History of Metropolitan Police Hockey Club
The Metropolitan Police Hockey Club originated in ‘K' Division about 1923/24, playing their games away because they had no home ground.
Some impetus was given to the formation by Lieut. Colonel Sir Percy Laurie, a Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner who played at full back and whose family originally owned Imber Court.
The timeless Jack Ferris, resident grounds man, marked out a hockey pitch that remained in much the same position for over forty years.
It later became No. 1 pitch preferred by Surrey County to the Spencer ground, which had one cramped elevated corner while Southgate's Church Meadow on which Middlesex had for years staged their games transferred to Imber Court, when M.P.H.C. players were in the Middlesex County side.
The Eagle Hut, a first war services refreshment wooden hut at Victoria Railway Station, was dismantled and re-erected at Horseferry Road, Westminster, for the training of police recruits to be again dismantled and re-erected at Imber Court providing changing accommodation.
June 1929 saw the opening of our palatial Club House by H.R.H. The Duke of Kent whose private detective was Sergeant H.J. Evans.
1925 saw the formation of a second eleven and by 1927 three regular elevens were playing weekly but because only "Colours Players" were granted the four hours MPAA, many enthusiastic members declined to play hockey and switched to other games.
In the primary years the teams were comprised of ex-servicemen who had been taught their hockey in India or the Far East, a single instance, a game at Shoeburyness Garrison when all were ex-India players except H. Ribton-Turner of Edinburgh University.
Lord Trenchard founded the Hendon Police College creating an influx of talented hockey players who when they were appointed Junior Station Inspectors in divisions necessitated the creation of more hockey teams and at one stage seven elevens were being fielded four away from home from a pool of 180 playing members.
It would be invidious, unfair and difficult to assert the value or valuate the honours attained or services rendered by individual players only because so many popular reliable keen players never represented other than their Club.
They served the M.P.H.C. with their outstanding personalities, sense of sportsmanship, punctuality and reliability. Invaluable attributes to a club secretary.
Only R.S.Haines attained International honours playing for Ireland against England supported by all our Club members on the Oval ground at Kennington, Haines scoring the only goal of the match.
In the former category, I must mention A.H. Gardner who with W. O'Connor played regularly for Surrey County.
Andy Gardner was an ideal team captain, an outstanding inside forward.
George Webb always the first choice at centre half was kept out of the Surrey XL only because of the brilliance of Jumbo Chambers, the Old Kingstonian centre half until he broke his jaw and Webb efficiently deputised.
Jack Haines our first team goalkeeper followed between the sticks by W.H. (Bill) Ellis who made many overseas tours as our custodian.
Hughie Oag in at the start I knew as a trumpeter and first team centre forward in my old regimental eleven in India as far back as 1919.
It is significant that of sixteen M.P.H.C. players up to first team standard, twelve were killed in the last war, Bill O'Connor the regular Surrey left winger losing his life when landing his plane toppled over the side of an aircraft carrier on completion of a bombing mission.
H. Balkwill served but a short time on active Army service before being killed in France. To perpetuate his memory, his parents living at Seaton in Devon requested me to have made an unusually attractive inscribed solid silver whistle which was used by our umpire the late G.E. Maton long after I left the service.
Our first Easter Hockey tour took us to Cologne at the invitation of Herr. Otto Gescher, president of the Rot Weiss Club, our party numbering only twelve.
Prior to our visit to Cologne, Herr. Gescher had been in a teaching capacity at Oxford University and shot by the Nazis during the last war.
Hanover next by invitation of Doctor Otto Fidler of the Deutscher Club where we fielded a very strong eleven acquitting ourselves well. Deutscher invited us the following year to Hamburg travelling on the famous German liner Bremen, making its maiden voyage to stay at the Excelsior Hotel.
Berlin followed just prior to the outbreak of war an abortive Paris trip and after the war Jersey when I chartered a Dakota aircraft and flew two elevens from Blackbush airport but we were far too strong for the islanders.
Haarlem in Holland was a delightful tour our players being accommodated in the Club House at the invitation of the Haarlem Police Commissioner, Major Aat DeBoer who maintains communication with me although retired and has twice visited England as my guest.
Inspector William Cusack who succeeded me as Hon. Secretary took a team to Belgium playing at Ostend but the playing surface was not conductive to good hockey.
Metropolitan Police hockey was never played on the Leyton sport's ground but Hendon and Chigwell were regularly used.
A pleasing feature of hockey during my playing days, we never competed for any cups, medals, shields or league honours, purely and solely for the love of the game.
Several shields, pennants and foreign club insignia presentations were brought back by me to be exhibited for years in the Club House at Imber Court.
In this connection an attractive colourful Irish pennant presented by Tyrone Power signifying our successful two eleven hockey tour in Dublin remained an attraction at Imber Court for years.
We shared accommodation at the Red Island Holiday Camp with prominent English hockey clubs including Hawks, Bucchanalian, Surbiton, Worthing, and Mid Surrey.
M.P.H.C. competed from its inception the London Six-a-side hockey tournament at Southern Railway Sports' ground at Raynes Park organised by E. Theo Crosier, twice reaching the final.
For most of my 25 playing years our players owe much to the late George Cordwill who with his brother Clifford manufactured to individual requirements the famous Hazell Lok Grane hockey stick first at Hackney, then at Kings Cross at very much reduced prices to our Club members with an extended guarantee.
Our importation of these desirable hockey sticks and leather hockey balls into Germany during the Hitler regime, when they were strictly taboo, helped pay the considerable accommodation fees we would otherwise have to pay.
Gordon Barlow Monday 17th September 1973.
MPHC Tours
1948 - Eire
1949 - Haarlem
1950 Jersey
1951 - Ostend
1952 - Rheims
1953 -
1954 - Monchen Gladbach
1955 - Frankfurt
1956 - Cologne
1957 - Hamburg
1958 - Russelsheim
1959 - Russelsheim
1960 - Northern Ireland
1961 - Russelsheim
1962 - Bad Homburg
1963 - Bad Homburg
1964 - Russelsheim
1965 - Beverwijk
1966 - Monchen Gladbach
1967 - The Hague
1968 - Bad Homburg
1969 - Monchen Gladbach
1970 - Guernsey
1971 - Guernsey
1972 - Guernsey
1973 - Guernsey
1974 - Monchen Gladbach
1975 - Jersey
This history of MPHC was sent to me by Nevil Abraham in November 1983 when we were celebrating our club's 60th Anniversary. He received this from Gordon Barlow in September 1973 (50th Anniversary). Gordon was involved with MPHC for over 26 years and was Honorary Secretary for 21 years.
Nevil Abraham was involved at the Club as a player and administrator from 1946 to 1976 and his contribution to the Club was immense. Neville Abraham's which includes hockey memorabilia, photograph album of Metropolitan Police Hockey, pins, medals, socks, cloth badge, plates, ties, magazine, pennant is now at The Hockey Museum (Collection WKNHM.2012.63)
Dil Bahra