If you ever have cause to visit St John the Baptist Church in Burley, Hampshire, in the UK, be sure to look out for the hockey sticks! For among its many memorials is a stained-glass window dedicated to Constance Applebee, the British woman credited with popularising hockey among women in the United States of America.

The stained-glass window in the St John the Baptist Church in Burley dedicated to the memory of Constance Applebee.

Constance Mary Katherine Applebee was born in Essex in 1873. Discovering a love of exercise and sport, she went on to gain a diploma at the British College of Physical Culture in London. After teaching in Yorkshire, 'The Apple', as she became known, first demonstrated the game of hockey to students in the USA while attending a course at Harvard University in 1901. She then toured women’s colleges in the north-eastern United States to give coaching and instruction to the students. She was later hired as full-time athletic director at Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania.

In 1922, Constance helped co-found the United States Field Hockey Association (USFHA) and, shortly afterwards, established an annual three-week hockey coaching camp at Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, which ran for more than 70 years and attracted countless players of all ages. She continued to return to help coach at these camps until 1964 when she was 90. Constance’s influence in developing women's hockey in the United States spanned generations as her students in turn became influential teachers and coaches. She also helped establish lacrosse as a sport for women in the United States.

Left: Constance Applebee during a Mount Pocono camp. This photograph featured in a celebration of Constance Applebee as part of the USFHA Hall of Fame, which formerly hung at Ursinus College near Philadelphia (pictured). The Hall of Fame has since been removed to an unknown location. Images courtesy of Jane Claydon.

‘The Apple’ died in 1981, aged 107, and is buried at the church in Burley. Her many friends and admirers in the hockey world and beyond wanted to create a fitting and lasting memorial to her life and work – and so the idea for a stained-glass window was born.

Details of the window are recorded in a letter – in The Hockey Museum’s collection – from former US international hockey player, USFHA President and umpire, Betty ‘Shelly’ Shellenburger to All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA) official Marjorie Butcher.

The letter to AEWHA official Marjorie Butcher from USFHA President Betty Shellenburger suggesting amendments to the design for Constance Applebee's memorial window.

The windowpane’s central figure, Saint Catherine of Siena, the patron saint of philosophers and spinsters, is surrounded by small border blocks with images of apples, bees, and hockey and lacrosse sticks, as well as a Native American girl (symbolising the Mount Pocono camps), primroses, daffodils, and sheaves of wheat (presumably to sustain the bees).

Constance always wore a brown tunic, and Shelly indicated in her letter that she would ask the window’s designer – Ronald Page, of G Maile & Son Canterbury – to change the colour of Saint Catherine’s robes to reflect this.

This request was not acceded to, however, as the robes are blue – but the seals of Bryn Mawr College (three owls) and the College of William and Mary (the Wren Building), Virginia, with which Applebee also had a long association, were included in the final design, as Shelly asked.

More than enough money was donated for the window, so a bronze plaque was also fitted below it, stating that the window had been given by “Apple’s hockey friends from all over the world”. In addition, a book with all the names of the subscribers was placed in the church.

Sketch detailing the iconography of the Constance Applebee memorial window.

Detail of the Constance Applebee memorial window showing the dedication.

This is not the only stained-glass window in the church associated with Applebee. In 1936, ‘The Apple’ purchased one in memory of Mary Warren-Taylor, with whom she lived for more than 20 years on Bryn Mawr’s campus. As well as living together, the women would have worked closely with each other, as New York-born Mary was secretary of the college’s athletic department. Mary’s failing health led to the couple relocating to Burley in the UK in 1929, where she lived out her final years in the New Forest.

In addition to the window, Constance also purchased a pulpit and choir stalls in Taylor’s memory, at a total cost of £465 – an amazing tribute; the donation would be worth in the region of £25,000 in today’s money. When Constance died, she was buried alongside her long-time friend, Mary, whose grave she had helped to pay for 45 years earlier.

Left: The Constance Applebee window (left) alongside the Mary Warren Taylor window (right) above the pulpit and choir stalls commissioned by Constance. The Mary Warren Taylor window was likely the inspiration for the commissioning of a memorial window for Constance Applebee by her US friends. Right: the shared graves of Mary Warren Taylor and Constance Applebee in the cemetery of St John the Baptist Church.

Constance Applebee is still remembered by several of the Burley parish church congregation and the Church Warden, Pam Mason-Smith, kindly provided us with additional information and images.

