|
In October 1892, BERTRAM FLETCHER ROBINSON
(hereafter BFR) began writing for a weekly journal called The Granta.
It was owned and edited by one of its co-founders called Rudolph
Chambers Lehmann. The Granta catered for the
rising demand amongst Cambridge undergraduates for “light-verse
of topical interest”. At that time,
Lehmann was also writing for Punch and residing in London. Hence, he appointed a series of Student Sub-Editors to
manage the day-to-day running of The Granta.
The third such Sub-Editor was Robert Pentland Mahaffy of King's
College. Later, Mahaffy wrote the following account about the
circumstances that surrounded his own appointment to the staff of The Granta:
When I became
Cambridge editor in the Autumn of 1892, there had been great changes in
our staff at Cambridge. All our principal writers had gone
down [graduated], especially the poets. I was left almost entirely
without poets, rowing correspondents, football [rugby] correspondents, or
anything else. It is wonderful however, how quickly one finds
poets; in a very few weeks I had discovered a new nest of singing
bird…B. F. Robinson, of Jesus, was my Rugby man, and
afterwards, when he was editor of Vanity Fair and then of The World, I
would tell him that I had launched him.
During
October 1893, BFR succeeded Mahaffy as the Sub-Editor of The Granta. Around
April 1895, BFR was commissioned to
write a book for The Isthmian Library Series on Sports and
Pastimes [see 'Fletcher Robinson &
Rugby (Part VII)']. At that same time, both BFR
and Lehmann resigned their respective
positions with The Granta. BFR
then relocated to London where he lodged with Trevor
Lewis and Percy Illingworth [see 'Fletcher Robinson
& Rowing (Part III)'].
On 14th
October 1896, BFR's
first book entitled Rugby Football was published by A. D. Innes & Company Limited of London. Shortly thereafter he was appointed as the Editor of The
Isthmian Library Series on Sports and Pastimes.
One of his first duties was to edit a book that was written by
Lehmann. The publication of this book was announced by the The
Times newspaper on 24th November 1897 as follows (pp.10):
PUBLICATIONS TO-DAY
Rowing.
By R. C. Lehmann. With contributions by
Guy Nickalls,
G. L. Davis, C. M. Pitman, W. E.
Crum, and E.
G. Blackmore. Vol. IV. of the
"Isthmian"
Library, edited by B. Fletcher Robin-
son.
Illustrated. 5s. Innes.
Fig. 1
Front cover and title page of Rowing by R.C.
Lehmann (1897).
Lehmann
was educated at Trinity College at Cambridge University (1874-1878). During that time he rowed for the 1st Trinity Boat
Club (Captain), Cambridge University VIII and the 'Trial Eight' (twice). Later, Lehmann was elected both Honorary Secretary of the British Amateur Rowing Association
(1893-1901) and the Captain of the Leander Club (1894-1896). He also
coached various 'Men's Eights' teams including Oxford University,
Harvard University, Cambridge University, Leander Club, Dublin
University and Berlin Rowing Club.
Rowing is dedicated to one Herbert Thomas Steward. He was
the Chairman of the Amateur Rowing Association (1881-1915), Chairman of the Committee of Management for the Henley Royal Regatta (1885-1915) and the President of the Leander Club (1891-1915). This book consists of 346 pages and 17 chapters and it is illustrated throughout with photographs. Lehmann wrote 12 of these chapters himself and the remaining 6 chapters were contributed as follows:
- x. Sculling by Guy Nickalls. Oxford
rowing 'Blue' (1887/88/89/90/91).
- xi. Steering by George Latham
Davis. Cambridge rowing 'Blue' (1875/76/77/78).
- xii. College Rowing at Oxford by Charles Murray
Pitman. 'Captain of the Boats' at Eaton College
(1891). President of the Oxford University Boat Club
(1895). Oxford rowing 'Blue' (1892/93/94/95).
- xiii. Rowing at Eton College by Walter Erskine
Crum. 'Captain of the Boats' at Eaton College (1893).
