THM Curator, Mike Smith presents cine films featuring Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation to the Bampton Archive.
In the decades either side of WW2, one of the biggest names in hockey was undoubtedly Marjorie Pollard. She played cricket for England as well.
Marjorie was a player, coach, journalist, publisher and film maker. It is difficult to know which was her greatest passion but she edited and wrote most of the magazine Hockey Field – it was a weekly publication in those days. At the same time, right back in the 1930s, she was making films. Many of them were for coaching and they were loaned out to clubs and schools by the governing body of women’s hockey, the AEWHA. Marjorie also filmed international matches including the famous 1938 match versus Wales at the Oval. It is famous because she filmed alongside the BBC television cameras who were broadcasting live the first ever international team sports match. The BBC were covering it in black and white of course but Marjorie was filming in colour! We know this because we have a copy of the film in the museum’s collection.
This leads to the reason behind this short article. Shortly before her death Marjorie left her hockey collection to The Hockey Museum. This included dozens of reels of film with some of the cans still bearing postage stamps from where they had been sent off to clubs and schools. We realised that these films were potentially fragile so it wasn't until this last year, when THM was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to digitise the films, that we have been able to view them.
This is where this story really comes to life! Amongst the reels were two marked “Coronation 1953”. When the films were digitised we found that they were of the Coronation preparations and celebrations in the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire where Marjorie lived. Nothing to do with hockey but probably of great interest to the good people of Bampton. The village is quite famous as it is in one of the scenes for Downton Abbey and they have a small museum and archive. When we contacted them they could not believe the story. We told them that as the films had nothing to do with hockey they really belonged to Bampton, Marjorie's beloved home.
On 10 November, our Curator Mike Smith journeyed to Bampton for the premiere of the Bampton Coronation. No 'sneak previews' were allowed but the event was well publicised and the village hall was packed. Mike gave a short talk on how important a person Marjorie was and the films were shown. There were lots of 'oohs and aahs' as people recognised themselves, their family and friends. The evening culminated with Mike presenting the original cine films and the digitised video files to the Bampton archive.
A large part of the rationale of Heritage Lottery funding is to share the outcome of the projects they fund, increasing public access to the material produced. After all, the grant money they distribute is generated through the public’s purchasing of lottery tickets. At THM we have some wonderful, vintage hockey films that, now digitised, will be used for generations to come. However, in the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire where Marjorie lived, they have part of their heritage returned to them.
Mike Smith, 22 December 2017
Former FIH President Leandro Negre at the Board meeting with the THM Trustees and Museum Mentor, Liz May.
Standing: Liz May, Philip Kimberley, David Balbirnie, David Wareham, Mike Barford, Dil Bahra, Lucy Newcombe, Imogen Gibbon.
Seated: Katie Dodd, Leandro Negre, Mike Smith.
We were delighted that the former FIH President and current Chair of the FIH Foundation, Leandro Negre, took time out from his busy schedule to join us at the December THM Board meeting. It was an opportunity for Leandro to hear first-hand the current activity supporting the development of our new premises at 13 High Street and our exciting long-term plans to move to our own purpose-built Museum accommodation.
THM continues to look for ways to develop the partnership it has with the FIH Foundation and the meeting discussed how we can work together to promote the international hockey heritage agenda. We also had some very positive discussions around the setting up of an International Hockey Heritage Network over the coming year that will support the wider initiative to celebrate the FIH Centenary in 2024.
Katie Dodd, 21 December 2017
These are exciting and challenging times for THM. The Trustees recognised the need to take on additional museum and business skills at the strategic level to ensure we deliver on our ambitious plans to develop hockey’s heritage and bring it to a wider audience. We are therefore delighted to announce that following a competitive recruitment process, Imogen Gibbon (Chief Curator and Deputy Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery), Philip Kimberley (former Chair of England Hockey) and Lucy Newcombe (former England Hockey International and recently retired Wing Commander with the RAF) have now joined the Board of Trustees.
Imogen Gibbon (left) graduated from the University of St Andrews with an MA (Hons) in Art History, subsequently gained an MSc in Archive Administration from Aberystwyth University. From 1997 until 2002 she was Curator of Historic Photographs and Ship Plans at the National Maritime Museum Greenwich before moving on to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in 2002 to became Senior Curator of the Reference Section. In 2013, she took up her current role of Chief Curator and Deputy Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery where she has been responsible for initiating and delivering many successful exhibitions. Imogen says she is thrilled to have been appointed as one of the new Trustees for The Hockey Museum. She added “the development of THM Collection – both the objects and archives – is pivotal to achieving the objective of placing the Museum at the centre of the heritage of hockey in the UK and internationally. I look forward to bringing my twenty-plus years of professional museum and gallery experience to assisting with the development and exhibition of the Collection which by 2020 will be the world’s leading hockey museum and archive”. She is also very much looking forward to her first ‘back to hockey’ session as part of her role as a THM Trustee.
