The document below was prepared by Margaret Smith (Chair of our club and volunteer for many years) as part of the 60th Anniversary celebrations.  I recently acquired a hardcopy and thought only fitting that it be included on our website.  Please take the time to read it and marvel at how things were better, worse or just different back then.

FOREWORD

 Having had so much pleasure during my life playing badminton, in this our Diamond Jubilee year I have endeavoured to collate some of the happenings in the Badminton Hall since it was built in 1923.

 MARGARET SMITH        JAN. 1984

 HOW IT BEGAN

 The popular story of how badminton got its name was that army personnel on leave from Poona, India, in the late nineteenth century were at the seat of the Duke of Beaufort at Badminton in Gloucestershire, when the English weather did its usual trick and rained on the guests in the park and drove them inside.  A cord was stretched across one of the large drawing rooms and the children’s battledores and shuttlecocks were used.

 Once again India cropped up when Robert arid Maud MacTier brought the game to Bedford from Bombay, where Robert was a commissioner of Police.  He got some friends together and introduced them to the game.  A secretary Mr. “Jumbo” Lacey was appointed. It is possible due to the army connection that it was first played in the Drill Hall in Ashburnham Road, Bedford.

 In 1923 Harry Wells of the famous Bedford brewing family had a hall purpose built in Bradgate Road alongside the tennis courts and this hall for many years the only one in East Anglia with three courts.  Mr. J. Devlin, the Irish International, came especially to design the screen lighting similar to that used at the Crystal Palace.  He, in later years, emigrated to the States where his daughter Judy also became a famous player.

 The offer of tenancy was given to Bedford and County Tennis Club, and the Committee accepted unanimously.  The building was completed and handed over on 2nd July, 1924.  The rent was £135 per annum, tenant paying the rates.  A sub section of the tennis club was created for Badminton.

 To celebrate the opening Harry Wells gave a large dinner party, with trestle tables stretching down the hall.  The first ladies singles champion, Molly Singleton, recalls that as a sixteen year old school girl it was her first taste of oysters.  She held that title for three years until she went abroad.

 It was Molly’s father who taught so many people to play.  He did so much for the benefit of the Club and so did his daughter and her husband later on.

 The first men’s champion was Reginald Tivey, followed by Sonny Parker and Arthur MacTier, son of Robert who started it all and whose sister Mona not only played badminton but was also a County tennis player.  Then came the reign of Geoffrey Goodall, who won the singles five times, and sister June in the ladies championships similarly.  June went to South Africa when she married and won the South African title.

 A CHAMPION

 In 1928 Daphne Young joined the club as a junior member.  She went from strength to strength and in 1931 won the girl’s singles from OWE 4, and the mixed doubles, beating in the semi-finals Dick Walker and Valerie Scott (who became Junior Wimbledon tennis champion and a Wightman Cup player).  In the finals Daphne and her partner beat Peter Page and Diana Martyn.  A.C. Miller and John Warrington were another formidable pair, with John setting up yet another partnership by marrying Daphne.

 In 1932 Frank Booth joined the club, he was already well known in other sporting areas such as hockey, table tennis, canoeing and later golf.  He won many titles and held various offices in the club up to 1976, when he retired as Chairman of the club.  He was instrumental in registering the present name of the club “Bedford and County Badminton Club”.

 In the open tournament of 1937 players included Ian Maconachie (later a Director of R.S.L. Shuttlecocks Ltd.) A E Harbot, Bill White, Hock Sin Ong, Jimmy Hone, the Nichols brothers, Queenie Allen, Karla Ruston.  By this time young Daphne had become a great player and was well on her way to winning major titles all over the country.  In the season 1937/38 she won the English, Irish, Welsh, Danish and Swedish titles.  She spoke on the radio show “In Town Tonight”, the Bedford players listening with great pride.  The Daily Mail cartoonist on sketching Daphne said “What a remarkable player and she smokes 50 cigarettes a day”.

 One All England title Daphne didn’t take was after stubbing her toe going up stone steps to a cafe near Broadcasting House for a coffee.  Consequently, after winning a set she wasn’t able to run, having broken the toe, and this let Mrs Walton of Canada take the title.  Unfortunately, war then broke out when she was in her prime.

 The photograph above appeared in the Daily Mail, where the Editor had added a tennis ball!

 At this time the club had many members who played in open tournaments in venues like Alexandra Palace, Crystal Palace, Muswell Hill, Westminster Horticultural Hall (where at one time the All England Championships were held), Earls Court, Grays Inn Courts, Portugal Place in Cambridge, Nottingham Bristol, Bath, Littlehampton, etc.  Joan Elphicke recalls playing in Crystal Palace shortly before it was burned down arid says how disappointed she was with the hall being draughty, cold and with bad lighting and inadequate changing rooms.  It didn’t in any way meet the standards of her hall.  Joan also said that the only time she won the Club singles was when Daphne Young didn’t play.

 THE POST WAR YEARS

 During the Second World War the hall was requisitioned (July 1940) and was used by the Ministry of Food as a flour storage depot, when it became a haven for rats in the vicinity. Badminton was played in the Ashburnham Drill flail yet again, and when the hall in Bradgate Road was de-requisitioned it was the case of the club re-forming from the nucleus of “20” club players.  Frank Booth and Norman Jones were the prime movers. Mr and Mrs John Warrington became yet again the leading players with Daphne’s brother Joe.  June Wheating (nee Goodall) returned later from Africa, and continued playing, coaching and greatly encouraging players until her death in her early sixties.  She was a great sportswoman of many abilities.

 Some of the members of the 5O’s are currently playing at the club: Esme Jones, Molly Hensman, Margaret Smith and Horace Rust.

 The club went from strength to strength.  There were some good players: Geoffrey Elliott (ex Middlesex player); Charles Ferguson the R.A.F. champion; Jimmie Dobbie; Douglas Young; Malcolm Theobald who in his prime emigrated to Australia; Bunty Basen; Pam Wheating and Georgina Lawrence (now Clark) who is currently umpiring tennis matches on the world circuit.

 Sunday tournaments were a feature with invited players from neighbouring counties.  Matches with Oxford and Cambridge universities and the R.A.F. took place with the club often victors.

 Some famous names have played in the hall in County matches and open tournaments.  Who remembers seeing: Judy Hasham (nee Devlin), Jane Webster, Eve (nee Twedberg) and Elliott Stuart, Paul Whetnall, Les Wright (the national coach), Bill and Andy Goode and recently at the junior open tournament Andrew Salvidge?

 There was a grand exhibition match arranged by Nancy Homer, the Scottish International, with many star players.  Tiered seats had to be erected to cope with the vast numbers of spectators.

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