The archives now include a fully indexed photo library spanning over 200 crews from 1867 to the present day, an almost complete set of Bumps Supper menu cards, and an assortment of Bumps Programmes and newspaper clippings, as well as the Presidents and Captains books up to 1966. Everything has been fully indexed and is now officially housed in the Modern Archive Centre of the College Library, where it can be accessed by anyone who so wishes.
We are currently compiling a full list of Kings oarsmen and women. Our primary source of information are the Captains and Presidents books, and the Bumps Supper menu cards. To date we have compiled nearly 6,000 names stretching back to the Clubs foundation in 1858.
Presented in the centre of this issue is the final version of the historical bumps chart that we have compiled for the men, as well as a list of all Kings Blues, Colours and Internationals that we could find. We are also compiling a historical bumps chart for the women and hope to distribute it with the next issue of Henrys Eight. As part of the Mays Events of 1997, we are hoping to unveil a board honouring all Kings Blues, Colours and Internationals. If you have any corrections or additions to the historical data presented here, or indeed any information on Kings oarswomen and bumps positions, please send them to me.
Some alumni have sent us stories of historic events and in future we hope from time to time to publish some of them in Henrys Eight, starting in this issue. If you have a great story (ideally with photos to go with it) to tell, do please send it to me. Finally, we would like to thank all alumni who have shared their memorabilia and memories, happy and otherwise, with us. Please keep them coming!
Allison Bean, is a graduate student who rowed for the womens first eight
in 94/95 and is now the secretary & archivist of the Alumni Association.
In summary, this novice term must have been one of the best in recent history. The Mens and Womens Captains, the respective Novice-Coordinators and some senior members of the Club have put some considerable effort into developing a strong base for the year. The results and the sheer number of freshers who took up rowing for Kings speak for themselves and the squad established this term will be very much in demand over the remainder of the academic year.
The men face the task of pushing into the first boats in the Lents (with Downing II as the last second eight between themselves and the higher-placed first boats). With only four senior oars remaining from last year, the input of a strong novice squad will be crucial.
The women retain three senior rowers and are determined to reverse the
drop of recent years - again the effort invested this Michaelmas will
hopefully yield dividends in the Lent and May races.
Rowing for both men and women at Kings has seen both the highs and the lows of the collegiate divisions, from 4th in the Lents 1897 (notice the centenary approaching!), and 5th in the Mays 1923, to 34th in the Lents 1988 and 36th in the Mays 1987 (see here). KCBC has also contributed rowers both at the Blues level and internationally (see here), as well as providing hundreds of Kings students, at all levels of rowing, with a lot of fun and achievement. As Roger Street (1957) put it, 1957-60 were some of the happiest years of my life with KCBC making a contribution.
The numbers of oarsmen and women rowing over the years have changed considerably. The heydays in the fifties commonly saw at least four mens Lent crews and up to seven mens May crews in 1950. As Brian Greenwood (1956) remembers; at that time the Kings VIII was a respectable boat. At the other end of the scale it has sometimes been a struggle to scratch one crew together for the bumps. For example in 1862, Kings, revolutionary as ever, broke the mould by having to row the Mays with only six oarsmen on board. The decision was made with the foresight that in future years Kings would have a full crew. The only alternative being that the boat was not entered (thus loosing its place in the division). From the Captains Book, it is not apparent why Kings were forced to compete with six oars; only that the Lent boat had had difficulties. However, this VI only went down two overall, managing to bump Clare II on the third day and rowing over on the fourth! Similarly, in 1959 as recorded by Graham Hutchinson (1958), the first Lent boat had to row with four last minute subs due to a flu epidemic and unfortunately went down four places.
How much of the essential nature of the Boat Club has changed? From reading through the numerous and colourful letters that we have received, not much it seems! The same curses can befall any person who rows, whenever and however. Anyone who has ever rowed may be able to sympathise with fellow oarsmen of days gone by which have been the victim of disaster during a race.
For example, Brian Greenwood (1956) writes: Jim Pears and I rowed in the spare-mens pairs held shortly before the main regatta at Henley. I remember this particularly because when practising on a day or two before the race, the clip on the top of my gate snapped, precipitating us both into the river opposite the Stewards Enclosure much to our embarrassment. We emerged dripping wet to be told by a pink-jacketed old gentleman to get back into the boat and finish the course, which somehow we did.
Of course, no stories of racing adventures would be complete without the continuing pile-ups of bumps racing in Cambridge as Ronald Ingle (1945) reminds us: I remember our 2nd VIII made a bump in the Gut. We had pulled into the side opposite the towpath. There was a general pile-up of boats. One boat, still trying to get through, lost control and tore into us. The bow went between the struts of my rigger (at 5), forced them apart and came to a stop. I think if it hadnt been for the rigger I would have been transfixed. About 18 inches of bow fell into my lap and hung thereafter in my room for the duration.
Or the personal horror and humiliation of catching a crab as Alan Moray Williams (1934) describes: All went reasonably well (rowing) until the Lents. Tim Mumby, who I suppose was Captain of Boats, was whizzing along the towpath in time with us and shouting encouragement to us through a megaphone. He was a very popular coach and inspired our highest efforts. Perhaps because I was a new oarsman he devoted some attention especially to me and kept saying well rowed, three! Well rowed three!. This excited me so much that alas I caught a crab!!! And our boat went down 3 or 4 places. It was the end of my rowing experience and I still shudder at the memory.