Philip Kimberley (left) comes to THM with a wealth of experience following a successful business career including twenty years’ senior international leadership (Chair/CE) experience in a ‘blue chip’ multinational company. Chairman of England Hockey from 2002 to 2015, where he led a complete rebuild of the organisation to a position where it is now recognised as one of the best run governing bodies in British sport. Under his stewardship, the organisation set on the road to its highest ever participation figures and was awarded the right to host numerous major events including the 2018 Women’s World Cup. He has also served on other boards, notably UK Sport, Sports Coach UK as well as UK Sport's anti-doping project board. He has been recognised for his considerable contributions to sport being awarded the Community Sport and Recreation Emeritus Award in 2015 and an OBE in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Philip is also a member and Trustee of Gerrards Cross Hockey Club.
After completing an Aerosystems Engineering degree at Salford University, Lucy Newcombe (left) joined the RAF and was commissioned as a junior officer. Rapid promotion provided multiple opportunities in a variety of roles over 17 years. She has been involved with and led and managed teams in many environments including 4 operational tours in the war zones of Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. She also completed an intensive 11-month Masters Course covering strategic management, leadership, international politics and affairs and campaign planning. She also found time to get involved in RAF and Combined Services hockey over a 10-year period, holding posts of Vice Chair, Secretary and Head Coach. Since leaving the RAF, Lucy spent 18 months walking solo around the coast of Great Britain. Lucy is also a former International hockey player playing for England in the mid 1990s. She is now a qualified Level 2 hockey coach and ski instructor but is also actively involved in a variety of other sports including running, swimming, cycling and walking.
Mike Barford, the long-time Treasurer of THM has also joined the Board as a Trustee. Imogen, Philip, Lucy and Mike will join the existing Trustees Dil Bahra, David Balbirnie (FIH nominated), Katie Dodd (Chair and EH appointed) Mike Smith (Curator), David Wareham, and Ian Wilson (EH appointed). Patrick Rowley, one of the original founder Trustees, has now stepped down from his role. THM would like to thank him for efforts in the setting up of the Museum and his service in the following years.
Katie Dodd
Chair of THM Board of Trustees
October 2017
One year on from the women's hockey final of the Rio de Janiero 2016 Olympic Games, Great Britain gold medallist Helen Richardson-Walsh has continued her support of The Hockey Museum by donating her astro shoes from the Games (right).
Helen's donation will help to keep the memory of GB's success alive for future generations.
THM already holds a wealth of paraphenalia from Helen and her wife Kate including playing kit and Opening Ceremony 'walking out' uniform from London 2012 and their previous other international tournaments. Helen's Rio astro shoes are a welcome addition to this collection. Perhaps we'll get our hands on her medal at some point too. Here's hoping.
Were you involved in Great Britain's hockey journey (men or women) in Rio or at any other Olympic Games? Be it as a player, a member of the support staff or a travelling supporter, we'd love to hear from you if you'd like to follow in Helen's footsteps and donate to the museum.
 |
 |
Left: Great Britain Women line up before the Rio 2016 Olympic final; image copyright Frank Uijlenbroek.
Right: Helen Richardson-Walsh, astro shoes prominent, in action during the Rio 2016 Olympic final; image copyright Koen Suyk.
Photograph courtesy of Steve McCarthy
As well as the excellent hockey on display at the Hockey World League series in London last week, there was also a small display, put together by the Hockey Writers' Club, celebrating the work of the late hockey journalists and photographers Peter Savage, Bill Colwill and Ravi Ghowry. The 'Remembrance Corner' was situated in the press area at Lee Valley and examples of their photography were displayed around the room. THM's Lynne Morgan and Shane Smith snuck in to have a look and pay their respects.
THM's oral history collection is dedicated to (and features) Peter Savage. Check it out here.
A few Wednesdays ago, twelve of the England Women’s Masters Over 55s rode in to The Hockey Museum (THM). Led by Ruth Hine, the ‘Red Riders’ regularly saddle up for the day as part of their team building and training. Having chosen somewhere to visit, they meet up at a suitable location and cycle the rest of the way. This particular Wednesday it was the turn of The Hockey Museum to play host.
The twelve team members, each in their pillar box red tops and navy-blue England Hockey Masters shorts arrived mid-morning and stayed for a few hours to view the museum and to swap hockey stories with our staff and volunteers. One such story, recalled by Hine, occurred during the Masters Over 55 World Cup in Easter 2016 when the umpire pointed out white astros were not permitted – cue white astroturf shoes being coloured in with permanent markers. Sara Walker also recalled her memories of playing for Ealing Hockey Club.
Not only did Ruth bring her team with her, she also brought some objects to donate to the Museum including a 2016 FIH Masters World Cup Women’s Over 55s winners medal which THM is honoured to have received.
At the end of the visit the ladies also treated us to a musical rendition of the Lady Masters Anthem!