So, if you are ever in Hampshire, be sure to pop into Burley parish church, where the life and legacy of a true hockey pioneer is literally and colourfully built into its fabric.

Royal Ascot Hockey Club's Royal Stewart tartan skirt, produced and sold by Len Smith's. From The Hockey Museum's collection.

Following on from mention of Len Smith’s Sportswear Ltd. in a recent article about the introduction of VAT in 1971, several volunteers at The Hockey Museum (THM) reflected lovingly on the era in the 1960s and ‘70s when players who wanted to look good on the school or club hockey pitch would head to – or place mail orders from – the Len Smith’s shop in the centre of Twickenham. Such memories are, of course, subjective with other kit suppliers eliciting similar rose-tinted reflections, though Len Smith’s seems to be remembered particularly fondly. It was particularly renowned for its hockey skirts because they stocked a wide variety of colours, styles and fabrics. The S5 style of ‘wrap-around pleated skirt with a flat panel at the front and a button fastening’ was a particular favourite.

Advert for a S5 skirt, from the reverse of the 1980 Wembley programme.

When we were researching our book The Magic of Wembley (published in 2018 - buy it here), one of our researchers went to visit the old Len Smith’s shop looking for Wembley memories. Len Smith’s was a regular match sponsor and provider of kit to an impressive list of visiting international teams. Sadly, we found that Len, who had set up and run the company since 1956, had retired in 2008. The retailer had joined with Stevenson’s, a school wear specialist, that now gave its name to all the shop signage. The shopfront was still instantly recognisable and inside it remained stocked with hockey and other sportswear. When we spoke to the current staff, they remembered the previous owner and the 60-year tradition of the Len Smith’s brand, but we were shocked to learn that they had only recently disposed of all the old stock – sadly, we were too late to save items for the museum.

The store front of Len's Smith's in Twickenham. From the small archive collection received from Len Smith in 2014.

Len Smith’s may have been based in Twickenham, but we understand their appeal was nationwide and even international. Do you have any stories of obtaining Len Smith’s kit from further afield? Let us know.

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Len’s Memories

We did manage to get in touch with Len, now living in retirement in Hampshire. He was still the larger-than-life character who was always there to greet you when you visited the Twickenham store. He had lots of stories from his time running the shop including working with many of the women’s national governing bodies and famous players from the men’s and women’s international hockey scene.

One of Len’s Wembley memories was from 1970, the year that the annual England women's international fixture had to move to The White City Stadium when the Wembley turf was waterlogged. England women were playing Australia and the last-minute change of venue made arrangements somewhat chaotic for teams, officials and spectators alike. Len recalled that he had to deliver a set of green socks to the Australian team for this match but, with the traffic around the stadium being gridlocked, he ended up running through the crowds with all the boxes only to find that the security guards wouldn’t let him in. Eventually a message got through to the Australian manager and she came out to have the boxes passed through the gates to her! The Australian team then went out and ‘played their socks off’ to come away with a creditable 1-1 draw.

Although Len admitted he had not kept much by way of memorabilia from his days running the shop, he did donate several interesting items to THM including catalogues, photographs and newspaper cuttings. One particularly fascinating item was the original artwork for the first All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA) cloth badge designed for the England tracksuit. When team tracksuits were first introduced in 1967, the players had asked for something different from the ‘three roses’ badge that went on the shirt and blazer. The England goalkeeper, Beryl Marsh, a talented artist, produced the artwork that Len then used to manufacture the badge. The artwork was submitted to Len on a Tuesday and he produced the badges in time for the international match that Saturday.

The England women's cloth badge created to emblazon the team tracksuits and the original artwork by Beryl Marsh dated 1 March 1967.

England women sport the team tracksuit and badge in Cardiff in 1972.

Where next for our clothing collection?

Since opening in 2011, THM has acquired a wide range of men’s and women’s original hockey kit and replica clothing. The collection spans from the late-19th century to the modern day. These would have been initially quarantined (to protect the rest of the collection from any bugs that may have snuck in amongst the fabric) and then carefully packed and preserved by Judith, our lead volunteer for textiles, who is very ably assisted by Shirley who makes our padded hangers.

Part of the clothing collection stored at The Hockey Museum's Woking home.