Naturally, equipment failure at crucial moments can provide ample excuses for race catastrophes, such as Paul Stonehart (1959) recalls: In the annual row against Queens College London on the Tideway, the borrowed boat was rickety and we didnt know what was going on. Queens started and took a length before we knew the race had begun. In the excitement, David Quarmby at 3 fell off his slide and tumbled to the bottom of the boat. Roger Street was yelling for us to get going since Queens was disappearing; so we paddled along, passed the Queens boat and rowed until we could no longer see the Queens boat or the Umpires launch behind us due to bridges and bends in the river, and we stopped, reckoning we had won so we had. And as Joe Tatton-Brown (1961) explains at a knockout regatta in Bedford: We were doing quite well until someones seat jammed - how often does this happen?- he managed to hold on to his oar to get it out of the way, but it did impair progress and we were rapidly overtaken.
Getting to the race itself can often be a challenge as shown by William Colles (1933): I still have two oars for getting four bumps in Kings II in 1935. The May oar shows my name and Alan Turing. You may not know why. Both crews had overbumps to celebrate at a training dinner and more beer than normal was drunk. Leaving Hall, a roughhouse started outside, I was pushed down the steps and ricked my ankle. Back in my room in pain, it was obvious to our cox that I could not row.
Some rowers, however, seem simply to be unnecessary and innocent victims of fate, such as Joe Tatton-Brown (1961) who writes: We had to race for a bridge, turn round and come back. I felt we werent doing terribly well and managed to capsize us as we were changing direction. And you need not be actually rowing to fall victim of the river as Roger Street (1957) explains: Richard Irons and I entered the Forster Fairbairn pairs under Claude Lesters coaching. Claude in his excitement got the wobbles on his bike and cycled into the river as we crossed the line.
Apart from the frequent unreliability of the technicalities of rowing equipment and the physical (and emotional) stress and punishment of racing, the river itself is the source of much danger. In our case it is the Cam that features in most daily rowing outings. So what can the Cam throw at us? These days the most threatening features, apart from novice eights and some mens first eights, are namely swans and the Georgina (amongst other cruisers). Times haven't changed as Brian Greenwood (1957) illustrates.
Firstly cruisers: One cold January morning, we turned one of the corners near to the boathouse to be confronted by a large cruiser out of control in the middle of the river with a drunken captain. I was rowing at 3 and at a scream from the cox I turned to see the cruiser bearing down on us. I and number 2 decided to abandon the boat and dive overboard to avoid being hit. The water was only just above freezing, with snow on the banks and ice floating in the water. The shock was sufficient to stop me breathing and I had to struggle to reach the bank as did my aquatic colleague. Unlike us, bow kept his head and stood up on his seat grabbing the prow of the cruiser as it crunched into the VIII. He was left hanging above the water. At the commotion that all this caused, the female companion of the captain of the launch appeared from below, took over the wheel and steered to the bank, dropping off bow without getting his feet wet. The VIII was damaged but not as seriously as might have been anticipated as the cruiser had been going fairly slowly, something that we had not had time to register when deciding whether or not to abandon ship.
Secondly swans: One notable event was a swan that nested for several weeks beyond the range of normal daily outings but which had to be passed on longer outings. She strongly disapproved of VIIIs, which she would attack, viciously breaking an oar on one occasion that I was in the VIII, and reputedly breaking the arm of an oarsman in another college boat.
Never let is be said that Kings is not capable of the (often drunken) tradition that seems to infect other college Boat Clubs. As William Colles (1933) writes: Having got four bumps we were entitled to burn one. They cost about £100 in 1935/6. Carrying it back to College after passing Jesus there was heated discussion as to whether we were a vehicle or a pedestrian. Even in those days it stopped all traffic. Inside the college the boat was taken over to Cam to the college field and the bonfire got ready. Responsible for two drums of paraffin, I was advised by the college staff NOT to put the paraffin on before Bump Supper or the rugger club would burn it first. Two of us changed out of evening dress into grey flannels and started sloshing paraffin over the boat. With a well lubricated audience watching, someone had to throw a lighted match at us with our trousers soaked in paraffin. Fortunately it went out. The Cam was only thirty yards away with an iron fence between me and the river. I have shuddered ever since when I think of it.
Finally, let us consider who and what the Kings Rower is? He/she has ranged from: After the Daily Telegraph had pronounced that the Kings boat was the one to beat, there was great curiosity of the river (Paul Stonehart, 1959) to When the First May Boat was first driven by Adrian Cadbury actually to win our oars, it was reported that there was considerable grumbling among older Kingsmen that such excessive physical exertion was not really appropriate for Kingsmen (George Marshall, 1950).
In conclusion, Kings Boat Club, although changed in position and number, has changed little in essence over the years. Boaties are boaties, and the same disasters and triumphs affect all of us who have rowed.
Allison Bean, Alumni Association Secretary & Archivist.
Please address all correspondence to:
The Alumni Association Secretary, Kings College Boat Club, 842 King's College,
Cambridge CB2 1ST. Fax: 01223-331347.
E-mail: kings-boatclub-request@lists.cam.ac.uk
Written contributions to Henry's Eight on any Boat Club topic would be
gratefully received and should be sent or faxed to the Alumni Association
Secretary.
By the end of January 1997 the Boat Club intends to hand all future committee business over to Christopher Saunders, who will commence running the Steering Committee as a separate body. At its first meeting, it will then be up to the Steering Committee to define its own aims and objectives within the broad bounds set by the constitution, namely providing advice, support, expertise and continuity in the face of the constant change of student oarsmen and women.
Applications to become a member of the Steering Committee are still being encouraged and if you would like to join, or if you would like to receive further information, please contact the Alumni Association Secretary before 31/1/97.