ROWING AT ETON COLLEGE.
_By W. E. Crum_,
Captain of the Boats, 1893; President O.U.B.C. 1896, 1897.
In most books that have been published on rowing matters, a chapter has
been devoted to rowing at Eton. But these accounts have been mainly of a
historical nature, and have not, I think, dealt sufficiently with the
career of an Eton boy, from the time when he passes through the ordeal
of the swimming examination up to the proud moment when he wears the
light blue at Henley, representing his school in the Ladies' Plate.
Before any boy is allowed to go on the river at all, he is obliged to
satisfy the authorities of his ability to reach the banks of the river
safely if he should upset while boating. This swimming examination is
held about once a week after bathing has commenced in the summer half
at the two bathing-places, Cuckoo Weir and Athens, which are reserved
for the use of the boys alone.
On the Acropolis, a mound raised some ten feet above the water for
diving purposes, sit the two or three masters whose duty it is to
conduct the "passing." On one side a punt is moored, from which the boys
enter the water head first as best they can. They have to swim a
distance of about twenty yards, round a pole, and return, showing that
they can swim in good style, and can keep themselves afloat by "treading
water."
When a boy has successfully passed this examination, he is at liberty to
go on the river. As it is probably well on in the summer half before he
has passed, and it is more than likely that he has never before handled
an oar, we will suppose that he does not enter for the Lower Boy races
that year, but has to learn by himself, with no coaches to help him, the
rudiments of rowing and sculling on fixed seats. Always on the river,
whenever he has an hour to spare from his school duties, the Lower Boy
soon acquires that knowledge of "watermanship" for which Etonian oarsmen
are famous.
By the end of the summer half, he can sit his sculling-boat in
comparative safety, and has learnt, perhaps, at the cost of several
fines, the rules of the river, which are considered sacred by all Eton
boys.
The ensuing winter terms are devoted to football and fives, rowing not
being allowed; and we may pass on to the next summer, when our Lower Boy
will probably enter for both Lower Boy sculling and pulling (_i.e._
pairs). These two races are rowed in boats almost peculiar to Eton. That
used for the Lower Boy pulling is called a "perfection," of which the
design is due to the Rev. S. A. Donaldson; it is an open, clinker-built,
outrigged boat, which recalls the lines of the old Thames wherry. That
used for the Lower Boy sculling is known as a "whiff," an open clinker
boat with outriggers. On an average about a dozen competitors enter for
these events, five or six boats being started together, the first and
second in each heat rowing in the final. The course, which is about two
miles long, begins opposite the Brocas, extending for a mile upstream,
where the competitors turn round a ryepeck, and then down-stream to the
finish, just above Windsor Bridge.
If fairly successful in his school examinations, the boy whose career we
are considering will, after his second summer, have reached the fifth
form, a position which entitles him to be tried for the boats. He
probably does not succeed in obtaining the coveted colour at the first
attempt; and it is, say, in his third summer, that he first comes under
the eye of a coach.
For the last month of the summer half, as many as ten or a dozen eights
are taken out by members of the Upper Boats every evening, and four
crews are selected from these, put into training, and carefully coached,
and after about a fortnight's practice race against each other from
Sandbank down to the bridge, a distance of about three-quarters of a
mile; the race is called "Novice Eights," and each crew is stroked by a
member of the Lower Boats. Every boy who rows in this race may be sure
that he will get into the boats on the following 1st of March; and
having reached this important point in an Eton wetbob's career, I must
endeavour to explain the meaning of the term "The Boats," which I have
already frequently used.
The Boats are composed of one ten-oared, and nine eight-oared crews,
presumably made up of the eighty-two best oarsmen in the school; the
boats are subdivided into two classes, Upper and Lower Boats.
The Upper Boats comprise the ten-oared _Monarch_, and the two eights,
_Victory_ and _Prince of Wales_; the Lower Boats are more numerous,
consisting of seven eights, which have characteristic names, such as
_Britannia_, _Dreadnought_, _Hibernia_, and _Defiance_. Each of the
Upper Boats has a distinctive colour just like any other school team,
whereas all members of the Lower Boats wear the same cap.
At the head of the Eton wetbob world there reigns supreme the Captain of
the Boats, who is always regarded in the eyes of a small Eton boy as
next in importance only to the Prince of Wales and the Archbishop of
Canterbury. He is captain of the _Monarch_, and after him, in order of
merit, come the captains of the other boats, who act as his lieutenants;
these captains are practically appointed by the first captain of the
previous year, and were probably all members of the Upper Boats in that
year.
At the beginning of each summer term the Captain of the Boats calls a
meeting of his other boat captains; he has by him a list of all those
who were already members of the boats the year before, and he knows
pretty correctly the form of every one of them; thus, with his
lieutenants' help he can assign to each oarsman the boat in which he
considers him worthy to row.