Looking through our textiles collection, clothing catalogues, adverts in various magazines, and the many team photos we hold at THM, it is fascinating to see how much the outfits have changed over 150 years of modern hockey, particularly for women. It is not only the changes in fashion that are marked, but also the development of fabrics and designs.

THM is working to acquire funding for a research project around the development of hockey clothing, so if you have any unusual items or an interest in this work please get in touch.

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August 2024 will mark the 80th anniversary of the sad death of a long-forgotten Welsh sportsman, the unique Maurice Turnbull, who was killed in action in France at the climax of World War 2.

Why unique?

Maurice has the distinction of having been a ‘quadruple international’ gaining honours for England at test cricket and for Wales at rugby union, squash and hockey. Maurice played in three hockey internationals in 1929, whilst studying at Trinity College Cambridge.

He scored the winning goal on his Wales debut in the 1-0 victory over Scotland, following in the footsteps of his father Philip Bernard Turnbull who, alongside his goalkeeper brother Bertrand (Maurice’s uncle), had represented Wales at hockey at the 1908 Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal.

1908 would be the one and only time that the home nations competed as separate nations at an Olympic Games. England won the hockey gold medal and Ireland the silver medal. The bronze medal was shared by Wales and Scotland – there was no third-place playoff match. The other competing nations were France and Germany, who lost to England and Scotland respectively in the hockey tournament’s first round.

The Welsh Hockey Association Selection Book , from The Hockey Museum's collection. The book, open to reveal the minutes of the Selection Committee meeting of 1929, records M Turnbull against the position of inside right. Interestingly, he is also recorded as first reserve for the position of centre forward. If the centre forward were to get injured then presumably the first reserve inside right, J G Bunell, would be called up with Turnbull switching to centre forward.

Andrew Hignell in his excellent biography, Turnbull: A Welsh Sporting Hero (first published in 2001) believes that “His hockey was doomed to disappointment as he was competing for selection against players focusing solely on hockey!” Who knows how many hockey matches Maurice may have played in if he had not pursued his other sporting passions to elite level?

So, it begs the question as we approach the 80th anniversary of Maurice’s death: was he Britain’s most complete all-round sportsman?

Is there anyone out there who can rival Maurice Turnbull’s incredible achievements on the international sporting stage?

The photograph below is of Maurice at Downside School in Somerset in 1922. Maurice is sitting second from the left with his cousin Lou to his right; this appears to be the ‘only’ photo of him as a hockey player, despite his achievements!

Downside School hockey team, Somerset, 1922.

Maurice Turnbull’s death

From the epilogue of Turnbull: A Welsh Sporting Hero by Andrew Hignell.

“Major Turnbull was one of over a hundred casualties sustained by the Welsh Guards as they fought in and around the village of Montchamp [in Normandy, north-western France]. Many of the fatalities were in the Panzer [tank]-led counterattack on the evening of 5 August 1944.

“His commanding officer John Vigar said of Maurice, 'We have lost a very great friend and a true leader of men right to the very end'.

“News of his death filtered through to the crowd at Cardiff Arms Park and the crowd spontaneously rose and stood in a minute's silence in tribute to a man whose life had been devoted to Welsh sport!”

Eustace E White.

The life of Eustace E White

Mr Eustace E White was the Editor of Hockey Field and Lacrosse magazine (aka Hockey Field). The magazine was shocked to learn his sudden death on 8 December 1922, due to a second heart attack whilst in Nottingham during a hockey lecturing tour of the Midlands.

Eustace was the son of the late Colonel Charles Mills White. He was born in India and educated at Hereford Cathedral School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, where he took a BA in Classics. From the age of 12 he wanted to become a schoolmaster and, after filling two or three posts, he founded and maintained, for six or seven years, a very successful preparatory boy's school of his own in the west of England. Dutton House School was noted for its excellent success at cricket and hockey.

With an interest in and love for writing and lured by the romance of journalism, Eustace resigned his school position and moved to London, where he became a sports correspondent and then sports editor of The Ladies' Field, a women’s multi-sports magazine. He upheld the position until the outbreak of World War 1. In that capacity, he wrote about all sports, mainly lawn tennis and golf, but it seemed as if his heart of hearts was always given to hockey. He made hockey – women's hockey in particular – the chief object of his enthusiasm, and whether as editor, coach, lecturer or umpire, he became renowned for giving his all to the game. His reputation and knowledge of hockey combined to have him take over from Miss Edith Thompson as the Editor of Hockey Field and Lacrosse (formerly Hockey Field magazine) for the 1920/1921 season.

