NEW PATRON FOR LONDON ROWING CLUB

Following the sad death of our late Patron, Prince Philip, we have been in correspondence with the Palace, seeking a new Patron, and I am delighted to tell you that we have had a letter from the Private Secretary to the Princess Royal to say that, having read the details about the Club and its activities which we sent her, Her Royal Highness has said that she is delighted to accept the Patronage of London Rowing Club, and she sends all at the Club her best wishes. I have written to the Palace, expressing our delight at her decision.

We will have a new portrait on the wall before long.

Mike Baldwin
President, London Rowing Club

OUTGOING CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

As the outgoing Chairman I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help and support over the last three years. I have been fortunate to be in the role during a period of great success for LRC, on and off the water.

Since 2022 we have had five Henley Royal Regatta finalists, three wins, and many other successes in domestic regattas and heads. The atmosphere at the Club is positive and friendly and I believe we have the highest number of active rowers and scullers for many years. It has been a privilege to serve LRC and to get to know so many more people as a result.

I pass the Chairman’s baton to Simon Melvin who has been a member for some 50 years and has family ties to the Club through his late father Doug and brother John. Simon rowed four times for Great Britain in the ‘80s and ‘90s and served as Hon. House Steward some years ago.

Bill Baker
Outgoing Chairman, London Rowing Club

INCOMING CHAIRMAN’S VIEW

The AGM of London Rowing Club took place on Sunday, 20th July in front of a very good turnout of members in the Long Room as well as many more keeping up with proceedings on Zoom. The meeting began with our President Mike Baldwin making a brief but highly significant announcement about our new Patron.

Voting was then held to elect the Club’s Officers, with President and Vice Presidents all being re-elected, together with Matt Reeder taking over as Captain, Saskia Gill as Membership Director and myself as Chairman.

The meeting was also presented with two very positive reports, first from outgoing Captain Rob Porter and then by Hon. Treasurer Philip Carré.

Rob outlined a hugely successful racing season for the Club, including the Masters group retaining the Victor Ludorum trophy at this year’s Brit Masters as well the thrilling performances at Henley, across the whole squad, culminating, of course, in the two outstanding wins. On behalf of the Club I offer Rob our thanks and our congratulations.

And as Matt Reeder takes over, we wish him every success for the coming year.

Philip’s detailed report provided an overview of the Club’s finances and it is good to see that this area of the Club continues to be run under such able management.

Also from Philip was a summary of the proposed balcony project together with news of the accompanying and all-important fundraising drive. Please note: a reminder that as part of this drive the Great London Row takes place on the weekend of 6th & 7th September and all are encouraged to take part wherever possible.

The meeting also heard from Bill Baker as he stood down as Chairman after a very productive three years

As I step into the role, I am grateful to Bill for his suggestion to take his place and indeed to the membership for their vote and I look forward very much to serving the Club in this capacity.

Lastly, a few words on Bill who deserves huge thanks and tremendous credit for everything he has done and has achieved for the Club whilst Chairman. He has served with great energy and enthusiasm, and has helped lay solid foundations for the Club, evidence of which can now be clearly seen in all of the recent successes.

Simon Melvin
Chairman, London Rowing Club

CAPTAIN’S REPORT

A slightly different report this month as both outgoing and incoming captain write this month’s captain report for The London Roar.

As outgoing Captain, I have been reflecting over the last few weeks on what a momentous and impressive season it has been for LRC. Having joined the Club back in 2020 amid one of those “breaks” during the pandemic, it is truly incredible to see how far we have come as a club from that time when our success on and off the water seemed so uncertain. Year-on-year we have continued to grow to the place we are in now and, as our President reflected at the recent club BBQ, it is hard to recall a time when the Club has been in a better place.

The results we have obtained across the Club this year alone, culminating in successes at Henley Royal Regatta and British Masters, is testament to the strength and dedication of our members and athletes, the training and guidance provided by our coaches and, importantly, the hard work of all the Club’s volunteers on and off the water. I commend all of you for everything you do and hope you are reeling in the Club’s success as you deserve to.

I feel truly privileged to have served as your captain for the 2024/2025 season and would like to thank everyone who has supported me in this position throughout. I would like particularly to express my thanks to Devin and Cecilia for all their support and work given as Vice Captains, alongside all the members of the Club’s sub committees and the General Committee for their guidance and support too – I nor the Club could have run without you. I wish Matt all the best and know the Club will go from strength to strength under his excellent stewardship. On that note, I will pass over to him for the remainder of the report!

Rob Porter
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

I want to start my first Captain’s Report by thanking Rob, all our members, supporters, coaches and committee members for making last year so successful and for continuing to build the health and strength of our club. It is fantastic to see the position the Club is in currently and it is down to the effort and inputs of many over previous years.

As Captain, I am honoured to be able to write to you and to be able to share some of the continued successes that we have seen on the water.

The Club returned to the Henley stretch in mid July as members competed and won at Henley Masters Regatta. 9 London crews and 1 composite crew represented the Club over the course of three days from the 11th to 13th of July. Congratulations should go to all the crews who competed and ensured London had a highly successful regatta. The Club came away with wins in the following events:

• Op MasC 4-
• W MasB 8+
• Mx MasB 8+ (composite with Crabtree Boat Club)

A busy and successful July for our club continued at the Home International Rowing Regatta which took place at Dorney Lake on Saturday the 26th of July. London was represented in both the England and Wales squads and Calum Jenkins was additionally selected as the Senior Men’s Captain for England. The regatta saw some excellent racing and all competitors from LRC returned with at least one medal from the event. Congratulations go to all of those below.

