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Avtar BhurjiThis week the Museum had a unique visit by Olympian Avtar Bhurji, a member of the Ugandan hockey team that took part in the 1972 Games in Munich which saw the terrorist attack on the Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village. The Ugandans were housed on a level just above the Israelis but only once caught a glimpse of a balaclava-clad terrorist on the higher balcony. They were unaware of the drama unfolding so close to them until the following morning.

It was Uganda’s first and only Olympics and, although they finished 15th of 16, they earned draws in their pool games with Argentina (0-0), West Germany (1-1) and Spain (2-2) before beating Mexico 4-1 for 15th place.

After being taken on a museum visit by the Curator, Mr Bhurji gave an Oral History interview with volunteer Evelyn Somerville which will be posted on the THM website in due course. Particularly welcome gifts to the Museum were a number of memorabilia items from the Games, including a booklet with images and signatures of Uganda’s athletes in a range of sports.

Avtar was born in Punjab in 1944 and lived in Uganda and Kenya, where he sat his GCEs, before continuing his schooling in England at Kingston College, then taking A Levels at Wolfram College, Wolverhampton. He returned briefly to Uganda where he played for Sikh Union club in Kampala (which supplied nine of the 18-man Olympic squad) and was selected for the Munich Olympics.

He returned to the UK soon after those Games, to live in Croydon and play for Blackheath and London Indians. It was back to Kenya in 1984 while his wife, son and daughter stayed in UK, but he came back to England three years later and has lived here ever since, apart from a brief return to Uganda to help a younger brother set up a construction business. He played social hockey with the Llamas before ending his playing career in 1991 and has been an active coach since then. He now lives in Worcester Park, Surrey.

Mike Haymonds, 29.1.2020

Reflecting on Collecting: Archives and Collections Progress in 2020

14 December 2020
Reflecting on Collecting: Archives and Collections Progress in 2020

For many, Lockdown was an opportunity to have a ‘clear out’ and The Hockey Museum (THM) has received a tremendous amount of new material as a result. Despite being closed for a significant part of the year, we received over 100 new collections. Among these: The collection of late National...

Christmas Calendar 'Match It' Game

04 December 2020
Christmas Calendar 'Match It' Game

As part of the Hidden Histories Illustrated project, in partnership with Sporting Heritage and Illustrator Jessica Hartshorn, The Hockey Museum is excited to be included in The Christmas Calendar 'Match It' game. We have 24 unusual objects from sporting museums across the UK and your task is to try and...

Grant Award: Feasibility Study For A Mobile Exhibition Facility

03 December 2020
Grant Award: Feasibility Study For A Mobile Exhibition Facility

The Hockey Museum (THM) is delighted to announce that it has been successful in securing a £15,000 grant from Arts Council England’s Lottery Fund. The award is for a study to assess the feasibility of a mobile exhibition facility so that the stories and objects from hockey’s rich history can...

Unique Coaching Tapes Come To THM

27 November 2020
Unique Coaching Tapes Come To THM

The Hockey Museum (THM) is pleased to announce that one of its latest acquisitions is a set of coaching tapes produced by well-known international hockey coach Gavin Featherstone. Gavin has gifted to the museum the master tapes from 14 videos that he produced from the mid 1980s through to the...

Lockdown 2.0 ... And What We Collected In Lockdown 1.0

11 November 2020
Lockdown 2.0 ... And What We Collected In Lockdown 1.0

As we arrive at Lockdown 2.0 in England and hockey's league season comes to an abrupt halt, we look back on a few of our favourite pieces of material collected during the first push and hopefully bring a bit of happiness and warmth in doing so. You can find out...

End Of An Era At Mercian House

15 October 2020
End Of An Era At Mercian House

  Mercian House in 1988, adorned with bunting and Union 'Jack' flag following the GB men winning the gold medal at the Seoul Olympic Games. Hundreds of passing motorists sounded their horns in appreciation.   The Curator and founder of The Hockey Museum (THM) Mike Smith was also the founder of...

Help Us Find The First GB Women

15 October 2020
Help Us Find The First GB Women

Back row: Jennie Braham (England); Joan Horne (Ireland); Maureen Short (E); Helen Weir (Scotland); Bridget Cannel (E); Thelma Hopkins (I); Valerie Sinclair (S).Sitting: Mary Hyland (Wales); Janice Mitchell (S); Joyce Hunter (S); Mrs Hopkins, Manager (I); Nan Thomas (W); Ellen Toulson (E); Helen O’Neil (I).Kneeling: Barbara Stacey (W); Janet Morgan...