His wife Nora Brittain White (nee Foster), or Mrs Eustace White as she was more commonly known, continued to edit Hockey Field and Lacrosse after his passing until 1939. Eustace resurrected the magazine after World War 1 and Nora would edit it subsequently until the outbreak of World War 2.

English Reds vs Blues

An invitational women’s hockey match, English Reds versus Blues, was held on Thursday 5 April 1923 at the Kew Hard Court Tennis Club in Richmond, at 3pm. The match coincided with the closing date for the Eustace E White Memorial Fund, which was set up following his death in December – all proceeds from the ticket sales would be donated to the fund to support Mr White's family.

The final score saw the Reds beat the Blues 5-4. Notably, England forward Marjorie Pollard scored a hattrick for the Reds. She would later take over the editorial responsibilities of Women’s Hockey Field magazine – a continuation of Hockey Field and Lacrosse just without the lacrosse – from Nora White after World War 2.

Although the match was organised with only 15 days’ notice, £30 5s. 6d. was raised for the memorial fund.

The following England international players and reserves kindly took part:

English Reds

M. Hollowell (Lancs, North, England)
M. J. Reed (Surrey, South, England Reserve)
K. Gordon (Surrey)
P. March (Surrey, South)
Mrs. Ryott (Oxfordshire)
B. Hewlett (Lancs, North, England Reserve)
Mabel Bryant (Lancs, North England)
M. Perkin (Kent, East, England Reserve)
Brenda Newell (1 goal) (Beds, Midlands, England Reserve)
Marjorie Pollard (3 goals) (N'hants, Midlands, England)
Evelyn Willcock (1 goal) (Staff, Midlands, England), Captain

English Blues

Alieen Maltby (Sussex, South, England)
Muriel Knott (Kent, East, England)
Kathleen Doman, Captain (Kent, East, England)
L. Poland (Kent, East, England Reserve)
Phyllis Scarlett (Staff, Midlands, England)
Stevens (Kent, East)
P. Boswell (Beds, Midlands, England Reserve)
B. Taylor (Surrey, South, England Reserve)
Mrs. Stedman (1 goal) (Kent, East, England Reserve)
Mrs. Crombie (3 goals) (Surrey, South)
Dr Kathleen McArthur (Middlesex, South, England)

Umpires
Miss Mainland & Miss Clay

Our Hockey Field magazine holdings

The Hockey Museum holds several complete sets of what we collectively call Hockey Field magazine, the influential women’s hockey magazine that ran throughout the twentieth century in various guises from 1901 to 1991. These magazines are an invaluable research resource and a fascinating chronicle of women’s hockey in England, from grassroots to international level. Officially the organ of the All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA), its issues straddle the geo-political events of twentieth-century Europe and feature articles and ‘letters to the Editor’ covering hockey playing, coaching, umpiring and governance as they evolved across nine decades.

In its various guises, Hockey Field magazine’s more-or-less-continuous publication timeline is:

• The Hockey Field 1901-1916
• [World War 1]
• Hockey Field and Lacrosse 1921-1939
• [World War 2]
• Women’s Hockey Field 1946-1955
• Hockey Field 1955-1991

THM also holds the comprehensive archives of two past editors of Hockey Field, Marjorie Pollard and Pat Ward.

Len Smith’s was a renowned shop in Twickenham, Greater London, which sold women’s sporting attire to hockey clubs. It is perhaps most famous for its skirts (pictured), even fitting out the England national team.

The introduction of Value-added tax (VAT) into the UK on 1 April 1973, with a VAT rate of 10%, had special significance for treasurers of sports clubs, who had to grapple with how the uncertainties and complexities of a new system might impact on their club. A new language was created, including terms such as taxable, exempt and zero-rated supplies, thresholds, inputs and outputs. A decision needed to be made whether each club needed to register for VAT, and if it did, how it would deal with the administrative burden of keeping the necessary accounting records and filing quarterly VAT returns.

The basic rule was that if a club’s annual taxable supplies exceeded the VAT threshold (initially £5,000) then it had to register for VAT. Two key sources of income for most clubs, members subs and bar receipts, were taxable supplies but donations were not. If a club did register for VAT, charging its members VAT on their subs and at the bar, it could offset its VAT payment by deducting VAT incurred on many, but not all, its purchases – a new set of rules for what could be deducted had to be learned.