England:
• Jennifer Arthur
• Kathryn Barnhill
• Elizabeth Cottrell
• Edward Davis
• Stuart Heap (Senior Men’s Sweep Coach)
• Sara Helin
• Calum Jenkins (Senior Men’s Captain)
• Cameron Moffatt
• Edward Thomas

Wales:
• George Cowley

The start of August has brought back Thursday evening ‘Fight Nights’ in which members from across the Club’s groups come together into mixed 8’s and 4-/x’s.

The first of these saw 5 8+’s and 3 4x’s take to the water on the 7th of the month. These evenings bring together so many of the different squads and groups from across the Club and my thanks once again go to the organisers, Jennifer Arthur and Basil Amin. The ‘Fight Nights’ continue each Thursday in August and I hope to see many of you there and around the Club in the coming weeks.

Matt Reeder
Captain, London Rowing Club

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

See more detail for these events, visit our Calendar of Events…

MEN’S MASTERS REPORT

Henley Masters

After a very successful haul at the British Masters in June, a number of the group took to the water for the final big event of our racing season.

C1x - Paul Mascaro

Paul raced Falcon Rowing Club in the first round. After a fairly sharp start, edging ahead, it wasn't meant to be at the finish line.

B2- - Rob Williams & James Sexton-Barrow

We had a small grudge match on our hands. Facing the reigning champions from Kingston Rowing Club in the first round (who are now, rightly so, both LRC members), the heat was on.

The guys put in a valiant effort, however were just pipped to the post.

C2x - James Halsall & James Robinson (aptly named "James Squared")

After successfully dispatching the oppo in round 1 by half a length, unfortunately they bowed out in the following.

B4+ - Rob Farthing, Tom Whateley, Charlie Twallin, Liam Gorman and Julie Hogg

Beating Upper Thames in the first round in a close fight for the line, unfortunately they didn't make it through to the next.

D2- - Tom Killick & James Young

Facing Twickenham in the first round, a 2-foot margin saw them through to the next. Unfortunately they bowed out to Newark in the following round.

C4- - Adrian Turner, Jason Bowyer, Pierre Lhommet, and David Law

Our crew has been together since what should have been the Vet Fours 2024. Having tried multiple combinations and various rigging setups, we followed the rest of the rowing world this summer, and stuck with the popular bucket rig.

We met Bradford RC in the first round (stroked by another LRC member). After a potent start, and some adventurous steering from the opposition resulting in a near race-stopping collision, we took the chance and pushed on. The oppo didn't rate below 40, however we finished 1st with a substantial 3-foot margin.

In our final we faced Sons of The Thames, who had convincingly won their first round.

Following the theme of the day, the race wasn't without incident. A collision 10 strokes in incurred a race restart (who doesn't like a bit of drama?). Our third start of the day saw us pull ahead, however our ambitiously steered adversaries had other ideas. Closer and closer they approached, subsequently followed by various warnings from the umpire. Correcting their steering was their undoing, and we took a 2+ length lead. We crossed the line first, and secured the infamous purple box!

Kingston Regatta

The OpMasB/C category had four entries in Kingston Regatta: Twickenham B, Twickenham C, Kingston C and London C: George at stroke, Charlie, Kirill and Mark, steering and cajoling. The first race was Twickenham B v Kingston C. Despite the five-second handicap, Twickenham won ‘easily’. Next, London C v Twickenham C. They initially thought we had just paddled up from Putney, before realising we were actually in a borrowed Kingston boat. We were up by half a length after our 10-stroke start and settled into a sensible rate from about 350m.

After the race, we found a shady spot to lurk, waiting for the final. The five-second start over Twickenham B gave us a couple of lengths, and the wash from all the cruisers reminded us of home. We tapped on regardless and won by five lengths. And they let us hold one of the big trophies for our victory photo, which was nice.

WOMEN’S MASTERS REPORT

The LRC women's masters group finished the season strong with Henley Masters Regatta. This turned out to be a great weekend of racing for the LRC Masters Women, with two standout performances resulting in victories for both the Women’s B8+ and Mixed Masters B8+ crews.

Saturday – Women’s Masters C4- Fight Hard and Women's Masters B8+ Triumphs Through Two Rounds
The Women’s Masters B8+ delivered an impressive performance on Saturday, winning their event after battling through two rounds of tough side-by-side racing. In the first round, they faced a solid challenge from City of Cambridge, staying composed and ahead throughout the whole race to secure the win. In the final, they lined up against City of Bristol - another seasoned crew and last year's champions. London set the tone early, maintained their rhythm under pressure, and crossed the line with clear water to claim the Women's Masters B8+ title.

From left to right (Elinor George, Uli Forster, Emily Walters, Alexandra Hammerberg, Chloe Ramambason, Kirstyn Luton, Saskia Gill, Caroline Newbury and Annabel Headley.

The Women's Masters C4- was fresh off their 4+ win at British Masters Champs, 3 of the crew were joined by Elizabeth Hichens to ably steer them down the Henley course, as they switched boat class to a 4-. This change was always going to be a tough step up, they would have thrived with a cox. As the draw came out, they knew they would face a real challenge in their opponents, having seen them race at British Masters’s. Undeterred, they set about training as much as holidays and new jobs allowed - with huge thanks to the lovely members of the Women’s Master’s squad who regularly subbed in. As race day approached, and the timings announced, they were very happy to have the luxury of an afternoon race. A gloriously sunny day certainly cheered the spirits as they rowed to the start line and spotted their opposition. Whilst they held them off the start, it quickly became apparent they were outclassed this time, and it wasn’t to be their race. However, they ably recovered from their loss with Pimm’s and swimming. And some inebriated overseeing of trailer re-loading. Overall, an excellent day out rowing. Their main take away - even though they lost, the following day they went back to training for the winners medal next year!