The Story Of The First GB Women's Matches: Born In The USA

08 October 2020
The Story Of The First GB Women's Matches: Born In The USA

Following the centenary of the first Great Britain (GB) men’s international match (vs Denmark) on 1 September 1920 at the Antwerp Olympic Games comes the 55th anniversary of the GB women’s team’s first international appearance on 9 October 1965. This game occurred during a 63-day tour of the USA by...

National Sporting Heritage Day Treasure Hunt

28 September 2020
National Sporting Heritage Day Treasure Hunt

To celebrate this year's National Sporting Heritage Day, Sporting Heritage have created a family treasure hunt showcasing the amazing sporting heritage collections available around the UK, including that of The Hockey Museum. Click the map below to visit the Sporting Heritage website and begin your treasure hunt.  

A Golden Centenary: The Event

25 September 2020
A Golden Centenary: The Event

https://youtu.be/sR_WV0JNIsI The Hockey Museum in Woking has had a first sight of a 1920 Olympic gold medal. It was won by Harry Haslam OBE, the Great Britain (GB) hockey goalkeeper at the Antwerp Games, and is on loan to the Museum from the Haslam family, together with memorabilia, including an...

New Trustee Vacancy

23 September 2020

Are you tech savvy and understand the power of social media? Are you plugged into hockey’s diverse community? Do you have a marketing/fundraising background? The Hockey Museum (THM) needs you! THM’s Board of Trustees is currently looking to bring new skills onboard. THM is the world’s only museum dedicated to...

A Golden Centenary: The 1920 Olympic Gold Medal

03 September 2020
A Golden Centenary: The 1920 Olympic Gold Medal

The Hockey Museum has had its first sight of a 1920 Olympic gold medal. It was won by Harry Haslam, the Great Britain goalkeeper at the Antwerp Games, and has been loaned to the Museum, together with other memorabilia, by Haslam’s family. It will be displayed at a private presentation...

A Golden Centenary: Harry Haslam and Olympic Hockey Gold in 1920

18 August 2020
A Golden Centenary: Harry Haslam and Olympic Hockey Gold in 1920

https://youtu.be/YITAyKL9AR8 Saturday 5 September 2020 is the centenary of Great Britain’s gold medal win at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games and this anniversary is being marked by a very special event at The Hockey Museum in Woking on Centenary Day. Extensive research by a group of volunteers at The Hockey...

Playing Pasts And Other Research Projects

01 July 2020
Playing Pasts And Other Research Projects

One of our wonderful volunteers Mark Evans has recently had an article published as a chapter in Playing Pasts, the online magazine for sport and leisure history. “Women’s League Hockey and its Early Development” forms one of several chapters on the history of different sports, so anyone interested in sports...

Protective Equipment And Acts Of Charity, 100 Years Apart

22 June 2020
Protective Equipment And Acts Of Charity, 100 Years Apart

You’ll likely be aware that THM has been running a campaign to collect material that documents the impact of COVID-19 on hockey. More information and a fantastic, free time capsule activity pack for children can be found here. One particularly inspirational story that has reached us as a result of...

COVID-19 Statement

20 March 2020
COVID-19 Statement

Following recent government advice regarding COVID-19, The Hockey Museum will be closed from Monday 23 March until further notice. We are taking this decision to protect the health and welfare of our visitors, volunteers and staff. Museum staff will be working from home, our enquiries service will remain monitored and...

Leapling Into Local Clubs

02 March 2020

On Saturday 29 February, THM took advantage of the extra day of 2020 to leap into Old Cranleighan HC for the day. It builds on previous club visits to Aton HC and Guildford HC in 2019, which together form part of our work towards a Level-Up grant we received from...

The Pat Rowley Journalistic Archive: A Lifetime’s Work Brought To Life

10 February 2020
The Pat Rowley Journalistic Archive: A Lifetime’s Work Brought To Life

Sophia Patel (left) and Marcus Wardle (right) work their way through the Pat Rowley Journalistic Archive. A photograph of two people in front of filing cabinets with a scanner may not appear to be the most riveting of subjects, however they are working on one of the most valuable and...

A Ugandan First

29 January 2020
A Ugandan First

This week the Museum had a unique visit by Olympian Avtar Bhurji, a member of the Ugandan hockey team that took part in the 1972 Games in Munich which saw the terrorist attack on the Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village. The Ugandans were housed on a level just above...

USA Hockey Legend Passes On

07 January 2020
USA Hockey Legend Passes On

Betty (Shelly) Shellenberger, USA, 8 August 1921 - 30 December 2019. The Hockey Museum (THM), along with the sporting world, is mourning the passing of Betty Shellenberger, 98. Betty was a legend in American field hockey and lacrosse through much of the 1900s. Known to friends as ‘Shelly’, she first...

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