Some hockey clubs were able to split their activities into two different clubs, such that neither club reached the threshold: typically, a club which focused on playing hockey in which the main income was members’ subs, and a social club in which its members enjoyed the bar and social events. This increased the administrative burden as the two clubs had to be seen to be run separately, with their own constitutions, committees, bank accounts and paid memberships.

There were many changes to the VAT rate and to the threshold. It was a great relief to hockey club treasurers when, on 1 April 1994, when VAT was 17.5% and the threshold £45,000, the rules were amended to exempt supplies of sporting services made by non-profit organisations engaged in sport or physical education. In particular, this meant that members’ subs and hiring sports equipment and facilities to members were no longer considered to be taxable supplies.

Biddy Burgum's scrapbook which chronicles England women vs Belgium at Empire Stadium, Wembley in 1953.

March 2023 is the 70th anniversary of England women’s thumping 11-0 victory over Belgium at Wembley Stadium – a match played in front of an impressive 50,000-strong crowd of mainly schoolgirls.

The beautifully illustrated programme from the England vs Belgium match of 1953.

March is also Women’s History Month and The Hockey Museum (THM) has taken this opportunity to celebrate the career of one of the players who featured in the 1953 match: indeed, the eldest surviving England women’s international hockey player, Biddy Burgum.

The report of the 1953 match against Belgium reveals Biddy to have been a pacey, dynamic winger: “It was a joy to see Burgum, marked by her half, gather a pass on her stick, pull the ball back as if her stick was either a spoon or a magnet and then set off at full speed on the right of her opponent.”

Biddy, aged 95, is currently living in a care home in Hailsham, East Sussex where she enjoys looking out at the garden and watching the birds from her room. She recently donated her personal collection of hockey memorabilia and archive material to THM and had great fun reminiscing before releasing it into our safekeeping. She misses her hockey friends.

Biddy Burgum, aged 95, reminiscing over her hockey kit before releasing it into the safekeeping of The Hockey Museum. Photograph courtesy of Ruth Hine.

Biddy’s career in hockey: international player and respected teacher and coach

Biddy, who played her hockey on the right wing, earned 51 England caps during her career. Her first cap was on 4 March 1950 against Scotland at The Oval cricket ground in London (6-2 win); her last match was on 2 September 1961, a 1-1 draw against South Africa. A talented multi-sportswoman, Biddy was not intimidated by the prospect of making her England hockey debut at The Oval – she had played there several times previously representing Surrey Ladies at cricket!

Biddy’s childhood crossed over with World War 2 and the Birmingham Blitz. She became a teenage evacuee for a short period, though she spent most of the war at school in Birmingham.

For more information on Biddy’s wartime experiences: Burgum Family History Society

As a teenager, Biddy’s school physical education (PE) teacher Rena Lewis had offered her the chance to join a local hockey club in Birmingham and she played for them for three years until 1945. After the war, Biddy continued to hone her hockey skills at Bedford PE College. After completing her studies, she taught at Sutton High School and played county hockey for Surrey before teaching at Nottingham High School and playing for Nottinghamshire. Having received help to get into a Birmingham hockey club when she was a child, throughout her teaching career Biddy sought to help aspiring students get into local hockey clubs. She also had a regular coaching column for schoolgirls in Women’s Hockey Field magazine.

Complementary to her teaching and playing, Biddy would go on to become a respected All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA) advanced coach and in 1969 began lecturing prospective PE teachers at Chelsea College of Physical Education (Chelsea CPE) in Eastbourne. Under her instruction, the Chelsea CPE First XI won many PE colleges tournaments and the inaugural AEWHA Club Championships in 1977. That qualified the team to play in the European Clubs Championships the following year. Many Chelsea players went on to earn representative honours for England and Wales Under 21s and Under 23s, as well as full England and/or Great Britain caps. Among them were Barbara Hambly, Ruth Hine, Sandie Lister, Sue Wilson, Helen Bray, Jane Powell, Steph Garner, Karen Price, Sue Thomas and Janet Millar who were all from the same Chelsea era.