England Over 55s Anthem- We Remember- My Favourite Things
Lyrics by Ruth Hine
We all remember the long headed sticks,
Penalty bullies not penalty flicks,
Roll in from the sideline and being off side,
Always five forwards with wings that stayed wide.
Remember the goalies with white cricket pads;
We wore canvas boots carried long, buckle bags,
On bouncy grass pitches we dodged the dog dirt!
Without any shin pads the leather ball hurt.
Remember the days when we cancelled for rain,
Painting the balls white was- Oh such a pain,
Playing on redgra and grazing your knee,
Bringing mum’s cake for a sociable tea.
Now our bodies weak and our bones creak
Our friends think we’re mad!
We have to remember the good hockey days,
And then we don’t feel so bad!
Now we bring ‘tenas’ but it’s not our match fee,
It’s harder to move with replaced hips and knees,
We can’t run like we used to but can use our brain
It’s just hard to remember the time of the game.
Our kids are grown up, we play hockey the same,
We sweat more at night than during the game,
We come off the pitch – can’t remember the score,
We think we enjoyed it so come back for more.
Now our bodies weak and our bones creak
Our friends think we’re mad!
We have to remember the good hockey days,
And then we don’t feel so bad!
All of us at THM would like to thank the Women’s England Over 55s Masters and we hope that they come and see us again soon.
Holly Parsons, June 2017
THM's Curatorial Assistant Holly Parsons.
Holly Parsons completes the Museum’s curatorial team. She joined as Curatorial Assistant in February.
Since leaving the University of Portsmouth in 2011 she has been volunteering at museums in London and the South, including the Old Police Cells under Brighton Town Hall, Marlipins Museum in Shoreham-by-Sea, the Brighton Toy and Model Museum, the World Rugby Museum in Twickenham Stadium and at Culture24.
For the past two years she has worked in Visitor Services at the Royal Pavilion and Museums in Brighton where she has worked in the Youth Group, in the booking office, represented the organisation at the Museums Association Conference and planned a conference on the Workforce Development programme.
In the rare time when she is not working or visiting museums she enjoys swimming, reading or completing craft projects.
Christabel Russell Vick comes from a committed hockey family.
She is a Vice President of Sevenoaks HC following in the footsteps of both her parents. She has played for the club for over 25 years and scored 300 plus goals, as well as a spell as a junior coach.
Her mother Mary was President of the All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA) and Chairman of Great Britain Women’s Hockey.
Christabel admits tennis was her stronger sport at which she played for and captained Kent until a back injury put paid to further active sport.
Using her statistical and IT skills she worked for Transport Studies Group at UCL, Henley Centre for Forecasting, NOP Market Research, Association of Commonwealth Universities and latterly as a Workforce Information Analyst in the NHS for 17 years.
Her activity with the Museum will involve collections documentation as well as editing the ‘Wembley Story’ using the detailed research done by Nan Williams and adding valuable information from her mother’s archives.
John Hurst has had a distinguished hockey career, on and off the pitch.
A goalkeeper, he represented England, indoors and out, and Great Britain between 1977 and 1988 and captained England on several occasions between 1979 and 1981.
He was in the GB squad leading up to the Seoul Olympics and ended his career as non-travelling reserve for the gold medallists, before taking up a position of consultant goalkeeping coach which he held until 2017.
In this time John has been a member of the management teams for GB and England squads, men and women, at six Olympics and five Commonwealth Games as well as World and European Cups and Champions Trophies as goalkeeper coach and videographer.
He regards England men’s gold medal at the 2009 European Cup, GB men’s and women’s achievements at London 2012 and the women’s Olympic triumph in Rio as the highlights of his coaching career.
John is now gradually retiring from coaching activity and, in his role as THM volunteer, he will concentrate on the history and development of protective equipment in hockey.
Philippa Hurst is an Honorary Life Member of St Albans HC and, with husband John, recently retired from the Hockey Centre which they co-owned for many years. She joined Abbeyside Ladies, which later became St Albans Ladies Section, in 1975.
Starting colts’ hockey with the club around 1990, she eventually took them to the national semi-finals of the U15 girls club competition. She then became involved with East hockey, launching the U14s and then the U13s. The highlight of the year was the three or four day annual residential East camps at which she was either Manager or Welfare Officer. She later became manager for the U15s for three years, retiring from the role in 2012.
Philippa was a member of the East group involved in the development of England Hockey’s Single System.
Philippa began her career in teaching, having graduated from Birmingham University with a History degree. She and John met in their first teaching roles at Durrants School, Croxley Green. They have two daughters, Stephanie, who plays at St Albans, and Jen, whose daughters Emily and Chloe also play for the club.
She is a prominent member of the local historical society and co-wrote a book, published in 2016, entitled St Albans: Life on the Home Front 1914-1918.
Her activity for The Hockey Museum will be researching Hockey’s Military Stories.