The first boat to be made up is the _Monarch_. Though nominally the
first of the boats, the _Monarch_ is actually composed of those who,
from their place in the school, or from their prowess at other games,
deserve some recognition; in fact, I may best designate the members of
the "ten," as good worthy people, who have tried to row well and have
not succeeded.
The next boat is the _Victory_, and here we find the pick of the
previous year's Lower Boats. Though junior, and in order of precedence
below all the captains of the various boats, these eight have just as
much chance of rowing in the eight at Henley as any of the captains; for
the younger oar, whose faults can easily be cured, is often preferred to
his stronger senior, whose faults are fixed and difficult to eradicate.
Similar to the _Victory_, though of rather a lower standard, is the
_Prince of Wales_, or "Third Upper;" and this is composed of the
remnants of the previous year's Lower Boats who are not quite good
enough for the _Victory_. The great distinction in the present day
between Upper and Lower Boats is that all those in the former may row in
any boat on sliding seats, while to those in the latter only fixed seats
are allowed.
Having completed his Upper Boats, the captain has now to fill the seats
in the seven Lower Boats. A few of the refuse, one may almost call them,
of the year before are still left; refuse, because it is rarely the case
that a boy who is more than one year in Lower Boats develops into a
really good oar. To these are generally assigned the best places in the
Lower Boats, and after them come, in order of merit, as far as possible,
all those who rowed in the previous summer in the "Novice Eight" race.
Thus, just as the _Victory_ is always better than the _Monarch_, so the
_Dreadnought_, the second Lower Boat, is often better than the
_Britannia_, which may be composed of old "crocks."
On the 1st of March and the 4th of June in each year the boats row in
procession, in their order, each boat stroked by its captain, up to
Surley Hall, where, on the 4th of June, a supper is held. But I will
leave a description of the 4th of June till later, and will return to
where I left our successful Etonian, who has just received his
Lower-Boat colours.
During his first summer half in the boats he is practically never out of
training. As soon as he has rowed one race he must begin practice for
the next. The first race of the season is "Lower Eights." Four crews are
chosen from among members of the Lower Boats, are coached for three
weeks by members of the Upper Boats, and then race for a mile and a
half. After this follow "Lower Fours," in which, again, four crews take
part, chosen from the best of those who have raced in Lower Eights.
These two races are rowed in order that those in authority may see how
their juniors can race, and also that the said juniors may profit by
efficient coaching. No prizes are awarded; they simply row for the
honour of winning. After these come Junior Sculling and Junior Pulling,
two races again confined to the Lower Boats. They are rowed in light,
keelless, outrigged boats, with fixed seats, no coxswain being carried
by the pairs. And here, again, much watermanship is learned, for the
Eton course is a difficult one to steer, and only those who steer well
can have any chance of a win. As many as fifty entries are sometimes
received for Junior Sculling, for though an Eton boy may have no chance
of winning a race, he will start, just for the sport of racing and
improving his rowing, a proceeding which might well be imitated at
Oxford or Cambridge. Each boy who starts in one of these races has to
wear a jersey trimmed with a distinctive colour, and carry a flag in his
bows; and it is extraordinary what ugly combinations some of them choose
and think beautiful.
These four races have taken our young friend well on into the summer
half; but after Henley is over, he will probably have to represent his
House in the House Four race. Perhaps at his tutor's there may be one or
two who have rowed at Henley in the Eight, and with these, and possibly
another boy in Lower Boats, he has to train for another three weeks to
row in what has been called, in a song familiar to Etonians of late
years, "_the_ race of the year." It is an inspiriting sight for any one
who wishes to get an idea of an Eton race to see the crowds of men and
boys, masters and pupils, wetbobs and drybobs, running along the bank
with the race, some so far ahead that they can see nothing, some with
the boats, some tired out and lagging behind, but all shouting for a
particular crew or individual as if their lives depended on it.
In the last few years another race has been established for the Lower
Boats; but it has not met with the approval of many Old Etonians. It is
a bumping race, similar to those at Oxford and Cambridge, rowed by the
different Lower Boats--_Britannia_, _Dreadnought_, etc. It is claimed
that by practising for this race many of those who would not otherwise
get much teaching are coached by competent people, and thus the standard
of rowing is raised; but the opponents of the measure object, and as I
think rightly, on the grounds that the average oar in the Lower Boats
has quite enough rowing and racing as it is, and that even if more
racing were needed, a bumping race is the very worst that can be rowed.
It is necessary at the Universities, on account of the narrowness of the
rivers, to hold these races, for two boats cannot race abreast; but they
must tend to make crews rush and hurry for two or three minutes, and
then try to get home as best they can.
So much for the Lower Boat races. And there is only one more point to
add concerning the Lower Boats: at the end of each summer half a list is
published called "Lower Boat Choices," comprising about twenty of the
Lower Boat oarsmen; to these also is given a special colour; and it is
in the order of these choices that places in the Upper Boats are
assigned in the following spring.