Chelsea College of Physical Education First XI, 1976/1977. Back row (from left to right): Sandie Marrison, Barbara Holden, Jan Grainger, Ruth Hawes, Biddy Burgum, Jane Powell, Sue Rowarth, Helen Stother. Front row: Linda Kelly, Jean Walker, Julie Abson, Gill Scamell, Sue Powell. Photograph courtesy of Ruth Hine.

Biddy was able to combine her teaching with a 12-year international hockey career that saw her play at Wembley Stadium and travel to distant parts of the world.

In 1950 she was offered the chance to tour to South Africa for the International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations (IFWHA) World Conference and Tournament. Even though Biddy had played in all the England women’s matches that year she did not go; she was not selected in time to get the money together. She did eventually tour South Africa with England, first in 1954 and again in 1961. During the 1954 tour, England competed against the South African women’s hockey team in five test matches, as well as playing regional clubs. England visited Cape Town, Johannesburg and crossed into Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe).

Between her trips to South Africa, Biddy was crowned an unofficial World Champion with England at the IFWHA Conference and Tournament in Amsterdam in 1959. England defeated USA (4-1), West Germany (3-0), Switzerland (8-0), Argentina (2-0) and South Africa (4-0) at the Conference.

The England women's hockey team of 1959. Biddy Burgum is seated one in from the left.

Thanks to Biddy’s generosity, THM now holds her scrapbooks in perpetuity – a treasure trove of documents and memorabilia which chronicle a fascinating and fulfilling career in hockey.

England internationals Joan Wall, Elaine Turner, Brenda Coleshill, Biddy Burgum and Joan Hassell at the England internationals reunion event in 2018. Former captain Brenda Coleshill remembers Biddy as a classic right wing – speedy, hugging that touchline, and getting in fabulous hard crosses that so often led to goals: “I had the privilege of playing in the same team as Biddy on many occasions – she was a great teammate and we had memorable times on the tour to South Africa in 1961”. Brenda and Biddy have remained good friends and in later life went on numerous holiday cruises to places like Norway and Iceland. Photograph courtesy of England Hockey.

Her hockey life in her own words

In 2014, The Hockey Museum interviewed Biddy as part of its oral history project, which aims to capture the lived experience and memories of notable members of the hockey family. You can listen to Biddy recount her life in hockey in her own words by following the link: Oral History Interview: Biddy Burgum (hockeymuseum.net)

This article is inspired by the research of the writer and journalist Pier Angelo Rossi, whose work was shared with The Hockey Museum by our Italian friends at HockeyLove.it, Riccardo Giorgini and Luciano Pinna. 

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the region of Liguria in north-western Italy witnessed an influx of British holidaymakers to its Mediterranean coast; an area that is known today as the Italian Riviera. In particular, the small city of Bordighera experienced an incredible tourist ‘colonisation’ during the winter months where as many as 3,000 wealthy Brits could be found outnumbering the local population of 2,000 inhabitants! Much of this tourism boom has been historically attributed to the publication of a book that enjoyed widespread popularity at the time: Doctor Antonio by John Ruffini (1855).

The Brits were not alone in appreciating the delights of Liguria’s Mediterranean coastline. It also attracted artists and a legacy of en plein air (outside) paintings by the Impressionist heavyweights Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne and Pierre-Auguste Renoir. These survive to capture the brilliant light and allure of the region.

So, what of hockey?

It is from this period that the earliest known reference to hockey in Italy originates. As the British tourists ‘colonised’ the towns of Liguria, they brought their recreational pastimes with them.

Italy’s first hockey club was established in Bordighera by the British in late 1901. The Bordighera Hockey Club for men and ladies (i.e. mixed hockey) had a founding Committee made up of Miss Barclay, Miss Evans, Mr H H Evans, Mr H H Stack and Miss Woodhouse. Their ground, formally approved by the local council, was on the Cape of High Bordighera – the same area of the town captured by Monet in his 1884 painting which shows the cittá alta Bordighera (high city Bordighera) with the belltower of the church of Sant'Ampelio on the Cape visible through the trees.

Bordighera, by Claude Monet 1884. From the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Artwork is in the public domain.

Bordighera HC began playing on the clearing of the Cape twice a week. Whilst they hoped to attract Italians to join the club this didn’t really ever materialise. The locals didn’t take part in the new-born activity, considering it with curiosity and an ill-concealed cynicism at men and women playing together. The players were British as were most of the spectators, though Pier Angelo Rossi (in his article for the Journal de Bordighera) records how “other strangers and some locals enjoyed it [hockey] very much, especially when some strikes, instead of hitting the ball, reached some player’s shins.”

