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Great Britain honours cap recipients on the steps of Havant Hockey Club. James Midgley (on behalf of Roger Midgley), David Whittle, Don Williams, Chris Pickett, Brian Purdy, Val Lewis (on behalf of Jimi Lewis), David Faulkner, Calum Giles, Sean Rowlands and Rob Hill with their GB international honours caps. Photograph: Keith Woodland; courtesy of Havant Hockey Club. |
On Sunday 12 March 2023, the great and the good of Havant Hockey Club came together to celebrate their nine Great Britain (GB) players through the presentation of their international honours caps by GB President Sheila Morrow.
In a remarkable stint of organisation, the club managed to have all nine players either present or represented by family. Two of them attended virtually from Germany and whilst they could join in the chat, their families were present to receive their GB caps.
The players spanned from Roger Midgley, a bronze medallist at the 1952 Olympic Games who was represented by his son James, through to the present day. They included their Club President David Faulkner who masterminded the attendance, and Russell Garcia who joined from Germany, both of whom won Olympic gold in Seoul.
The Hockey Museum’s first clubhouse cap presentation proved to be a very special and emotional day and it was and our first use of Zoom to ensure everyone could be present in some form. It was a great success so if other clubs fancy a similar event please get in touch. Two of the players had previously received their caps at Lee Valley but returned with their caps on the day to join their seven clubmates.
A beautiful frame containing nine replica caps in miniature was also presented on the day. It will provide a permanent memento on the clubhouse wall.
Other clubs may well have nine GB players, but few can boast two GB Managers who were in charge at multiple Olympic Games. Havant HC therefore took the opportunity to honour David Whittle and Chris Pickett for their incredible service to both club and country.
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| Mike Smith, Hon. Curator and President of The Hockey Museum presenting the mini GB caps to Havant HC Chairman and former GB Manager, Chris Pickett. |
Last month The Hockey Museum (THM) hosted a group visit by Halow Project. They are a local charity which supports young people (16+) with a learning disability on their journey into and through adult life.
Halow project - nurturing independence
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Photographs from the Halow Project's visit to The Hockey Museum in February 2023. Images above and below courtesy of Halow Project. |
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The morning visit was organised and hosted by our volunteer Education Officer Jon Rye who travelled up from Kent especially, with input from Curator Shane Smith. Jon reflected that it had made his month such was the students’ enthusiasm and evident joy!
Our visitors were treated to an exhibition tour and an object handling session which drew on both replica and genuine heritage items to bring to life aspects of hockey history such as the development of hockey sticks and balls, and Olympic medals. They even had the opportunity to hold a London 2012 Olympic torch!
When the students were asked what the best part of their visit had been, the response by one excited young lady captured it all in just one word, “Hockey!"
"The group had a wonderful time. They can find new experiences a little overwhelming so thank you for making them feel so welcome.”
-- Sonia Booth, Building Futures Year Leader, Halow Project.
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Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan
The Halow Project visit followed the launch of The Hockey Museum’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan which was approved by the Board of Trustees towards the end of 2022. The Plan will span several years and build on our current inclusive practises to uncover hidden histories within our collection and open up THM to new audiences in increasingly accessible ways, in-person and online – hockey and its history and heritage is for everyone.
Our Action Plan aims to align THM with the EDI goals of our key partner England Hockey and better position ourselves to be in receipt of heritage sector grant funding as we seek a sustainable future and a permanent home.
The Hockey Museum (THM) is indebted to have received recent donations from the National Hockey Foundation, Tramps Hockey Club (both of which came from their residual funds prior to winding up) and the John Laing Charitable Trust. These donations are really helping us towards bridging our annual deficit for 2023.
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| Tony Billson, Chairman of the National Hockey Foundation, presents a cheque to THM Hon, Curator Mike Smith and Museum Vice President Katie Dodd.
The National Hockey Foundation was created to charitably distribute the money left from the National Hockey Stadium in Milton Keynes. 30 years later, their residual funds have been given to THM to support our work to educate young and adult minds alike in the history of hockey. |
Trust fund donations - can you help?
The John Laing Charitable Trust donation came about because one of our volunteers, a retiree from the John Laing Group, suggested that the Trust might like to support THM with a donation.
Should you know of any trusts that might be persuaded to assist us, please put pen to paper, finger to keyboard or make contact in any way that suits you.
Should you wish to discuss opportunities or enquire after THM’s financial position, our Trustee Head of Fundraising, David Knapp, and Treasurer, Mike Barford, can be contacted via our online contact form.
Why you should support The Hockey Museum
THM is undoubtedly one of the real success stories of English and British hockey during this century. Prior to THM there was no concerted effort to preserve the history and heritage of our sport, a great shame since hockey started in the UK just over 150 years ago.