Having, therefore, in the next year, risen to the dignity of the Upper
Boats, our Etonian has before him almost as many races as when he was in
Lower Boats. His first is "Trial Eights." This takes place at the end of
the Lent term, between two eight-oared crews, rowing on sliding seats,
and chosen by the Captain of the Boats. It is from these two crews,
picked from the Upper Boats and the boat captains, that the Henley Eight
has to be chosen; and it is, therefore, the object of the first and
second captains of the boats to equalize them as far as possible, so
that they may have a close race, and that the rowing and stamina of
individuals at high pressure may be watched. In the summer half come the
School Pulling and Sculling, similar to junior races, but rowed on
sliding seats, and confined to the Upper Boats. The winner of a school
race, besides getting his prize, is entitled to wear a "School
Shield"--a small gold shield, on which are engraved the Eton arms, and
the name and year of the race won. To secure a "School Shield" is one of
the greatest ambitions of every ambitious Etonian.
These two races being over, practice for the Eight which is to row at
Henley begins. Every day the Captain of the Boats, aided by one or two
masters, who have probably represented their Universities at Putney in
their day, has out two crews, composed of the best of those who are in
Upper Boats. These crews are gradually weeded out till, perhaps, only an
eight and a four are left; and then, at last, the Eight is finally
chosen.
It is difficult to say who should be pitied most while this process of
choosing the crew is going on--the captain or those who are striving for
their seats; the captain always worried and anxious that he should get
the best crew to represent his school, the crew always in agony lest
they should be turned out, and should never be able to wear the light
blue. Of course, the captain has the advice of those much more
experienced than himself; but if there is a close point to settle, it
is on him alone that the responsibility of the choice falls.
Once safely settled in the boat, there follows a period of five or six
weeks of mixed pleasure and pain, for every crew, however good, must
pass through periods of demoralization when for a few days they cease to
improve, and periods of joy when they realize that, after all, they have
some chance of turning out well.
For the last three weeks of this Henley practice the Eight is in strict
training; but training for Eton boys is no great hardship. The days of
"hard steak and a harder hen" are over. The Eton boy is always fit, and
the chief point he has to observe is regularity.
His meals are much the same as usual--breakfast at eight, lunch at two,
a light tea at five, supper together at eight in the evening, and bed at
ten. There is no need to pull him out of bed in the morning, as at the
Universities, for he has to go to school every morning at seven o'clock;
he does not usually smoke--or, at any rate, is not supposed to by the
rules of the school, and it is rarely that this rule is broken--and he
does not indulge in large unwholesome dinners, after the manner of many
undergraduates.
Every evening at six o'clock he goes down to the river, and is probably
tubbed in a gig-pair before rowing down the Datchet reach in the Eight.
About twice a week the crew rows a full racing course, and is taken in
for the last three minutes by a scratch crew, which goes by the name of
"duffers," composed of five or six Old Etonians and masters, and one or
two Eton boys, who are kept in training as spare men. The crew is
coached from a horse by one of the masters--of late years Mr. de
Havilland, who is certainly as keen for his crew to win as any boy in
the school.
For the last five years the crew has taken a house at Henley for the
days of the regatta, and gone to Henley by train the afternoon before
the races. Though much wiser, this departure from Eton is not as
impressive as in older days, when the crew used to drive to Henley for
each day's racing; when, filled with pride and shyness, the young
oarsman used to issue from his tutor's, wearing for the first time his
light-blue coat and white cap, and walk to Mr. Donaldson's or Dr.
Warre's house, where waited the brake which was to convey the crew,
with the cheers of the crowd, along the hot, dusty road to Henley. In
1891, the last year that this drive was taken, the crew, before the
final of the Ladies' Plate, had to drive no less than seventy-five miles
in three days. They were only beaten by a few feet, and there is little
doubt that but for this most tiring drive they would have won. Once at
Henley, all is pleasure. No crew is more popular, none more cheered, as
it paddles down the course to the starting-point and as it arrives first
at the winning-post. The scene of enthusiasm, not only among Etonians,
but among the whole rowing world, when an Eton crew wins the Ladies'
Plate after a lapse of several years, is past description.
After Henley come House Fours; and then the list of Upper Boat choices
is made up by the Captain of the Boats. The captain, by this means,
appoints his successor for the following year, for he arranges these
choices in order of merit, just as Lower Boat choices are arranged, and
the highest choice remaining at Eton till the next year becomes captain.