The Hockey Museum is deeply saddened to learn that former GB and Wales Manager Roger Self has passed away after a long illness. Read his full obituary, penned by Bernie Cotton, on THM site here.
Funeral Arrangements
Roger's family are holding a private cremation next week, however, there will be a Service of Thanksgiving on Wednesday 28 June at 1pm at St Nicholas Church in Alcester. The latter is open invitation.
There will be another service of thanksgiving for Roger in Guernsey later in 2017 but there is no fixed date for this yet.
Jo Halpin, journalist and THM supporter, recently came across this fascinating article in the Irish Times featuring the 107-year-old former Irish international Dorothea Findlater. Findlater turned 107 years old on 27 December 2016 making it 81 years since she won her first Irish cap in 1936. It earned her a slow boat trip to the US.
Read the full article on the Irish Times website here.
 |
Wilhelmina Augusta Baumann
Exhibition: Wilhelmina Augusta Baumann
The Hockey Museum is currently showing a small exhibition on Wilhelmina Augusta Baumann, one of the most respected and important women in hockey during the 1920s and '30s. The exhibition, which explores Baumann's playing and pioneering administrative career, ties in with Surrey Museums Month (SMM) and its theme of "Surrey's super women". It runs throughout April 2017. THM is also included in the SMM i-Spy Trail which runs until September.
The exhibition will be on show until the late summer (see regular opening hours here) but between the 3-28 April THM will be open to the public 10.00am-4.00pm, Monday-Friday excluding Bank Holidays.
Last Tuesday (28 March 2017) THM was delighted to host former International Hockey Federation (FIH) and European Hockey Federation (EHF) President Juan Calzado and his family. Following his visit Mr Calzado said:
"It was a real pleasure to visit The Hockey Museum. The work that you are doing is fantastic ... record[ing] the history of our lovely sport and the hockey family will enjoy seeing so many important souvenirs of our sport."
Discover more about Juan Calzado's visit in our Blasts From The Past feature here.
Blasts From The Past: An Introduction
This features page includes articles from hockey's rich history. With the ever increasing activity of The Hockey Museum, our research is constantly coming across fascinating stories from throughout the sport's history and across the hockey world. These are not current news stories although some may have been when they occurred....
AWRE Hockey Club: Explosive Hockey Played in 1950s Berkshire
Last weekend saw the release of the much-anticipated biographical film Oppenheimer, which tells the story of the American nuclear physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, often recognised as the ‘father of the atomic bomb’. Situated in a remote part of New Mexico, USA, the secret Los Alamos Laboratory was established by the...
An ‘Anglo-Welsh’ hockey honours cap
A recent addition to our ever-increasing collection at THM, a beautiful Welsh honours cap, has come to us from the family of William Richard Edwards who played for Wales between 1929 and 1931. William was born, lived and died in England but with Welsh ancestry he played hockey for...
A postcard home … to France in 1906
Whilst looking at this picture, consider that the first ladies’ hockey in England – indeed the world – began less than twenty years before this photograph was taken. This really was at the dawn of women's hockey! The postcard is from a French girl writing home to her...
Sikhs, Lord’s and Hockey
The following article was written and researched by former trustee of The Hockey Museum Dil Bahra for fieldhockey.com. It is reproduced here for posterity. Dil is author of the website sikhsinhockey.com which highlights the contribution and achievements of Sikh hockey athletes. The names of Sikh players are emphasised in bold...
The hockey story of Shalford church’s ecclesiastical cloth is not fabricated
The altar at St Mary’s Chruch, Shalford in Surrey.Photographs courtesy of St Mary’s Church Shalford’s vicar, Rev’d Sarah Lloyd, and parish administrator, Kate Waldock. Steve Woodward, a hockey player and international umpire, who died in 1992, has an unusual memorial: an altar cloth in his local church....
Core of 'The Apple' reflected in Hampshire church window
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...
Len Smith’s Sportswear and designs on further clothing research
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...
Maurice Turnbull: Britain’s most complete all-round sportsman?
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...
Eustace E White: Hockey Field’s Educator Editor
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...
How the introduction of VAT impacted club hockey in the UK
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...
Women’s History Month 2023: Biddy Burgum’s fascinating life in hockey
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 British and the Origins of Hockey in Italy
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...
50th anniversary of the introduction of substitutes
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...
The creation of umpiring structures for women in 1923
“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...
Kingston Grammar School 7-5 Staines Hockey Club
“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...
A Fashion Faux Paus? England vs France, 1923
An action shot of England women vs France on 3 February 1923. Image from the Marjorie Pollard collection, The Hockey Museum. 100 years ago on 3 February 1923, England women played their first international match against France. The game was played at Merton Abbey, Battersea and Chelsea Polytechnic...
'Combination' in Hockey: the Difference between English and Irish Styles?
England vs Ireland during the Olympic final of 1908. In January 1948, Hockey World magazine published an extract from the book Hockey in Ireland by TSC Dagg. In it, Dagg compares the ‘traditional’ playing styles of the English and Irish men’s national teams by drawing on previous literature....
