I am off to Sweden on Wednesday, so it might be a little odd that I suddenly started to clean my little office, "The Rowing Room" as it is called by the family. Nevertheless, in an old envelope I found some photographs from a rowing race from, I think, 1937. The photographer George Bushell, Henley-on-Thames, had sent the Secretary of Clapton Warwick Rowing Club some picture from a, to me unknown, regatta. On the back of the photograph it says: "Event 2 D, 5th Heat Senior fours. Clapton Warwick - over Britannia R.C".
At first I thought it might have been a Head of River Fours' race, as the ones that Thames Tradesmen's Rowing Club organised between Chiswick Steps to Putney Pier, but in the envelope I also found a photograph of two eights. There is nothing written on the back of that photograph, so I am not sure if it is from the same day or the same regatta...
I cannot remember when I bought this/won it on eBay, but it must have been several years ago, say around 2004, or so. Nice photographs....
This is Henley. The bridge on the right and the Leander clubhouse peeking over the boat tents are quite identifiable. As Clapton Warwick (1877) and (presumably) Nottingham Britannia Rowing Club (1869) were tradesmen's clubs I think the regatta must be Henley Town and Visitors'. This was the 'Henley' for men who worked with their hands and so were not (until 1938) classed by the Amateur Rowing Association as amateurs. Henley T and V is still going today and their website gives a brief history and some videos of recent regattas: http://www.henleytownregatta.org.uk/
ReplyDeleteThe River and Rowing Museum has nearly 500 local photographs taken by the photographer, George Bushell, on their website:
http://collection.rrm.co.uk/search.do?view=label&collection=25&field-7=SUBJECT_CLASS&bool-7=AND&value-7=The+Bushell+Collection%2FPhotographs&sort=NAME
Tim Koch.
How silly of me, I should of course have consulted with my dear friend Tim about this photograph before I posted this. Thank you, Tim, very best, as always ~ G.R.B.
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