Thus the power of the captain is absolute; he can appoint whomever he
likes to be his successor, and it is seldom that the choice falls on
the wrong boy. Besides being the sole authority in these matters, the
captain has to arrange all the money matters of the E.C.B.C.; over five
hundred pounds pass through his hands in a year, and this gives an extra
responsibility to his post. Of course all his accounts are carefully
audited by one of the masters, and the experience gained, not only in
looking after money, but also in arranging dates of races, in choosing
and in captaining his crew, and in judging disputed points, is well
worth all the trouble and worry entailed.
Our Eton Lower Boy has now reached the position of Captain of the Boats,
and here I will leave him to go on either to Oxford or Cambridge and
represent his University at Putney. A few words, however, may still be
added.
There is a great difference between teaching a boy of sixteen and a man
of twenty to row, and this difference lies in the fact that it is much
easier, and perhaps even more important, to teach your boy to row in
good form. By good form, I mean the power to use all his strength
directly in making the boat move so that no energy is wasted in making
the body pass through the extraordinary contortions and antics often
seen in an inferior college crew.
It is easier to teach the boy of sixteen to row in good form, because
his muscles are not yet formed, and his body still lithe and supple; it
is more important to teach him, because he is not so strong as his
elders, and consequently has not as much strength to waste.
A description of best how to use your strength would be out of place
here, for it will be found set forth in another part of this volume. Let
me, therefore, pass on to a subject which lately has caused considerable
discussion--the subject of the length of the course for the Junior and
School races. All these races are held over a course of about three
miles in length, and take some twenty minutes to row. They start
opposite the Brocas, and continue up-stream round "Rushes," and then
down-stream to Windsor Bridge. The contention of many is that the length
of these races is too great, and that the trial put on boys of perhaps
fifteen years of age is too severe. From this view of the matter I
differ, for to any one who has rowed over both the Henley and Putney
course it will be evident that the forty strokes per minute for a mile
and a half would be more trying to a young boy than the thirty-four per
minute for four miles.
A short note on the proceedings of the wetbobs on the 4th of June, the
great day of celebration at Eton, may have some interest.
As I have said, a procession of all the boats takes place on this day.
About five o'clock they start in order from the Brocas, and row to
Surley Hall, where, in tents on the grass, a supper is prepared. After
supping, they return to the rafts in time for a display of fireworks,
the crews standing up in their boats and tossing their oars, whereby a
very pretty effect is obtained. The dresses worn by the crews are quaint
and old-fashioned on this great day. All are dressed in white ducks, a
shirt of the colours of their boat, a dark-blue Eton jacket trimmed with
gold or silver braid, and a straw hat covered with various emblems of
their boat. The coxswains of the Upper Boats wear naval captain's
clothes, while the Lower Boat coxswains represent midshipmen.
So much for Eton rowing; and, in finishing, I must pay a slight tribute
to three old Etonians, to whom the success of Eton rowing is mainly
due. They are Dr. Warre, the Rev. S. A. Donaldson, and Mr. de
Havilland; and I feel sure that out of these three, who have all done
yeomen service for their school, I may single out Dr. Warre, and yet
give no offence to his two successors. Before Dr. Warre came to Eton as
a master, in the early sixties, the masters had taken little interest in
the proceedings on the river; consequently the traditions of rowing,
learnt mainly from the riverside watermen, were not of a very high
standard. Eton had never rowed in any races, except against Westminster,
and it was due to Dr. Warre's efforts that competition for the Ladies'
Plate was first allowed. From this date till the middle of the eighties,
Dr. Warre was always ready to coach when asked, but never till asked,
for he believed, and still believes strongly, in allowing the boys to
manage their own games as far as possible.
How well he kept his principles of rowing up to date is shown in his
pamphlets on rowing and coaching, for probably no one but he could have
written so clear and concise a description as he has given.
Besides being an eminent coach, he understands thoroughly the theories
of boat-building, his ideas being well exemplified of late by the boats
which won for Eton in '93, '94, '96, and '97.
When the duties of head-master became too engrossing to allow him to
devote as much time to the Eight as formerly, his place was taken, and
well filled, by Mr. Donaldson. Mr. Donaldson was always a most keen and
patient coach, and followed closely on the head-master's lines; and his
cheery voice at Henley--clear above all the din of the race--once heard,
could never be forgotten. He was very successful with his crews, and
helped them to win the Ladies' Plate several times.
In 1893 Mr. de Havilland first coached the Eight, and, since this date,
has had an unbroken series of wins. In the first year of his coaching,
fifteen-inch slides, instead of ten-inch, were used, and this, aided by
his excellent advice, helped to produce one of the fastest Eights that
Eton has ever sent to represent the school. Mr. de Havilland has that
wonderful knack, possessed by some good coaches, of training his crew to
the hour, and it is surprising with what speed his crews always improve
in the last week or so of practice.
I can only hope, in conclusion, that I have to some extent succeeded in
explaining to the uninitiated the mysteries of the career of an Eton
wetbob during the five or six happiest years of his life spent at the
best of schools.