Overcoming the Elements: Hockey during the Big Freeze of 1962-‘63
In these days of global warming and only occasional flurries of snow in winter, it perhaps seems unbelievable that it could start snowing on Boxing Day and for the frost and snow to remain for nearly three months! That is what happened in the (real) winter of 1962-‘63. Today, water-retaining...
The Astonishing Role of Hockey Boots During WW2
There are few things in everyday life that could be described as ubiquitous hockey items. However, one exception are the canvas and rubber hockey shoes that were widely worn in the ladies and school game from the 1930s onwards. Men’s hockey of the era preferred the more substantial football or...
The History of I M Marsh College of Physical Education, Liverpool
The I M Marsh campus of Liverpool John Moores University has a long history. The college was founded in 1900 by Irené Mabel Marsh under the name of Liverpool Physical Training College. From small beginnings the college grew over the years and by the 1960s I M Marsh College of...
“Get Off My Pitch”: A Memoir of Don Gallacher
In August 2022, The Hockey Museum (THM) featured a piece about Wembley Head Groundsman Don Gallacher and his son Colin’s efforts to document his father’s memories in a new book. Don oversaw the Wembley pitch between 1974 and 1985 when hockey crowds were at their highest. The vibrancy and the...
Centenary of Australia and New Zealand's First International Matches
27 September 2022 is the centenary of Australia and New Zealand men’s first international matches. It is unusual for two nations to have their first international matches occur simultaneously, but the geographical distance of Australia and New Zealand from other hockey-playing nations of that era led to this exceptional first...
A Brief History of Women’s Headwear in Hockey
At a recent event at Great Comp House & Gardens in Kent, we presented Sue Chandler (former Great Britain (GB) Captain with 25 appearances) with her GB honours cap alongside a group of ladies from Sevenoaks and Teddington hockey clubs who were re-enacting hockey as it was played in the...
Correcting Hockey History: The Hunt for Harvey Wood
Harvey Wood, England men's 1908 Olympic gold medal-winning goalkeeper. The Hockey Museum volunteer James Ormandy spent a large part of 2019 researching hockey in Yorkshire to produce an article “When Hull Got Hooked on Hockey” for the Playing Pasts website. When Hull Got Hooked on Hockey | Playingpasts.co.uk...
Unearthing a Groundsman’s Special Memories of Wembley Stadium
The Hockey Museum (THM) regularly receives interesting enquires from the public and sometimes even an exchange of information. Back in April 2022 there was one such enquiry from Colin Gallacher. His father Don was Head Groundsman at Wembley Stadium between 1975 and 1985. Colin is planning to publish his...
The First Mixed Hockey International Tour by a British School: Australia 1997
International touring has a long and distinguished sporting history. Within British hockey, Australasia has been an attractive location to tour to as far back as the early twentieth century. An England women’s side travelled to Australia and New Zealand in 1914, in an era before UK women had the vote...
Whistle While You Work: Researching Umpiring Whistles From The 1920s
Mike Smith, Hon. Curator and President of The Hockey Museum (THM), describes the process of uncovering hockey’s history as being like a jigsaw puzzle: “Putting together the history of hockey is like doing a jigsaw puzzle where many pieces are missing. Ultimately, we hope to find enough pieces to make...
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Attends The Women's Hockey At Wembley Stadium in 1981
Following the Platinum Jubilee last weekend to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s record breaking 70-year reign, we look back on what is arguably her most iconic hockey moment: the visit to Wembley Stadium in 1981. The Queen made an appearance at the England vs Wales women’s international match at Wembley,...
Discovering Vera Cox's Missing Scrapbook
Joyce Hatton, Vera Cox (wearing her AEWHA blazer) and Frances Heron-Maxwell.This photograph was colourised for Frances Thompson's talk at The Hockey Museum. Last Wednesday 4 May, Frances Thompson travelled from Australia to The Hockey Museum (THM) for a rather personal research visit, and we asked her to give...
Peter Johnson: The Great Britain Hockey Player With Only One Cap
A total of 581 players (men and women) have represented Great Britain (GB) over the years. Many of these players have enjoyed illustrious international careers with seven men and 13 women having exceeded 100 appearances – yet this piece is about those players who only made one single appearance. To...
Echoes Of The Moscow Olympic Hockey Boycott 42 Years Later
The Hockey Museum recently received a 42-year-old document that has a particular resonance with contemporary events that are consuming the world’s media today. The document in question is a copy of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s letter of 19 February 1980 to Sir Denis Follows, CBE, Chairman of the British Olympic...
A Mother's Pride
The first England women's hockey team (1896).Mary D’Oyley is seated middle row, right of centre next to the lady holding the ball. Mary has her cap on her stick. When England’s Mary D’Oyley (nee Piper) lined up against Ireland at Alexandra College, Dublin, on 2 March 1896, she...