THM has accumulated over 80,000 artefacts, developed into a fully accredited museum, attracted some 70 volunteers and employs two professional staff. Importantly, we have a home at 13 High Street, Woking, that includes space for careful collection storage and small exhibitions. We are already growing out of the premises we occupy.
All this progress costs money and to a certain extent it is money that we don’t have! That does not mean that THM is going broke, but it does mean that we are currently operating on a significant annual deficit. As with many philanthropic organisations there is a need to continually raise funds from donations and other sources to balance the books. We are always looking for more financial support to enable us to keep up, expand and improve upon THM's amazing progress in giving hockey’s history a future and sharing engaging stories representative of our sport’s evolution, values and people.
We are extremely grateful to all who have contributed to our cause over the years and could not continue our work without you. Thank you.
The Hockey Museum (THM) is saddened to convey news of the recent passing of two notable members of the hockey family whose involvement and successes within hockey had a positive and lasting impact on many.
Joan Wall, 1933-2023
Joan was a former England international player and an accomplished county-level track athlete who also had an outstanding record in the development and promotion of hockey. As a player, Joan became a world champion with England at the International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations (IFWHA) Tournament in Amsterdam in 1959. As a grassroots administrator she founded two hockey clubs and became heavily involved in the governance of the Midlands indoor hockey scene, ultimately rising to the level of England indoor selector.
Joan was also one of THM’s very first volunteers. She donated her personal hockey collection to the museum on her first visit in March 2012 and began volunteering thereafter.
Click for Joan's obituary: Joan Wall, 1933-2023 (hockeymuseum.net)
Bill Felton, 1940-2023
Bill was a dedicated match official and administrator whose commitment to hockey, despite not having been a player himself, saw him receive recognition from England Hockey and the Hockey Writers’ Club.
Click for Bill's obituary: Bill Felton, 1940-2023 (hockeymuseum.net)
On 28 January, the third Great Britain (GB) honours caps presentation in Scotland was held at the Scottish Indoor Finals at Bell’s Sports Centre, Perth.
Dennis Hay, the only Scot to be both a player and a coach for GB at the Olympic Games (1972 Munich and 1992 Barcelona, bronze medal winners) presented the honours caps.
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| The recipients (left to right): Amy Gibson, Marie MacGregor, Ken Dick, Stuart MacGregor, Gerry Carr, Charlie Donald. Credit: Scottish Hockey. |
Marie and Stuart MacGregor are the only Scottish husband and wife combination to receive GB caps.
It is very fitting that the presentation was at Bell’s as there is a historical link with some of the cap recipients. The first ever men’s indoor international played in Scotland took place at Bells in January 1975, 48 years ago. It was televised by the BBC! Ken Dick was the Scottish captain on that day, Dennis Hay was the coach and Stuart MacGregor was the organiser of the event, working on behalf of Perth Council. Marie MacGregor, then as Marietta Craigie, was a superstar of the women’s indoor game in the 1980s and developed her indoor skills as a youngster at Bells, often training with the men. Gerry Carr played indoor hockey at club level and coached hundreds of youngsters at Bells.
The Torbay Easter Hockey Festival returns to the English Riviera for the 71st time this April, following a very successful post-pandemic event in 2022 (note the witty festival pennant). Along with the festivals taking place in Blackpool, Canterbury, Folkestone and Skegness, Torbay is maintaining the historic tradition of an Easter hockey festival.
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| Left: Souvenir programme from the first Torbay Easter Hockey Festival in 1951. Right: Pennant from the 2022 Festival with its witty nod to its two absent years caused by the COvid-19 pandemic. |
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Taking place from Good Friday through to Easter Monday, on two local pitches at Clennon Valley Leisure Centre, Paignton and Torquay Girls Grammar School, ten teams have entered to date, maintaining the level of entries seen from 2017. One of the most notable of the features enjoyed by the Torbay Festival is the remarkable loyalty of the participating clubs – eight of the ten will have attended for at least sixty-one festivals, with the average attendance of sixty years.
Although an eleven-a-side men’s festival, women players are encouraged to supplement the team. Youngsters also participate; indeed, the Festival does not ban under 18s, as do some other some festivals around the country (both at Easter and in the summer).
The Torbay Festival is semi-competitive. There are two cups to be claimed: the Bill Stickells Cup for highest scoring team over the weekend and the Redcliffe Cup for fair play (judged by teams’ opponents). Last year, the Buffaloes (Smethwick HC) won the Stickells Cup with 42 goals and the Redcliffe Cup was awarded to the Oddfellows, the only ever-present team.
Normally, the Festival would be opened by a flag raising. The tradition was started at the sixth Torbay Festival in 1956, where the ceremony took place on Good Friday morning at Victoria Park, Paignton.
