Colchester And District Archery Club 1954 - 1994
Page 2 : History Of Archery In Colchester And The Club Beginings
Archery permeates the history of the town. Not always as a pastime. There is little doubt that prehistoric man splashed through the mud flats of our River Colne to shoot down the wildfowl. In Colchester’s castle, in a doorway, a Norman sentry, with his dagger carved out the outline of an archer to be seen today. Geese were reared on adjacent village greens for flight feathers.
In Tudor times there was an uprising in Essex against the Queen and the mob had their bows with billhooks and swords. In the 16th century the King called on the burgers of Colchester to provide for his army three archers with bow and 24 arrows each. Bows of “ewe” were recorded as stolen, and in 1587 in Essex a man was ordered to pay 3s. to the poor for bringing his bow and arrows into church, probably ready for practice after the service as then decreed. The bow was very much part of medieval life for poaching, hunting and war.
Although the bow was coming to the end of its reign as a war weapon in Elizabeth’s reign the butts still had to be kept in repair and doubtless this applied to those to which Butt Road led?
It is arguable that Colchester saw the last use of the bow in war. Not as a killer weapon but as a “messenger”. The Royalists in our Civil War came to Colchester and were let into the town for an overnight rest stop. The town, however, was laid under siege for 11 weeks. The year was 1648 and “tourists” came from London to watch. The bow came into use on this occasion when messages for the townsfolk and Royalists to surrender were tied to arrows and shot over the town’s still substantial walls.
It will of course be known by many that Jack Churchill used a bow in the Second World War and some light metal crossbows were made for the Americans but without record for their use. However, Churchill’s effort was an idiosyncratic use; at Colchester it was incorporated into the commander’s battle tactics.
An archer-antiquarian and museum keeper for a period at Chingford, now chairman of the Society of Archer-Antiquaries, Arthur Credland provided some research material he had published for “The Essex Journal”. It revealed that there was certainly a Colchester archery club in 1860. The post-war exercise was only a re-forming of the club. The club was referred to twice in the ‘Field’ which was a sporting journal at that stage – Vol. 16 June – September 1860. From page 126, Aug. 11 “A large party assembled at Lexton (now Lexden) Manor House (P. O. Papillion M. P.) on July 2 for practice followed by a ball at the Town Hall”.
On September 15, 1860, page 230 it reads “Last meeting (no date or place) Club now has 120 members” (a very sizeable and healthy club for the times). For a while a Papillion descendent, David Papillion, local Tory president and eminent local lawyer, was, by a coincidence, president of the club. He was chairman of the town’s Community Fund and persuaded to shoot the bow at the Fund’s carnival… so history revolves. Then came information preceding the 1860 reference. Following reports in the paper about the club, a local historian interested in army uniforms, submitted a newspaper note saying that officers of the Garrison formed a club for “practising this elegant amusement”. In June 1858 weekly meetings took place on ground between West Lodge and West Terrace, Lexden Road. At least we have knowledge that a Colchester archery club existed in 1858.
Local historian Mr. G. O. Rickword, said that there were special archery fetes with a meal and ceremonial, looked on as important as the shooting, staged at Berechurch Park and at Lexden Manor. It would seem likely the Colchester club of 1860 was the Garrison Officers archery club. If so, the present club is the town’s first open public club.
Archery between the wars at the Garrisons Officers Club. Lady with long bow shooting clout.
from the Bill Tucker Collection
The actual day of the start up has been ascertained from a press cutting dated February 16, 1954. It reads: “A meeting at the town hall is being organised by Mr Bill Tucker, newcomer to the town (he arrived in July 1953) of 63 King Harold Road, pioneer member and committee member of the Essex County Archery Association. Artist – archer the rev. H.E. Noakes, rector of St. Mary’s is presiding. Mr Tucker tells me there are more than a score of clubs in the county. Some of our country’s best archers were, you remember, on show at the Press Ball.” The article went on to say the club was looking for a ground with short cropped grass “Arrows, seemingly, snake out of sight in long grass…” If the story appeared in Friday’s Essex County Standard on February 16th, then the inaugural meeting on the coming Tuesday was February 20th, 1954. There were 400 clubs in the country at this time and 20 in Essex which means Essex was early off the mark.
The officers were Chairman the Rev. Noakes, Secretary-Treasurer Bill Tucker with a committee of two men and three ladies. Archery projected itself in that first year with the secretary Bill Tucker, a journalist involved in organising a Press Ball attended by the Mayor and with star guests like film actor John Gregson. Various stunts were devised for the venue, the High Street Corn Exchange. Essex archers were obtained for a cabaret... shooting in a crowded ballroom! Close range, no problem and commentary by Bill. After the local press faked a gang raid with robbers coming down ropes from the roof, the archers put on their exhibition of “precision bowmanship” bursting balloons at 20 yards and secured trebles on a darts target as called out by the audience. They wore green and white “bemedalled” caps. They were Major Haye Baldwin, Essex champion and his wife Vera who had won the Sheriff of Nottingham’s Golden Arrow, a SCAS record holder, Dr. J Ritchie London open champion, and his wife a national silver quiver champion and Master Bowman, North Essex prospective MPs were present including a prospective Harwich Labour candidate, then Miss Shirley Catlin later Shirley Williams. About 600 attended.
But we move to the post war period. Bill got cracking in 1953 a month or so after arrival. A Colchester United soccer programme referred to Bill Tucker as planning to form the archery club for anyone interested. (Many years later he organised as pre-match entertainment shooting on the Layer Road ground with targets facing inwards from the four corners.) Announcements in the local Press indicated a local archery club was planned. The first club ground was at Land Lane and a photograph shows instruction being given and eight novices on the line none with the club now except Vic Massingham who returned after going abroad. It was the outcome of the inaugural meeting in the town hall, the only room available being the court room so from the beginning, Colchester archers were in court with one or two in the dock! Bill Tucker gave a talk on the history of archery in which he said, surprising though it may seem today, that the sport had expanded more than any other since the war. He had already formed Essex clubs at Walthamstow and Woodford. He said the sport combined unique skills and allowed competition as individuals or teams, and at all ages. Relating Colchester to the county, in 1953 Essex held its third championship shooting a Hereford round – Southend, Woodford and Chingford archers won awards.
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