Hockey: A Political Symbol In The Punjab
Punjab Lok Congress Party symbol The image shown above is being used by a political party as its logo (see here). This may seem a rather strange adoption, yet it has occurred in the Punjab in Northern India. Not only is hockey the national sport of India...
The Evolution of Hockey Honours Caps
The ongoing series of Great Britain (GB) honours cap presentations to current and former GB players is a direct outcome of THM’s Playing Statistics Project. These presentations are really a 'bolt on' to the stats project, perhaps triggered by THM's small collection of various historical hockey...
The First Ever "Hockey" Magazine
"Hockey" magazine, 15 December 1893 – the first magazine for hockey? The Hockey Museum (THM) has over 80,000 items in its growing collection. We receive another two collections most weeks. These are sorted and catalogued by our brilliant volunteers and occasionally we come up...
Jordi Alumà: Hockey
Hockey, Olympic Suite No.2 by Jordi Alumà The Hockey Museum (THM) holds in its art collection a limited-edition print of a female hockey player by Spanish artist Jordi Alumà (pictured). After a long and distinguished life, Alumà passed away earlier this year on 8 June 2021. The...
How Great Thou Art: Religious Hockey-like Games in Ethiopia
© The Trustees of the British Museum How are Orthodox Christianity and sport linked within Ethiopian culture? Created in the late 1940s by an Ethiopian priest, this watercolour painting from the British Museum’s collection depicts two teams of men playing the native stick-and-ball game Genna. Traditionally played at Christmas,...
The Longest Olympic Matches
As we approach the quarterfinals (QF) of the Tokyo 2020 hockey tournament, we reflect on a momentous QF back in 1960: Kenya vs Great Britain (GB) at the Rome Olympic Games. On 5 September 1960, the QF match in Rome became the longest match in the Olympic history (until this...
Tracing The Match Ball From The Australia And New Zealand Tour of 1914
An archival document recording an All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA) tour to Australia and New Zealand in 1914, leads The Hockey Museum (THM) Archivist on a journey of discovery to trace a very special match ball with an intriguing social history. The match ball from Canterbury...
Louis Charles Baillon: The Only Falkland Islander Olympic Champion
The England hockey team from the 1908 Olympic Final. Louis Baillon is seated furthest left. Louis Charles Baillon is the only Falkland islander to have won an Olympic gold medal. He achieved this feat as a member of the England hockey team that won gold at the 1908...
Alan Turing: WW2 hockey-playing hero features on £50 note
After the 2014 feature film The Imitation Game and other publicity most people are now aware of the amazing contribution made by Alan Turing and the remarkable team at Bletchley Park during World War 2. It is often said that their efforts helped the Allies to win the war and...
Christ’s Hospital's Jovial WW1 Charity Match
These photographs tell the story of a convivial charity match involving Christ's Hospital school (CH) during World War One (WW1). They were unearthed by staff at Christ’s Hospital Museum and shared with The Hockey Museum. Photographs of the hockey match fundraiser, 1917....
Kenya Hockey Olympians Conference
I was delighted and honoured to be invited as one of the Guests of Honour at a virtual conference for Kenyan hockey Olympians on Sunday 30 May 2021. The invitation was extended by Hilary Fernandes, Kenya’s triple Olympian, and Raphael Fernandes, a Kenyan Los Angeles 1984 Olympian. Raphael co-ordinated the...
The ‘Hockey Girl’ And The Pursuit of Love
Cartoon from the Punch Almanack, 1903. The caption reads:"We had a scratch game with the 'Black and Blue' Club yesterday, but had an awful job to get any men. Enid's brother and a friend of his turned up at the last moment; but they didn't do much except call 'offside'...
A Biography of Janet Macklin (née Smallwood)
When Janet Smallwood (later Mrs Macklin) was awarded her first international cap for Scotland in 1951 she was not the first member of her family to have an international sporting honour – her father, Alistair Smallwood, was selected to play for England Rugby in the 1920s. Alistair was born in...
The Festival of Britain’s Grand International Hockey Tournament 1951
Cover of the programme for the Grand International Hockey Tournament during the Festival of Britain, 1951.Click the image to download the full programme as a PDF.Credit: the AEWHA Collection at the University of Bath Library. Seventy years ago in May 1951, a very unusual sporting event was staged...
Harvey Wood: England’s Mysterious Giant Goalkeeper
[ Editor's note: A follow up article to this piece has since been published which corrects some aspects of the below. Please click here for the follow up article: Correcting Hockey History: The Hunt for Harvey Wood | hockeymuseum.net ] A piece of research on the 1908 Olympic Games together with...
Bandy In Shakespeare
Portrait of William Shakespeare, 1610. Possibly painted by John Taylor. There are several references to the word ‘bandy’ in the works of English playwright William Shakespeare, including one in Romeo and Juliet when Romeo, trying to stop a fight between Tybalt and Mercutio, declares: “The Prince expressly hath forbidden...
