It’s the Easter holiday and Boat Race time again, or perhaps we should say University Boat Races these days: there are four of them and all the crews row the often tricky 4 1/4 miles gauntlet of Tideway conditions from Putney to Mortlake. The Oxford and Cambridge Men’s and Women’s Reserve Crews race off first, followed by the main Women’s Race and lastly and most famous, the Men’s Race.  As most Emanuelites will know, the school boathouse is situated on the course near Barnes Bridge, so a big hats off again to those responsible for its superb siting and construction all those years ago. It is always a pleasure to be at the boathouse watching on television the broadcast lead up and start of the race and then, some ten minutes later, watch the crews pass by just a few yards away on their historic trail – providing there are no mishaps, like sinking, of course!

Boat Race – Cambridge in the lead, opposite ESBC at Barnes, 1968

A camera has never been very far away from my trigger finger since 1967. More recently, in curating the photographic proceeds of this pursuit over half a century, many previously forgotten films have come to light including the rowing shots shown here. They demonstrate how highly regarded our school crews were in elite rowing in those days. Dan Kirmatzis has kindly contributed a brief but wide appraisal of the development of our school crews in this regard, giving a background to these recently scanned films which show training outings with Cambridge in 1968 and Oxford in 1970. Both were captured by me as documentarian rather than rowing on those occasions.

It is considered an honour and valuable experience for school crews to be chosen to pace the university crews in training and the photos show the then headmaster, Charles Kuper, in attendance in the school launch with school boatman and coach, John Cork, alongside the university launch with an entourage of coaching team and press on board.

Coaching and press launches Oxford outing 1970

John Cork and Charles Kuper in launch, Putney 1970

In 1968, the only OE oarsman in a Boat Race crew was Jon Hawksley at 3 in the Oxford boat. However, on the other side was his legendary coach from Emanuel days, Derek Drury, serving as a member of the Cambridge team.  On the day, Cambridge won the race and did the same over the next few years with another OE, Dick Clarke, winning in 1972 and beating his OE crewmate Hawksley in the process. Then in 1974 another of their OE crewmates stopped the rot with a superb row – Nic Tee was rowing at bow and Oxford won in a time of 17 mins 35 secs, breaking the course record by 15 secs. The following year Nic became President of the OUBC but this time the crew succumbed to Cambridge in the race.

Under instruction (outing with Cambridge 1968)

Emanuel 1st VIII crossing to the Surrey station at Barnes, 1968

1st VIII chasing Cambridge past the bandstand, 1968

The photos of the preparations for the outing at the Putney boathouses and the Emanuel 1st VIII pacing Oxford in 1970 are particularly significant.

1st VIII prepping at Putney 1970

CCK and boat prepping at Putney

Oxford going afloat at Putney, 1970

They feature a Dale brother in each boat: Nick stroking Emanuel and his elder brother Jerry at 5, behind Nic Tee at 7, in the Oxford boat.  Both were exceptional oarsman who went on to compete at international level in many events. Jerry also returned to Emanuel as a teacher for several years.

ESBC and Oxford start outing at Putney, 1970

ESBC and Oxford preparing to row at Putney Bridge, 1970

ESBC pacing Oxford along Fulham Reach, 1970

The Emanuel 1st VIII for these outings were: Bow P.K. Brown, R.E. Damone, C.G. Aplin, P.D. Simmons, A.J. Allen, I.J. Callender, V. Pardhy, Stroke M.J. Mannerson, Cox B.L. Hipkin (1968); Bow C.A. Eldridge, R.P. Davies, S.J. Rickman, C.M. Drury, A.H. Todd, T.E. Cousins, I.R. Bonser, Stroke N.P. Dale, Cox R.A. Parsons (1970).

At this point I will hand over to Dan Kirmatzis for further insight:-

Max Browne (OE1964-69)

 

Pacing Oxford and Cambridge is generally the preserve of premier clubs or university crews, but by the late 1950s, Emanuel crews were doing just that. It was all down to the vision of one man – Derek Drury – Emanuel rowing master from 1955 to 1966. When Derek arrived at Emanuel in the mid-1950s, Emanuel rowed out of other clubs such as Thames and Vesta in Putney. With incredible foresight, he persuaded the then headmaster, Jack Grundy, who had been a pupil at Emanuel himself and had coxed and rowed, that what Emanuel needed was its own boathouse. Jack was enthused and Derek approached the Wates brothers, also OEs, to help finance the project. The Wates – who ran one of the country’s leading construction firms and who were one of the few firms in the Second World War to construct the Mulberry harbours – the artificial piers which helped the Allies deliver the supplies they needed to liberate Europe after D-Day – gave £30,000 for the boathouse to be built. With funding secured from Wates, the selling of a corner of the Old Emanuel grounds, Blagdons, and the efforts of parents and pupils alike, Emanuel School Boat House opened in March 1960. It was to be the start of a remarkable decade.

Derek, his team of coaches and support staff including John Cork, the boatman and coach, Peter Jones – who later became rowing master, as well as a handful of others, produced record breaking crews. By the end of the ‘60s they had won the Schools’ Head a record 7 times in one decade, won the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup at Henley Royal Regatta, broke the Head of the River record for fastest schoolboy eight, and were finalists in the Ladies’ Challenge Plate. From these mid-60s crews came two University of Oxford Boat Club Presidents – Jerry Dale (1971) and Nic Tee (1975); in addition to Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Club oarsmen, John Hawksley and Richard Clarke.

Emanuel began pacing Oxford crews in 1957 before the Head season and the Boat Race. Derek was at Oxford himself, although not one of the premier oarsman, he was skilled in learning from the best. In the 1960s, Derek made Emanuel into the premier rowing school in the UK, the first time a grammar school had outshone the public schools in national rowing events.

After leaving Emanuel in 1966, Derek went on to coach Leander, Oxford and Cambridge crews for several years, as well as coaching at Shiplake College and eventually settling in Dorset, where he coached Canford School. There is a memorial plaque dedicated to him at the gates of Leander Club in Henley.

Max Browne rowed in one of the magnificent ‘60s crews and was a finalist in the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup in 1969. This recent photographic discovery from his archives shows the extent of Emanuel involvement with both Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs in the late ‘60s premier league rowing in the UK.

Dan Kirmatzis (OE1994-2001)