From left to right (Liz Hichens, Zoe Tipler, Marianna Raffaele and Amy Johnson).

Sunday – Mixed Masters B8+ Composite Crew Holds Off Upper Thames
On Sunday, a composite crew between Crabtree Rowing Club and London Rowing Club took to the water in the Mixed Masters B8+ event, racing against Upper Thames in a straight final. The crew had a strong start, taking an early lead and holding a consistent pace through the body of the race. As the finish line approached, Upper Thames launched a fierce sprint, closing the gap quickly. But the Crabtree/London crew responded with determination, holding their line and pace to fend off the challenge and crossed the line first - securing another win for the club on day two of racing.

From Stern to Bow (Ant Lester (Crabtree), James Lindsay-Fynn, Fred Gill (Crabtree), Nathan O'Reilly (Crabtree), Annabel Headley, Kirstyn Luton, Emily Walters and Saskia Gill.

Some of us also attended Euro Masters in Bled earlier his summer. For this our group joined forced with the Young Irregulars. Uli Forster and Heather Hopkins had a strong race on beautiful lake Bled and secure second place in the WMC2x!

Overall a great finish to the summer and a great stepping stone for next season. Looking to the month ahead, the Masters Women are currently focusing on World Masters in Banyoles. We have 4 women's crews travelling to World's in September to represent the club:

WC2x (Marianna Raffaele + Elinor George)
WA2- (Elinor George + Chloe Ramambason)
WB2- (Caroline Newbury + Chloe Ramambason)
WB4- (Caroline Newbury, Chloe Ramambason, Marianna Raffaele and Elinor George)

Continuing our Tideway collaboration with a WB8+ composite with Mortlake (Caroline Newbury, Marianna Raffaele, Elinor George and Chloe Ramambason)

Well done everyone on a great 24/25 season and on to the next!

Saskia Gill

NON SQUAD LRC ROWING (PART V)

You may have read the articles I have written for TLR since I was asked by the General Committee at the beginning of the year to review the structure of the Club’s non squad rowing (LRC Masters).

If the future of our expanded, and still expanding, Masters programme is of interest to you, you may care to read my articles in the February, March, May and June editions of TLR if you haven’t already done so.

My proposals for refining the structure of the LRC Masters are set out in my article in the May edition.

My purpose in writing now is to bring all our members, and particularly those of you who are active Masters rowers and scullers, up to date with decisions recently made by the Rowing Sub-Committee and approved by the General Committee.

I put my proposals for refining the structure of the Club’s Masters to the Rowing Sub-Committee at their monthly meeting in early April. As I left the meeting I was told that the Sub-Committee would be considering the proposals over the next few weeks.

I had hoped that if the Rowing Sub-Committee were not in favour of adopting my proposals they would have told me their reasons but that was not to be.

I heard nothing further from them subsequent to that but on the 16th July I received an email from Bill Baker, the then Chairman of the General Committee, enclosing the Sub-Committee’s plans for the Masters’ structure for next year, which I gathered had been approved by the General Committee.

On reading the email, it became clear that, save in one respect (to which I refer below), the Rowing Sub-Committee had not adopted my proposals and were, to all intents and purposes, planning to continue with the same structure as this year.

The one aspect of my proposals that has been adopted is the creation of a group of Masters single scullers of whom there are at least thirty. Ben Helm has kindly picked up the baton on this and created a WhatsApp group for them. About 27 people have joined the group so far.

If you are not a member of the group and would like to join it, please email Ben at ben.helm@londonrc.org.uk confirming your wish to join and giving him your mobile number so that he can add your name to the WhatsApp group.

I suspect that there may be a feeling within the Rowing Sub-Committee members that, having won the Victor Ludorum at Nottingham for the past two years and had other Masters successes, there is no need to change anything.

My belief, for what it is worth, is that the successes the Masters have had of late have been largely attributable to the enthusiasm and drive of the Masters (and, in the case of Nottingham, the extraordinary organisational skills of James Sexton-Barrow) and not because the structure of the groups has been optimal.

I still think that my proposals are worthy of consideration and, if adopted, will enable the Club’s Masters programme to expand further. The number of Masters has grown enormously over the last few years and I am sure there will be pressure on the Club to cater for more as time goes by. I believe my proposed structure would enable the Club to cope with this pressure successfully.

I am happy to leave my proposals on the table and if, at some time in the future, they meet with favour, I hope their implementation will enable the Club’s Masters to move from strength to strength.

Miles Preston

REMENHAM AND HOME, THERE AND BACK AGAIN

“Great journeys live long in the memory of those who participate in them” – John Stein.

Roughly a year ago, following a spur of the moment outing to Hampton Court and back in a double, Alex Fothergl and I touted the idea of doing an outing past all the Remenham clubs and back again in a day. Thinking no more of it beyond “that would be fun idea to do” I was slightly surprised 10 months later to receive a message from Fothers of a spreadsheet mapping out timings for the whole trip calculating the best day to do it based on the times!

Never a pair to shy away from a challenge, both of us arrived at the Club at 4am on Sunday, 29th June, Hawaiian shirts on and ready to go. Unfortunately, due to the boat we had booked to use being sent away we had to use an underweight shell with a broken steering shoe; “only adds to the triumph of success” we agreed.