Hockey-Playing Thespians Of The Edwardian Era
Frank Benson, actor and hockey players, inWilliam Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The Edwardian era would witness the peak of theatre going and its watershed moment as cinema arrived. It also witnessed a sporting boom – especially in hockey – and one club, Benson’s Hockey Club, had done...
It's A Date: Celebrating the First Scotland Women's International Match
By Katie Dodd The first Scotland women's team, 1901. The 13 April 2001 is the 120th anniversary of Scotland women’s very first international match, played against Ireland in Dublin. I was first made aware of this special date during a conversation with Evlyn Raistrick, former Scottish and International...
Easter Festivals in Years Gone By
Not that many years ago Easter festivals were the much-anticipated climax to the hockey season. Many hundreds of teams, certainly well into four figures, would travel to play in one of over fifty festivals that took place around Britain. The most popular venues were seaside ones, from Bournemouth to Bridlington...
An Amazing Find As The Hockey Museum Links Up With The British Museum
It’s not often that small, independent museums like The Hockey Museum (THM) have an opportunity to change the narrative of national history, but today we share some very exciting news concerning a highly significant archaeological collection – the Anglo-Saxon burial ship at Sutton Hoo. Sutton Hoo gained a lot of...
Welsh Honours Caps: A Tale of Interrelated Research
By Elton Riches I was researching in The Hockey Museum (THM) library reviewing the early hockey periodicals for photographs or illustrations of player-issued caps. I located a black-and-white photograph in an 1898 publication showing the Welsh men’s hockey team wearing honours caps. Clear evidence that the Welsh national teams were...
Remembering Wembley
On 3 March 2021 The Hockey Museum (THM) celebrated the 70th anniversary of the first England women’s hockey match at Wembley Stadium in 1951. In partnership with Talk Hockey Radio, we produced a podcast (The Special One - Epsiode 6) and video of the personal memories of Maggie Souyave, Anita White...
Wembley Was A Family Affair
By Christabel Russell Vick I grew up knowing that the Wembley hockey international was the biggest fixture in the women’s hockey calendar. When I talked to my mother (Mary Russell Vick) about her hockey career, I was amazed to discover that these matches at the iconic Wembley Stadium were entirely...
The First Ever Women's International Hockey Match in 1896
Action photo of Ireland vs England women, the first ever women's international hockey match in 1896. 2 March 2021 is the 125th anniversary of the first ever women’s international hockey match in 1896, between Ireland and England. Ireland beat England 2-0. The game took place on the Alexandra...
Unearthing Further Hockey Connections At Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo excavation, 1939. Still from film made by Harold John Phillips.Public domain. In a recent article (click here) we covered the links that exist between the Netflix blockbuster film The Dig and our sport of hockey. Following that piece, we received news of a further hockey connection. If...
Digging Hockey: An Excavation of Edith Pretty's Links to Hockey
by Dr Jo Halpin. Portrait of Edith Pretty by Dutch artist Cor Visser.© National Trust / Robin Pattinson Edith Pretty is famous for unearthing an Anglo-Saxon burial ship on her land at Sutton Hoo, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, in 1939 – an event that has now been made...
In Search of The Hull & District Hockey Register
In 1900 there were just twenty clubs from the North affiliated to the Hockey Association (HA) causing some historians have been misled as to the game’s popularity outside of the home counties. In most northern towns and cities at this time hockey playing was increasingly popular. For example: in Hull...
Never Defeated By Wine Or In A Game: A Secret Edwardian Gentlemen's Hockey Club
Cover of the Sticks Club Handbook, 1910 A fascinating item recently came into The Hockey Museum’s possession which threw an amusing light on a social activity in London hockey circles in the early years of the last century. It was the history of an exclusive gentlemen’s hockey club...
The Jean Arnold Collection: The Lord Mayor's Cup
The Jean Arnold collection was donated to The Hockey Museum (THM) during lockdown and is now helping to uncover more of the once-hidden history of women’s league hockey. Jean Arnold Jean Arnold, a well-known figure in Liverpool hockey circles, has donated a large number of items relating to the...
Baffling Brass Buttons
The Hockey Museum (THM) has recently acquired a set of blazer buttons that once adorned the England blazer of George Hardy. These buttons, emblazoned (ahem) with the HA logo of the Hockey Association, presumably made their way to Hardy’s fellow England player, Captain John Yate Robinson who passed them...
A Tale Of Principled Pilley
On 14 April 1935 (not 1938 as stated on this British Pathé YouTube clip), Germany women played England women in Berlin. The result was 6-4 victory for England. An unexpected tour given the precarious political situation in Europe. The England team line up: Eileen Arnold (GK), Mary Knott (Cptn), Marjorie...
A Rare Item In The Modern Hockey World
The Hockey Museum recently received a Winchester HC fixture card for the 2017-2018 season. This came as a bit of a surprise as we knew that many (most?) clubs no longer produce such a publication. With the availability of information on the internet and social media they have become virtually...