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The flag raising ceremony at Torbay Hockey Festival, around 1986. Festival President, David Powell, is flanked by the Torbay Mayoress and the Mayor, with Tony Forward, Festival Chairman on the latter’s left. In his forty years of raising the flag, David Powell never got to understand the mechanism involved, as illustrated in the photograph. Image credit: Mike Carter, Festival Historian and Archivist. |
In 1989, the opening was moved to the Clennon Valley Leisure Centre and carried on to 2019. In 2022, the plan was to once more to open the Festival traditionally but, on arrival, the gathering was faced by a hole where the flag pole should have been – the Council had removed the pole without informing the Festival Committee! This led to the impromptu alternative flag raising ceremony pictured below.
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The new form of flag raising ceremony in 2022. Image credit: Mike Carter. |
Torbay Festival 2023
In 2023, there are no Council dignitaries to lend support to the Festival President, Ms Nicole Amil and Chairman James Carter.
The Committee is keen to attract another two or three teams to maximise pitch use and to this end have pegged the entry fee to the pre-pandemic level.
You can find out more about Torbay Hockey Festival, one of the few festivals continuing the historic Easter tradition, on their dedicated website where you can also register to bring your team to the English Riviera!
Easter Festival | Torbay Easter Hockey Festival | Torbay (torbayhockeyfestival.org.uk)
Festivals Research Project
Meanwhile, The Hockey Museum’s research into historic festivals continues. For more on this project, click below.
By Mike Carter
Torbay Festival Archivist and volunteer with The Hockey Museum.
Many of our supporters will fondly remember Alan Walker who passed away nearly five years ago. Alan was a great devotee of The Hockey Museum (THM) and one of hockey’s great historians. Thankfully his very considerable collection (approximately 100 boxes) was collected by THM from his house last Saturday. At his late widow’s request, we have not been able to access this unique collection until now, but it is in good order and now in safe hands.
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| Late Navy hockey historian Lt. Cmdr. Alan Walker RN. |
Lieutenant Commander Alan Walker was a Royal Navy man through and through and a totally committed hockey enthusiast. Fortunately, he also loved history. His collection represents the second largest that THM has ever received – we are not aware of anything as big still to come.
Alan was secretary of Royal Navy Hockey for a quarter of a century and his collection naturally contains an enormous amount on Navy Hockey and significant Navy hockey players. However, he was also one of the few that set up the English coaching qualification system around 1970. He went on to become an England team manager; he was significantly involved in Combined Services Hockey; he founded Gosport Hockey Club and the list goes on! Alan was also responsible for our Hon. Curator’s son joining the Royal Navy.
We have managed to ‘borrow’ a small warehouse to temporarily house Alan’s immense collection and vitally sort it into its different areas. We moved all the material to Woking last Saturday; now we must organise and archive it. If you would like to assist with this fascinating work, please let us know using our online contact form.
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| Monica Pickersgill is presented with her Lifetime Achievement Award by England Hockey President Mike Stoddard. |
On 29 December 2022, former All England Women’s Hockey Association (AEWHA) and English Hockey Association President Monica (Mon) Pickersgill was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by England Hockey (EH). In a surprise visited co-ordinated with her family, Mon was presented with her award by current EH President Mike Stoddard.
Mon was one of the most influential and significant figures in bringing the men’s and women’s hockey associations together as a joint association in 1997 and led the new organisation, the English Hockey Association (EHA) as it was known, as its first President for a full three-year term.
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| Mon Pickersgill presents the trophy for the Wembley Legends vs Celtic Warriors exhibition match during the Women’s Champions Trophy at Nottingham in 2010. Sandie Lister (right) was captain of Wembley Legends team on the day and was joined by Jill Atkins (left) to receive the trophy. Both are former England captains.
Credit: England Hockey / The Hockey Museum. |
The Hockey Museum’s (THM) former Chair Katie Dodd and long-time THM supporter Sue Catton were instrumental in lobbying for Mon’s overdue recognition. This award is a recognition of her foresight, influence and her work to unite and professionalise the governing bodies of English hockey.
Mon has been a great supporter of THM over the years and in 2014 she presented us with the official AEWHA President’s brooch. As the final AEWHA President, her name concludes the President’s Honours Board (pictured below) which is now held by THM.
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| The All England Women's Hockey Association (AEWHA) President's brooch. It was donated to The Hockey Museum by Monica Pickersgill following the merger of the AEWHA with the Hockey Association (HA) in 1997. | ||
Further Reading and Listening
Read about the presentation on the England Hockey website: Monica Pickersgill awarded Lifetime Achievement Award by England Hockey
Listen to The Hockey Museum's oral history interview with Mon Pickersgill: Oral History Interview: Monica Pickersgill (hockeymuseum.net)
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
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The First Mixed Hockey International Tour by a British School: Australia 1997
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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
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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
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A Mother's Pride
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Hockey: A Political Symbol In The Punjab
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The Evolution of Hockey Honours Caps
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The First Ever "Hockey" Magazine
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Jordi Alumà: Hockey
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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
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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...
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