Due to the mix up we ended up boating almost half an hour late so set off at a brisker than planned pace to ensure we made our breakfast appointment in Sunbury.

With a quick collection of the first 3 Remenham clubs in the opening minutes of our row we were in good spirits as we made our way up the Tideway and through Richmond lock. After a brief stop in front of Twickenham RC to take a selfie, we pressed on over the slipway at Teddington lock and collected a photo of Kingston RC (again same as all the clubs so far empty, where was everyone at 6am?). Past Hampton Court and onto the Molesey stretch we finally found our first other river users as a friendly MBC 8+ crew who were boating waved us on.

With a goal of not letting the Molesey boys overtake us, we held them all the way to Sunbury lock where with a bit of portage we were only a few hundred meters from our breakfast!

Fully refuelled and having collected 6 of the 7 target clubs it was now just a mere 14km and countless locks with no portage to sit through. A fairly pleasant and uneventful paddle with little other traffic, beyond a swan attack while waiting to enter Chertsey Lock.

With no more avian assaults we were free to continue to Staines where, with a stop for isotonic refreshments and lunch, we completed our collection of Remenham clubs!

Now it was back in the pair and a turnaround to do the whole journey in reverse, this time with more river traffic now the world had woken up and even a friendly seal to great us at one of the lock slipways.

Having left Putney at 5am we finally made it back to the club house by 9pm, tired, hot, (surprisingly) no blisters, with our mission accomplished but most importantly still friends! Video of it all here

BALCONY UPDATE - PLANNING CONSENT JUST OBTAINED

Obtaining planning consent for the new balcony started last year with a pre-planning application. The whole process takes a long time and as we go to publication the council has just approved our application. This is great news.

The Putney Society wrote a letter to the planning authority in support of our application, the last sentence was especially wonderful to read: “We note that several of the other boathouses have been allowed new or replacement balconies in recent years, but none as stylish”. Well done to Stuart Forbes our architect and Alex Fothergill our engineer.

Members may recall from an earlier article that the Council’s Urban Design and Conservation Officer was keen to see the balustrade reflect the design of the original balcony that was in place between 1871 and about 1920. This presented a problem as the open nature of the original design would not comply with current building regulations to ensure that a 100mm sphere cannot pass through any openings in the guarding.

An elegant solution has been worked up by our architects which incorporates narrow railings within the balustrade sections. This is entirely in keeping with the building and will look very smart indeed in London Rowing Club blue.

A soil survey has been carried out to ascertain the load bearing nature of the ground. The soil survey used a rig to drive steel rods into the ground and take samples to a depth of 10m. The ground is ‘made ground’ and Fothergill engineers are currently working on a solution to ensure we have appropriate foundations.

The supporting structure of the new balcony will be fabricated in steel, which will support a steel grating overlaid with a deck similar to the new riverside walkway outside Fulham Football Club. Work is underway currently examining and refining the detail of the construction so that we can place a contract for dismantling the present balcony and building the new one.

For more information speak to Bill Baker or me.

Peter Halford

GREAT LONDON ROW

This will be taking place on Saturday, 6th and Sunday, 7th September.

All members barbecue including friends and family on the Sunday afternoon.

Your choice of courses to row, some a unique opportunity to row upriver.

Associate Members who are rowers are very welcome.

The Courses
Saturday - Windsor to Kingston - 35kms - 4 to 5 hours

Sunday - Kingston to LRC - 18kms - 2 to 3 hours

Sunday - LRC to Eel Pie Island, Twickenham and back - 32kms - 2 to 4 hours

Sunday - Boat Race Course - LRC to University Stone and back

Seat Fee is £25. Additionally, members are asked to obtain sponsorship from friends and family.

How to signup
Step 1 - Join the event and pay the seat fee of £25 via My Clubhouse.

Click here MyClubhouse

Step 2 - You will receive a link from the organisers that you can pass to friends and family for them to donate.

Step 3 - Submit your registration form. For the registration form - click here.

You can either submit a crew, or ask that the organisers place you in a crew.

Rent a Ringer
Once fully registered for the event, you will have the opportunity to “Rent” a Member of the Squad to row with you. 19 of our illustrious Squad are making themselves available for “Rent”.

Those who do not wish to row, may support by Sponsoring the Captains Crew.

Bank Details
Please refer to your London Roar internal mail for our club account details.

Matched Funds
A generous member will match up to £50,000 raised by The Great London Row 2025. If we can raise £50,000 in sponsorship, this will be made up to £100,000 for the project. This is an incredible opportunity that we should take full advantage of.

Any questions or help needed may be directed to any member of the Balcony Fundraising Group.

Mike Baldwin, Bill Baker, Kathleen Curran, Simon Harris, Kate Griffiths, Edoardo Marshall, Bob Silver, Camille Lanckneus, Liz Lobkowicz, Tom Downes, Ul Forster, Julie Hogg and Dermod Sweeney.

Email us here.

CLUB SUPPER ON 18TH SEPTEMBER

Come and join us at the next LRC Supper Club on Thursday, 18th September. All members and their guests are welcome to attend this casual dinner.

The cost is £28 per person for a 3 course meal with members prices on drinks from the bar.

Book your place now on MCH and please advise me of any dietary requirements to events here.

Annabel Lawrence
Event Manager, London Rowing Club

CASUAL EVENTS STAFF

The Club is looking for casual events staff, with good rates of pay, to join our friendly team. Ideally, you will already have experience of working in a bar or restaurant although this is not essential if you are willing to learn!

The shifts vary week to week so it is ideal as a second job or if you are studying locally. Most shifts are at the weekend so it is essential that you can work on Friday nights and Saturdays.

The role is varied, ranging from serving at the table, working on the bar and rearranging and setting up rooms so stamina is required together with a love of working with people.

If you are interested, please contact me on the events email here.

VOGALONGA 2025

Three LRC crews and many supporters participated in the Vogalonga on 8th June. There was a good mix of hardened Vogalongeri and newcomers experiencing the wonder of rowing down the Grand Canal for the first time.

The adventure began with transporting the boats to Venice. Eddie and Nini Markes and Ronnie Maddox took the northern route around Switzerland so that they could pick up “essential” supplies in Alsace. George Dimitropoulos and I raced back with only one night on the road as there was a very quick turnaround before the Nottingham Masters Championships the following weekend. We felt we had the trailering game under control, but we also know that pride comes before a fall!

Some early arrivers on the Friday afternoon were able to attend a book launch at the Palazzo Brandolini, one of the magnificent houses on the Grand Canal. The event celebrated the publication of Love from Venice: A Golden Summer on the Grand Canal by Gill Johnson, who is the mother of Rory Ross. The book recalls her time as nanny of the Brandolini family in 1957. It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in Venice or that era. We were delighted to meet Gill and members of the very elegant and hospitable Brandolini family.

The social whirl continued with dinner at the suitably named restaurant Terazza dei Nobili organised by Miles Preston. His programme continued with dinner in the garden of Antica Locanda Montin on the Saturday and the traditional Sunday evening drinks party hosted by Nick Blair-Fish at his home Ca Malcanton, which was attended by more than 60 people including friends at other participating clubs.

Our three crews took historic names of the city: La Dominante, La Serenissima and The Floating City. Readers might be able to guess which was which.

As we approached the start of the event, we heard a shout of encouragement from David Whitten. This was surprising because he should have been on the water in a City Barge crew. It transpired that when practising the day before out of the Querini Club on the northern side of Venice, his boat took on water and sank! Fortunately, the water was warm, the crew stayed with the boat and nobody was hurt. The cox took a couple of mouthfuls of the lagoon without any after-effects. Initially two or three small pleasure boats stopped, followed by a small work boat and a water taxi. Before long two fire boats, two ambulances and the coastguard appeared. It must have been quite a scene! The episode made the newspaper the following day in an article no doubt written by the PR department of the coastguard, which saved the day.

If you would like to participate in next year’s Vogalonga on 24th May, please send an email to Andrew Boyle here expressing interest. We would like to make plans as early as possible as there might be options to source different types of boats closer to Venice (other than the one David used!).

Andrew Boyle

WOMEN AT LONDON ROWING CLUB

My introduction to London came via a broken-down towing vehicle and the non-appearance of my College crew at Kingston Head in March 1995. I was standing under a tree near Kingston RC and I was approached by a very tall individual – Rupert Hare – who asked me if I was available to steer a crew. Whilst I was explaining to him that I was waiting for my crew, a Jesus College, Cambridge rower appeared and relayed that my crew (King’s College), were stranded on the M11 and wouldn’t make it. Rupert then asked if I was happy to cox his crew as they didn’t have a cox (I never got to the bottom of why they arrived at a race without one, especially as they were going off in 2nd place!)

I must have done a decent job as after the race, Rupert asked me if I would be interested in joining LRC as a cox after I graduated in June and I, of course, said yes.

Back then, LRC was all men, and the only females ‘members’ allowed were coxes or coaches and we were defined as ‘non-rowing members.’ There were no women’s changing rooms, just the Ladies Toilets, which were basic at best, no facilities where we could get warm between outings or hang our wet kit(unless you braved the drying room..), and nowhere secure to store a change of kit and valuables unless you were friends with one of the Resi’s, had a car, or if you could persuade the Chief Coach to let you leave a bag in his office (and risk not being able to access it when needed).

Being a female cox at London, or rather surviving being one,then, carried a level of sheer bloody mindedness, a very thick skin and diplomacy, which at times, would try the most patient of us. It was, quite honestly, very misogynistic and discriminatory in some quarters, highly competitive in a frequently brutal way and Resi’s was in most part, completely feral! It was all boys together and an attitude of ‘what goes on tour, stays on tour’ from some of the squad.

I was lucky on two fronts, I wanted to learn, particularly in that first year as I was returning to Cambridge to trial for The Boat Race, and secondly, I had a few people who looked out for me and answered my endless questions; Martin Harris and Gordon Gillespie, (my two Scottish ‘brothers’) and Mark Hawes who taught me all the skills I needed to navigate the Tideway.

Social media didn’t exist then as the internet and email were in their infancy then and many of the exploits of the Club were recounted in ‘The Twickenham Slug’, authored by a university friend of mine which kept us all up to date with what was going on in the world of rowing (aka gossip). My crews occasionally featured:

SLOW DOWN, DAMN YOU!

Elsewhere on the Tideway, the slug is glad to hear that big handbags are also being brandished, and toys sent flying at all angles from that bastion of manly pride, London Row-ing (as in BICKER-ing) Club. For apparently the "B" coxed four has been going a teeny bit faster than the "A" crew and even a swap of personnel has not been able to stop the rot.

The great Gonzo is not, apparently, amused, and is said to be thinking of renaming the "B" four the "Z" four in an attempt to slow the little b**strds down!

The slug wonders in the light of all these revelations whether AK might actually have a chance of winning this year!"

In my first few years at London, I coxed alongside Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Miller (now Hare) and we supported each other and cheered each other on. We worked in partnership during outings, alongside the coaches, aiming to get the best out of our crews. She has the best voice for coxing too and some of the boys used to wax lyrical about her voice; ‘she could make us do anything’ which taught me just how much impact a cox’s voice has. I learned a huge amount from her – she was and is an amazing person and a great cox. As London’s first female Olympian (Sydney 2000), I am so proud that she now has a women’s eight named after her; something that is long overdue, and every time I look up and see her name on the honours board, I smile as it was and is, a massive achievement.

Both of us were forged in the fire of LRC. We survived and we both had the unforgettable opportunity to cox and compete with one another in the first Remenham Challenge Cup at Henley Royal in 2002 – sadly, not as LRC, but as Oxford Brookes (Lottie) and Tideway Scullers (me). We raced each other in the final, and for Lottie, it was her second Henley medal ((she won the Thames with LRC in 1998). I still remember her telling me it would be my turn next. I was in awe of her and so proud of her at the same time. I also remember the Umpire and timing team coming up to both of us afterwards and commenting that they had never witnessed two coxes so supportive of one another and hugging for that long on the pontoon!

I did 5 seasons in the senior squad at LRC whilst it was still an all-male Club and having returned in 2023, I can safely say, it’s a much better place to be in so many ways. For starters, there is a women’s changing rooms, something we could only dream of, a gym which doesn’t require artic level kit when observing ergs during winter, i.e. Space for women to thrive and compete on equal terms. My proudest moment this year was coxing a LRC women’s crew to a gold medal at the British Master’s Championships – something I did not and could not visualise or imagine doing in my 20s at London. There’s still a way to go and more to achieve so I will leave you with the following:

Row as One by K Donlan
The invisible hands of countless women created this magic
The endured the pain and loneliness of pioneers so that we may row
Perseverance formed clubs
Determination built boathouses Hope sat at the starting line and courage carried them over the finish
Prejudice crystallised their vision
Women can row, compete and win
When you think you cannot go on
Pull for the woman in front of you,
Row with the power of those who rowed before you
Row for those yet to come
Row as one.

Julie Hogg
LRC cox (1995-2001), (2023-)

J H B Rew.

We are sorry to report the death on 7th June , at the age of 84, of John Harry Bruce Rew, a longtime member, who was Hon.Treasurer for five years in the early 2000s.

John could not have had a more illustrious family connection with the Club, and seemingly must have had blue and white blood in his veins. Both his father, Charles Rew, and his uncle, Archie Nisbet, were Vice Presidents, and had successful rowing careers before WWII. His father rowed in the GB VIII at the 1924 Paris Olympics, coming 4th (Hugh Dulley’s father, Peter, was as it happens in the same crew).

Archie Nisbet won a silver medal in a M2- (with Terry O’Brien, LRC representing GB in this class) at the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam and was later awarded an OBE for services to rowing. Chris Dodd’s history of the Club devotes several paragraphs to his father and uncle.

John joined as a cadet member in 1952 and was one of the very few left today who featured in the printed 1956 Centenary programme which included a full list of members. He rowed for Radley College at Henley in the PE Cup in 1958 and for Jesus College, Cambridge, in the Thames Challenge Cup in 1960 (Jesus were beaten by London in the first round). He also rowed for Goldie and it is reckoned that he might have earned a Blue in his final year but for being sent down. He never rowed for London at Henley, but was no mean sculler, one year finishing in the top six in the Scullers’ Head. He had a good pair of lungs, and his booming voice as a supporter could be heard way up the towpath.

Away from the river, John qualified as a chartered accountant and pursued a career in the City. A lively obituary in the 30th June issue of the Daily Telegraph(and on the web) – this is recommended reading - is headed “John Rew, relentless campaigner who helped to secure Lloyd’s Names a £3bn settlement”.

He was persuaded to come and run the Club’s finances in 2001 after the previous treasurer, Maurice Rayner, had fallen ill and had had to step down.

John had a memorably laid back way of reporting at the General Committee’s monthly meetings, but saw the Club successfully through the next five years at a crucial time – (a) the Club’s 150th anniversary celebrations and projects; and (b) overseeing most of the stages of the £890k project, led by Alan Foster – namely, the women’s changing rooms; what is now the Ashton Room at the back over the rear of the upstream boat bays; and a new side entrance for rowers off Spring Passage. The project is summarised in ‘On Finches Field’ published early last year.

John was generous to his friends, and he will be much missed.

LRC’S WORLD WAR II FALLEN

This is the second of two articles to appear in The London Roar to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of hostilities in World War II. The first article was published in last May’s issue and covered the 13 members who fell in the European theatre.

This article covers 14 London men who fell in Africa, in naval incidents in the Mediterranean, and in the Indian Subcontinent and the Far East . It coincides with the 80th anniversary of VJ Day this month . The names include those of a number of Australian members who had come to the UK in the 1930s to take university degrees.

Two in the list, C C H Davis and A R Jardine, wereMentioned in Despatches.

Two others, T Turner and D J Wilson, were in a London crew which competed in Melbourne in 1934.

The crew which visited Melbourne. T Turner is at stroke and D J Wilson at 5. Photo donated by Paul Reedy.

All London’s WWII Fallen are commemorated on the memorial board at the top of the entrance stairs in the clubhouse.

AFRICA/MEDITERRANEAN

Bentinck Howard Cumberland. Captain, The Loyal Regiment (North Lancashire), 1st Battalion. Killed in action on 30th April 1943, aged 25. Interred at Massicault War Cemetery, Tunisia, grave V.M.3. Elected 1936.