Old Creightonians Archive Arrives With A Suprise
Mike Smith, Curator of THM (left) discusses theOld Creightonians HC archive with Simon Lawton-Smith (right). At The Hockey Museum (THM) we receive at least one collection each week, but not many have a twist in the story like this one. A recent visit by Simon Lawton-Smith brought us the club records...
Terrific Trophies
Over the past couple of years, a considerable amount of material, including a large collection of trophies, has come to THM from Cannock HC. It was rescued from the former National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes by Laurie Alcock, affectionately known as 'Mr Cannock'. Had Laurie not saved it, the cabinets and artefacts...
The Work Of Preserving Hockey Heritage: Saving The AEWHA Scrapbook
The All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA) Collection is looked after at the University of Bath by their Archivist, Lizzie Richmond. The collection contains many unique and irreplaceable items documenting the evolution of women’s hockey in the UK. Two items, the Hockey Jottings scrapbook and the very first minute book...
A Vintage Christmas Present? From India To The London Stage
Photo from Daisy Pulls It Off, showing at the Park Theatre, Finsbury Park, London.Photo courtesy of Tomas Turpie. One of our eagle-eyed supporters spotted this wonderful image taken by Tomas Turpie in The Times newspaper last week. It was from a review of Daisy Pulls It Off, a play that...
An Early Easter Hockey Tour
Programme (cover) of The Newport Centrals Hockey Club Fourth Annual Tour, Season 1913-14 Easter hockey tours and festivals have been very popular for many years, probably more so before the league systems were set up in the 1960s and ‘70s. A recent find, hidden amongst our postcard collection, gives...
Bullets Stopped Play
Yesterday one of our volunteers was going through a collection and found this newspaper cutting from Thanet International Hockey Festival, 1964. Anyone who has been to Thanet will know that three coats is a mininum and not just because of the flying bullets.
Hockey Played In Antarctica
"First game of Hockey played on ice near Ship", from The Atlantic magazine, 2013. The Hockey Museum recently heard of hockey being played in a most unlikely location: on the sea ice in Antarctica. We were contacted by an Antarctic history enthusiast who pointed out that the British Film...
Bringing History To Life With Juan Calzado
The Hockey Museum (THM) was very proud to receive a visit recently (28 March 2017) from Juan Calzado, former President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), European Hockey Federation (EHF) and Real Club de Polo, Barcelona. We were honoured that on a holiday visit to London with family he took...
An Update On The English Cup
In 2015 The Hockey Museum received an enquiry from Alan Lancaster. He sent two photographs, one a team photograph, which Alan thought was Newhey Ladies’ Hockey team. One of the photographs featured his mother Doreen Howles and her two sisters, Vera and June holding a cup which was believed to...
Three Antique Silver Cups From The Royal Navy HA
Does the existence of three antique silver cups with the Royal Navy HA have a ‘black lining’? The Royal Navy Hockey Association is the proud owner of three silver cups that date back to the 1900 period. They were used for different competitions between ships and units that made up...
The Grand International Match
During the First World War, the War Office often used sporting references to try to persuade sportsmen to enlist and an amusing notice in the book Ireland’s Call (by Stephen Walker) recently caught our eye.
The Liberty Bodice
We recently came across an interesting advertisement in The Hockey Field magazine from 6 January 1916: "Physical Instructors and Games Mistresses are recommended to try the Liberty Bodice. It obviates the necessity for corsets and gives absolute freedom of movement to growing girls. It is ideal wear for all kinds...
Hockey And Football: A Comparison
We recently acquired copies of a rare early sports magazine dating from 1906 – The Cricketer, The Hockey and Football Player. It was only published for just over a year taking in two cricket and one winter season. The magazines contain a number of interesting articles that make comment on...
An Illegal Hockey Stick
New collections are, thankfully, arriving weekly and many of them create great interest when received. The hockey stick illustrated in the below images was a real example of this. It came complete with a copy of an advertisement from Hockey Magazine of 4 September 1908 extolling the virtues of the...
The Jet-propelled Hockey Stick That Didn't Take Off!
In response to the many enquiries that we receive at The Hockey Museum our volunteers are constantly trawling through hockey publications in search of information. These searches often take twice as long as expected because we find unrelated pieces that are very interesting. One such piece was discovered recently in...
Hockey On The Sand At Minehead
Hockey players on the beach at Minehead with North Hill behind. Photograph by Alfred Vowles. Unlike most of today's youngsters who learn to play on artificial pitches, Nan Williams, a former England international and volunteer at The Hockey Museum (THM), started her playing career on the sands of Minehead on the...
Have You Heard Of The English Cup?
I have recently joined the many volunteers working with the The Hockey Museum. As I live in the Manchester area I am quite away from all the action, however I have recently been forwarded a couple of enquires from the Museum in relation to matters from the North! My first...
Our Partners
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |