before the Games, three years after having retired from rowing and living fortuitously in Australia, having emigrated to work for Dalgety’s. The English VIII included B S Beazley, D G Kingsford and J Turnbull qqv. After the War, Colonel Turner donated furniture for the Members’ Room in his son’s memory.

Donald James Wilson. Lieutenant, RNVR. Killed in action on board the Leander-class cruiser HM S Neptune, mined on 19th December 1941 off the coast of Libya. Aged 29, and interred in Tobruk War Cemetery, Libya, grave 2.F.22. BA Cantab. Australian.

Elected 1934. Rowed for Clare College, Cambridge, in the Ladies Plate 1932 (with O L R Hills qv) and 1933, also the Visitors’ in 1933. In the winning Cambridge crew in the 1934 Boat Race. Rowed for Leander in 1934 (winning Grand crew) and in the Grand and Stewards in 1936. Member of the London crew (with T Turner, see above) which visited and won at Melbourne with LRC in 1934 (see photo below).

The London crew which visited Melbourne in 1934. T Turner is at stroke and D J Wilson at 5. Taking out their own boat shackled to the deck of the RMS Ormonde, the crew won the Henley-on-Yarra Grand event by 4 lengths and the Victorian State Champion… — The London crew which visited Melbourne in 1934. T Turner is at stroke and D J Wilson at 5. Taking out their own boat shackled to the deck of the RMS Ormonde, the crew won the Henley-on-Yarra Grand event by 4 lengths and the Victorian State Championship (a head of the river race over a 2½ mile course) a week later by 13 lengths. The crew were away from the UK for four months.

This leaves the four other names on the board.

Two are those for whom, but for the restrictions caused by the current pandemic, we might have been able to carry out more research in order to obtain conclusive information.

The first is T D Goodman. LRC records show a ‘Thomas D Goodman’ joining in 1933, and listed as a Full Member in 1938. The CWGC lists a ‘Thomas Dent Goodman’, who died on 13th April 1942, aged 28. He was a Lance Bombardier in the 7/4 Maritime Regiment, Royal Artillery and his name is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, panel 77, col. 2. There are no other T D Goodmans in the CWGC records. It seems likely that this was our LRC member, but LRC records do not say whether his second name was Dent, although he would have been 19 in 1933 on joining the Club, which fits well.

The second is D L McCallum. LRC records list a Dugald L McCallum joining in 1933, and on the ‘Abroad’ (i.e. overseas) list by 1938. However, there is no listing of a Dugald L McCallum in the CWGC records.

The two other names, however, are of members who we do not believe should be on the Roll of Honour at all, because they appear to have survived the War.

The first is D S Laskey. A Denis S Laskey is listed in LRC records as joining in 1935. He was an undergraduate at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, at the time. He rowed for the college in the Ladies Plate in 1935 and 1936. (He was the son of F S Laskey who joined in 1910 and was Vice Captain in 1920). There is no reference to Denis in the CWGC records. Rather, he joined the Foreign Office in 1939, fought with the British Army 1940-41 but then returned to the FO for the rest of the War. He continued his diplomatic career ending up as British Ambassador to Austria. He was knighted (KCMG) in 1974.

The second is A H Packe. An Anthony H Packe joined the Club in 1925 and is listed as a Full Member in 1938. He would have been 18 when he joined, and in his thirties during World War II. The CWGC records are silent on his name. There is however a short obituary for A H Packe in the Club Newsletter of March 2002; he is reported to have died in January that year at the age of 95, and to have been a member for 77 years (this fits with his joining in 1925).

** A supplementary article is planned for March on Richard Wakeford, a winner of the Victoria Cross, who joined the Club just after the War ended. More information has come to light too about D G Kingsford who won the ‘immediate’ Military Cross in Normandy.**

Acknowledgments go to the following for their assistance with the articles: Anthony Jones (photographs); Robin Cameron Cooper and Peter Fraser (military advice); Chris Sprague (HRR 1930s records); Robert Clark of researchingww.com – D G Kingsford’s MC recommendation; and Rebecca Macfarlane (photo of O L R Hills’ grave, Epsom).

Julian Ebsworth
LRC Librarian & Archivist

A PROPOS OF NOTHING

Some of you may have noticed, when reading Part 3 of Julian Ebsworth's excellent series of articles about the Club's World War II fallen (December edition), that under the entry for Desmond Glover Kingsford there was reference to Field Marshall Montgomery becoming a member of LRC.

I had no idea that that was the case. Apparently, the Field Marshall was asked to start the Head of the River Race in 1952. Having done so, he was entertained to tea at the Club by Charles Rew.

It seems that he was so taken with rowing that later that year he became a member and subsequently, in the course of proposing the guests at the annual dinner, said that 'rowing appealed because it demanded leadership and discipline'.

Well, I never knew that.

Miles Preston
Editor 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.