Cecil Clement Hood Davis. Flight Lieutenant RAFVR. Killed in action on 20th November 1942. Commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt. Mentioned in Despatches. Elected 1932. Rowed in Grand crew 1936.

Herbert Hugh Elliot. Pilot Officer, RAFVR. Killed in action on 13th July 1942, aged 33. Commemorated at Nanyuki War Cemetery, Kenya. BA Cantab. Elected 1932. On Committee 1938. Rowed in the Thames Challenge Cup in 1937, 1938 and 1939.

Maurice Swithinbank. Sub Lieutenant (A), RNVR, HMS St Angelo (Fleet Air Arm), 830 Squadron. Swordfish pilot. Reported missing, presumed killed, on 7th February 1942 and commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent (Hants) Memorial, bay 4, panel 2. Elected 1938. Rowed for First Trinity, Cambridge, in the Thames Challenge Cup in 1937, and in First Trinity’s Ladies Plate crews in 1938 and 1939.

Donald James Wilson. Lieutenant, RNVR. Killed in action on board the Leander-class cruiser HM S Neptune, mined on 19th December 1941 off the coast of Libya. Aged 29, and interred in Tobruk War Cemetery, Libya, grave 2.F.22. BA Cantab. Australian. Elected 1934. Rowed for Clare College, Cambridge, in the Ladies Plate 1932 (with O L R Hills qv) and 1933, also the Visitors’ in 1933. In the winning Cambridge crew in the 1934 Boat Race. Rowed for Leander in 1934 (winning Grand crew) and in the Grand and Stewards in 1936. A member of the London crew (with T Turner, see below) which racedand won at Melbourne with LRC in 1934 (see photo).

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT AND THE FAR EAST

Robert Wylie Burns Cuming. Flight Lieutenant, Royal Australian Air Force. Killed in action on 20thJanuary 1942, aged 30. Interred at Ambon War Cemetery, Indonesia, coll. grave II.D.5-16. Elected 1933. Rowed in both the Thames and the Wyfold Challenge Cups in 1934.

John Oswald Valentine Edwards. Captain, East Surrey Regiment, seconded to Burma Frontier Force. Killed in action on 10th April 1942 at Paungde, Burma, aged 30. Commemorated on Rangoon Memorial, face 13. Elected 1932 (won OUBC Challenge Pairs the same year). He was the youngest of three brothers who allstarted successful rowing careers at Westminster School. Two of the brothers lost their lives in WWII. The surviving brother was the London member, Group Captain H R A (Jumbo) Edwards DFC AFC, the well-known post-war rowing coach.

Ronald James Huddy. Lieutenant, Royal Armoured Corps. Killed in action on 21st November 1944. Interred in Delhi War Cemetery, grave 3.B.9. Elected 1939.

Alexander Russell Jardine. Captain, Royal Engineers, seconded to Queen Victoria’s Own Madras Sappers and Miners. Also served with Calcutta Light Horse. Killed in action on 31st January 1942, aged 27. Commemorated on Rangoon Memorial, face 3. BA Cantab (Clare College). Mentioned in Despatches. Elected 1936. Rowed for Clare College in the Thames Challenge Cup 1935 and the Ladies Plate in1936.

Frederick Ewen Cameron Loxton. Major, Australian Infantry A.I.F. 2/9 Battalion. Killed in action on 21st January 1944, aged 31. Interred in Lae War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea, grave F.B.6. BA, LL.B Cantab (Pembroke College). Elected 1931.

Henry Charles MacNamara. Lieutenant, Royal Artillery. Killed in action on 16th July 1944, aged 55. Interred in Stanley Military Cemetery, Hong Kong, grave 4.A.5. Elected 1911. Rowed in the Thames Cup in 1911 (in a crew stroked by C W (Jock) Wise, later President of the Club).

John Turnbull. Flying Officer, Royal Australian AF. Killed in action on 1st January 1942, aged 25, and commemorated on Ambon Memorial, Indonesia, col. 8. BA Cantab, Dip Agr. Elected 1936 as an undergraduate member. Rowed for Clare College, Cambridge, in the Ladies Plate in 1936 and (winners) in 1937 and in the Grand in 1938. Also rowed for Leander in the Stewards’ in 1938 (winning crew) and in the Grand in 1939. Won Gold medal in the English VIII at British Empire Games, Sydney, in 1938 under the colours of Clare College, Cambridge (with B S Beazley, D G Kingsford and T Turner, qvv). Rowed in the winning Cambridge crew in the Boat Race in 1939.

William Mackay Turnbull. Lieutenant, Royal Artillery, 162 Field Regiment. Killed in action on 17th January 1943 aged 22, and commemorated on Rangoon Memorial, Burma, face 2. BA Cantab. Australian. Elected 1938.

Timothy Turner. Captain, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 2nd Battalion. Died on 7thJune 1943, aged 32, probably in a typhoid epidemic at a Japanese prisoner of war camp and commemorated at Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand, Sp. Mem. 9.M.4. This cemetery was one of three associated with the construction and maintenance of the infamous Japanese Burma-Siam Railway. Son of Colonel J E Turner, CMG, DSO, formerly of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles); his mother was a member of the well-known Nickalls rowing family. Elected 1929. The finest London stroke of his generation. His record at stroke included: the winning Thames Cup crew of 1931; the winning Grand crew of 1933; the winning HORR crews in 1933 and 1934; and the LRC crew which visited and won at Melbourne in 1934 (see photo). He also competed in the Grand in 1934. He then emigrated to Australia in 1935 to work for Dalgety’s.

Arguably his greatest personal achievement was to win a Gold medal in the English VIII at the British Empire Games, Sydney, in 1938 after having been brought into the crew 12 days before the Games started, and four years after having retired from competitive rowing.