President of the O.U.B.C. (1896-1898). Oxford rowing 'Blue'
(1894/95/96/97).
- xv. Australian Rowing by Edwin Gordon
Blackmore. Member of the Committee of the City of Adelaide Regatta (1884-1887). Chairman of the South Australian Rowing Club
(1889-1898).
Rowing was
advertised in The Times newspaper on 5th October
1897 (pp. 10), 15th October 1897 (pp. 10), 29th October 1897 (pp. 8),
26th November 1897(pp. 12), 14th December 1897 (pp. 14) and 17th
December 1897 (pp. 10). On 18th December 1897, that same
newspaper published a review that included the following
comment (pp. 3):
"Rowing" by R.C.
Lehmann-No. 4. of
the Isthmian Library-has for its object not
merely to give
such hints to the novice as may
enable him to master the
rudiments of oarsman-
ship, but also
to commend to him the sport of
rowing as a
noble open-air exercise, fruitful in
lessons of strength, courage,
discipline, and
endurance, and as
an art which requires a sense
of rhythm, a perfect balance of symmetry of
bodily effort, and the graceful control
and
repose
which lend an appearance of ease to
the application of
the highest muscular energy.
On
27th November 1897, Lawrence and
Bullen Limited of London published a book entitled Football by BFR and others for The
Suffolk Sporting Series (Vol. 2). Shortly thereafter, BFR
was commissioned to make a contribution to a further volume in that same series. On 28th July 1898, this book was advertised in The
Times newspaper as follows (pp. 8):
PUBLICATIONS TO-DAY
ROWING, PUNTING, AND PUNTS [Sic]. By D. H.
McLean
and W. H. Grenfell.
1s. Lawrence and Bullen.
Fig. 2
Front cover of Rowing & Punting
(1898).
Rowing & Punting is the fourth and final volume for The Suffolk Sporting Series on Sport. This book was edited by Henry Charles Howard shortly before he died (18th Earl of Suffolk and 11th Earl of Berkshire). Rowing & Punting is 95 pages in length and is illustrated throughout
with photographs. It includes chapters about rowing at both Oxford and Cambridge University. The two co-authors were Douglas Hamilton McLean and William Henry Grenfell. McLean was educated at
Oxford University and he was a rowing 'Blue' (1883/84/85/86/87). Grenfell was also educated at
Oxford University and he too was a rowing 'Blue' (1887/88). Furthermore, he was a former President of O.U.B.C.
(1878) and had won the Amateur Punting Championship (1888/89/90). The remaining contributor, Reginald Percy Pfeiffa Rowe, was also
a former President of O.U.B.C.
(1892) and a rowing 'Blue'
(1889/90/91/92). Furthermore, he had twice won the Grand
Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta with the Leander Club (1891/92).
After
1898, BFR wrote at least five articles
about rowing. These included four items about
the Henley Royal Regatta and the 'Varsity Boat Race that
were each published by The Daily Express
newspaper [see 'Fletcher Robinson & Rowing (Part
II)' and 'Fletcher Robinson &
Rowing (Part III)']. In August 1906, the
Windsor Magazine also published an article that
was written by BFR and that is entitled
Rowing, Games, and Athletics (pp.
279-296). This item includes a pastiche of cartoon
caricatures of famous sportsmen that were collected from Vanity
Fair (BFR was the Editor of
this periodical between 1905 and 1907). Amongst the prominent
oarsmen featured in BFR's article are
Rudolph Chambers Lehmann, Guy Nickalls and Walter
Crum.
It
is interesting to note that there is an 'Isthmian Stand' at the Henley
Royal Regatta. Furthermore between 1896 and 1901, BFR wrote
1 book and edited 8 books for The Isthmian Library Series on
Sports and Pastimes [see 'BFR Bibliography'].
For
further information about Rudolph Chambers Lehmann, please follow the
links below:
http://www.smu.edu/cul/hamon/gallery/VanityFair/Rudy.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._C._Lehmann
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Paul Spiring © 2007.
|
BFR Matters I 