Bordighera, c.1900 with the belltower of the church of Sant'Ampelio, as visible in Claude Monet’s painting of 1884. Images above and below courtesy of Pier Angelo Rossi.

Bordighera HC, c.1901. The palm trees and the architectural arches of the buildings adjacent to the Cape clearing where the hockey match takes place are the same as in the above image.

Bordighera HC in action, c.1901.

Bordighera HC’s first match was an inter-club mixed hockey game on an unspecified date in 1901. Rossi’s research reveals that the match was such a success that the two team’s players, swollen with pride, showed the desire to play a game against the English Club of Sanremo, just along the coast. The municipality of Bordighera was informed and the challenge between the two clubs was scheduled for February 1902.

The clubs would meet four times the following year with Bordighera never bettering Sanremo: 15 February 1902 (1-5); 22 February (1-3) and 9 April (0-5) and 17 April (1-1).

Little is known about the first match. Of the second, the Journal de Bordighera is rich with information. The players for the Bordighera team were Mr Routh, Miss Lester, Miss Howard, Miss Rogers, Mr and Miss H H Evans, Miss Barclay and Mr H H Stack, Miss McConnell and Mr Woodhouse and Miss Hopton. After fifteen minutes a goal was scored by Mr Routh and the Bordighera HC supporters began to believe that they could win the match, but before the end of the first half the opponents drew level with a strong strike. In the second half, Sanremo scored two more goals to win. The Journal sportingly recognises, “In general, we can say that the Bordighera team were unlucky as two shots missed the net, but, on the other hand, it must be admitted that together the ability of the Sanremo team was justifiably rewarded by victory”.

The fourth match, played at Sanremo, is also worthy of report on account of its adverse (and horribly out-of-season) weather conditions – the British did not holiday abroad only to be met by their own foul weather!

“Not ten minutes in the teams ran in and out the quagmires, hitting seaweed mixed with mud and water into each other faces, their shoes sinking into wet sand quite oblivious of the rain that came down harder than ever … After half time the ground seemed to have get softer and the ball was more frequently lost in the morass having to be dug out by two excited figure who used their stick as a spoon and spattered each other’s faces as they clawed wildly at the annoying lumps of mud in which the ball had stuck … The 1-1 result was most creditable and the two teams heartily cheered each other before separating. Some thoughtful person pointed out a stream of water descending from a nearby roof and the combatants washed their hands and faces and hid the rest of themselves in rugs.”

Evidently, a lot of fun was had when hockey first came to Italy.

At this point the question is: which club was born first, Sanremo or Bordighera? It is tempting to consider Sanremo HC’s supremacy on the pitch as evidence of their being earlier established – but that may only mean that their players had superior technical skills. There is no earlier trace of an established hockey club in Sanremo among the newspapers of that time; hockey in Sanremo remains a mystery. In all probability, the English were playing just for fun and leisure for as long as it was possible, then everything unfortunately faded away.

We may never know which club came first. What is certain is that the first hockey match in Italy was played in the far west of Liguria near the border with France and that the birth of club hockey is attributed to both clubs, Bordighera and Sanremo.

Shane Smith,
Curator, The Hockey Museum

The International Hockey Rules Board minute book. The book is held in the collection of The Hockey Museum on loan from the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

In March 1973 at its third meeting held in London, the International Hockey Rules Board approved a new rule introducing up to two substitutes for all levels of hockey.

The two substitutes rule of 1973 was introduced following extensive trials under the direction of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). These trials showed conclusively that substitutes, in events such as the World Cup and Olympic Games, were being introduced for tactical reasons rather than for injured players. The rule change meant that substitutes could now be used globally in club hockey.

Prior to the introduction of substitutes, if someone got injured during a hockey match then their team carried on with only 10 players!

The rule change 50 years ago paved the way for the ‘rolling subs’ of today. The rule allowing five rolling substitutes (allowing for a matchday squad of 16 players) was introduced in 1992.

Read hockey journalist Pat Rowley's article on the introduction of substitutes in World Hockey magazine (April-June issue, 1973) by clicking the PDF icon to the right.