An LRC annual report mentions that, after the War, Colonel Turner donated furniture for the Members’ Room in his son’s memory. This was still in use into the 1960s.
……………………
The information in this article is largely derived from Commonwealth War Graves Commission data, Henley Royal Regatta race records and LRC annual reports. It was first researched for and published in The London Roar in 2020/21.

JULIAN EBSWORTH, UNSUNG HERO

Every Club has its unsung heroes. London is no exception. The one I have in mind is Julian Ebsworth who has been the Club’s archivist for the last twenty-four years and is now standing down.

I asked him how it was that he came to assume his role. This was his response;

‘I retired from the civil service (DTI and two spells with the FCO, including 5 years in Washington) in 2001, when we all had to leave on reaching 60. What to do? I decided to volunteer at LRC, hoping to combine it with some sculling. Silly fellow. I was certainly given lots to do and took on the Asst. Hon. Sec., later Hon. Sec., posts. We had a voluntary librarian, Tony Owen, who was doing a great job, but sadly he passed away. The sculling never happened as my back did not co-operate!

My main interest, I have to confess, has been the pictures, the boards and the memorabilia. I soon realised in 2001 that much needed to be done if LRC was to be a fit place to show off its history, and I was spurred on by the looming 150th anniversary in 2006. Hon. Treasurers were very supportive and agreed budgets for the work required. The 6s & 7s have also played a crucial part in all this, and I can't thank them enough.’

I also asked Julian if he could let me have a list of the projects he has been involved in since 2001 and this is what he has let me have;

Nearly all of the projects listed below were overseen by ad hoc sub-committees to ensure an inclusive management of the work done.

History of Club

LRC was the one major UK rowing club which had never published a history.

Selection of Chris Dodd as author, and of Michael Dover as project manager; providing research support to Chris; 2004-6. 150th anniversary project. Over 1,000 copies of the book have been sold, supplementing the Club’s income.

Re-organising Honours Boards in Long Room

Previously honours boards comprised the names of all LRC participants at HRR, entered in manuscript by calligraphers, but series had stopped in 1970s. It was agreed to introduce boards listing winning crews only (over 100).

Choosing graphic designer and selecting the digital technology to produce the new boards and arranging their printing and putting in existing frames. 2003-6. 150th anniversary project.

International honours boards

There had never been any such boards up in the Clu

Identifying from Rowing Almanacks the names of over 200 GB internationals from 1908 onwards, and checking all entries with living members. Choosing a signwriter to produce the boards and putting them up in entrance area. 2003-6. 150th anniversary project.

Officer boards

Previously names of officers had been entered on boards of a different design which were not displayed in the Long Room, and space for names had run out several years before.

New boards designed and produced as per the Honours Boards above. 2003-6. 150th anniversary project.

Wingfields, Scullers’ Head, British Empire/Commonwealth Games, Doggett Coat and Badge winners’ boards

There had never been any such boards up in the Club.

Names researched from Rowing Almanacks and LRC annual reports. The Wingfields list dates back to A. A. Casamajor in 1856 and comprises over 30 LRC winners. Same format as other Long Room boards. Introduced gradually in the period 2006-14.

Pictures and photos

There has been a continuous restoration programme as funds permit and security fixings have been provided for virtually all of the items on the walls (whereas 25 years ago this was an exception).

The display of pictures and photos was overhauled for the 150th anniversary, and now includes items which hitherto had been stored in the archives, including a bronze war memorial plaque.

“London Rowing Club. Members who Gave their Lives in the Great War. 1914-18”

Produced in 2018 to mark the centenary of the Armistice in WWI. An in-house project, including the graphic design. Recently re-printed.

“On Finches Field. The Home of London Rowing Club since 1871”

Published in February 2024. Another in-house project, to mark the 150th anniversary of the clubhouse building.’

I am sure you will agree that this is a remarkable tally of achievements. Huge thanks go to him for all he has done for us all.

With Julian standing down, Jeremy Hudson, who many members will already know, is assuming the all important role of Club Archivist. Julian will be a hard act to follow but I feel sure Jeremy will continue to keep the Club’s records in excellent order.

Miles Preston

CASAMAJOR CLUB

The Casamajor Club has just paid LRC the sum of £4,500 for boat maintenance.

This represents the surplus funds contributed by all the kind Casamajor lottery players over the last year and also includes wins that have been donated back to the Club. Our thanks go to everyone contributing.

Would you like to join in the fun? Then for only a fiver a month you could win £75 in our quarterly draws or £600 at Christmas.

Go online now and sign up at Gocardless

Here are the July quarter’s Casamajor winners:

£75 wins:
Jon Andrew
Tom Blackett
Ray Cassidy
Alastair Christie
Jamie Halliday
Hugh Samuel
David Whitten
Richard Columbine

£30 wins:
Simon Melvin
Nick Cooper
Ed Birrell

£15 wins:
Andrew Lawrence
Edwin Walker

John Auber

REPORTING SAFETY INCIDENTS

All members are reminded that if you are involved in or witness a water safety incident, you are required to report it using the following email address – safety@londonrc.org.uk

The Club will file any necessary reports on your behalf with British Rowing and the PLA. Members should not submit reports directly to either body.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My thanks to everyone who has contributed to this edition of the London Roar. If you have an idea for an article or would be interested in submitting a piece for inclusion in a future edition, please email me on miles.preston@londonrc.org.uk

Please do not submit an article without first liaising with me.

Miles Preston
Editor of The London Roar