“Men have helped us in the past … until we are able to stand on our own legs, and we now look to them to encourage women to umpire. There is no doubt … that women will not trouble to learn to umpire as long as there is a man who will do it for them.”

Hockey Field and Lacrosse magazine, 1923.

On 9 February 1923, the All England Women's Hockey Association (AEWHA) held its first 'open meeting' on umpiring. 13 Counties were present as well as representatives from the USA!

The meeting afforded an opportunity to critique the activity of the newly formed (in 1921) AEWHA Sub-committee for Umpiring. Two of the women who spoke at the meeting, Frances Heron Maxwell (then AEWHA President) and Vera Cox (AEWHA Secretary), were feminist hockey and cricket pioneers determined to inspire women to take up umpiring!

Discussions took place between male and female attendees about offside, on the training of umpires and the differences between women's and men's hockey rules. Specific points were brought to life with demonstrations and photography.

One notable result of the meeting was the creation of the first national Umpires’ Register (distinct from the Register for men) and the arranging of formal umpire training for women. Men were not to be barred from umpiring women’s hockey by the creation of the Register, but it was felt that women should be empowered to learn to umpire for themselves, not least because, in those days, some of the rules for the men's and the women’s games were different.

Hockey pioneers Vera Cox (centre) and Frances Heron Maxwell (known as Max; right). Originally a black-and-white photograph, this image was colourised for a talk at The Hockey Museum in 2022. Below: the AEWHA Presidents' honours board featuring Mrs Heron Maxwell. FromThe Hockey Museum collection.

Instructional films for umpires

The AEWHA were early innovators in the use of film as an instructional tool. This was a progressive evolution of their use of still photography to bring to life match-play situations, as used in the 'open meeting' on umpiring in 1923. The digitised cine-film shown below is from The Hockey Museum’s collection. It offers advice for female umpires and was created in the early 1930s.

“Kingston School maintained their unbroken record on their own ground by defeating Staines. During the first half, Staines pressed continually and scored three goals. The School forwards, on the other hand, did not seem able to play together, and only succeeded in getting one goal (Shoveller). At half time the score was 3-1 in favour of Staines and on re-starting, Staines quickly scored again. Now, however, the School forwards began to get together and played up hard to the end of the match, making the second half six goals to Staines’s two. Thus, the School won a most enjoyable game by 7-5. Goals for School by Logan (5), Shoveller (2). Goals for Staines by H Green (2), A Playford (2), Eric Green.”

Kingston Grammar School
Goal, E Parr; backs, J Bessell, T Walker; half-backs, H Doherty, J W Philipson, P Parr; forwards, N Nightingale, H Kershaw, G Logan, S H Shoveller, E King.

Staines Hockey Club
Goal, M J Allen; backs, H S Freeman, L Green; half-backs, Erle Green, H Blount, F Hunt; forwards, M Griffin, A Playford, H Greene, N Reid, Eric Green.

From The Times newspaper, 1898.

Reflecting on the match 125 years later

On 12 February 1898, a hockey match took place in Kingston, then in the County of Surrey now the London Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames. The match is notable for several reasons, not the least of which is for a school team to be playing a club side.

Bear in mind that this was barely two decades after hockey had started up as an organised sport and only two years after England had played its first international match. To think that a school team could take on and beat a club side speaks volumes for the stature of hockey at Kingston Grammar School (KGS), a situation that continued for most of the twentieth century.

In those far off days, a century and a quarter ago, Staines were one of the nation’s strongest hockey clubs. In the early 1900s they famously went several seasons without defeat. So, KGS were playing one of the best opponents around. The reason that they beat Staines can probably be found in their team list. Kingston may have only been schoolboys but their team contained two players in Gerald Logan and Stanley Shoveller (16 years old in February 1898) who went on to win gold medals at the London Olympic Games of 1908. They would go on to play for Hampstead Hockey Club who were one of Staines’s strongest opponents during the pre-WW1 era.

It is unlikely that The Times correspondent, or indeed anyone else at the match that day, would have thought that four of those playing would become Olympic gold medallists a decade on. In addition to Logan and Shoveller, the Staines team contained international players, two of whom (Eric Green and Harry Scott Freeman) also went on to Olympic success.

Left: Staines HC's England international Harry Scott Freeman. Right: Kingston Grammar School's England international Stanley Shoveller. Photograph and artwork from The Hockey Museum collection.