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Papers of David Humphrey
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- ReferenceGB 150 ATH/DH
- Dates of Creation1944 - 1958
- Name of Creator
- Language of MaterialEnglish
- Physical Description3 files
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
David Humphrey was born in London on 7 January 1933, although his parents lived at East Grinstead in Sussex. He started school in 1938 and, with the freedom to roam that the war brought, he and a friend would generally run whenever they were going. In 1944 he passed what became the 11 plus exam, and started at the East Grinstead County (later renamed 'Grammar') School.
David's short athletic career coincided with the effects of the 1944 Education Act and the opening up of sports after the war. His intake to the Grammar School was the last one where the second of the two stream intake consisted of privately paid children. His first competitive race was in 1945: the school's 1.5 mile cross country race which he won. He was in the senior team by the time he was 15 and became the school's number one aged 16. David's nearest athletic club was Horsham Blue Star Harriers and he joined them in 1949. His first event was the Sussex Youth (under 18) Cross Country Championship which he won, and retained the following year.
He was introduced to Road Relay races in the Brighton and County Harriers 6 x 2 3/4 mile race in 1950. It was explained to him that he would be in the Blue Star 'B' team, running the second leg so that he would still be in the race when his turn came. He took over in 12th place, but handed over in 4th place with one of the fastest times. Thereafter my task in these road relays was to take the penultimate leg and catch anyone in front.
1950 was the year that the 1944 Education Act had a big effect on schools athletics, with a 17-19 age group being introduced for the pyramidal News Chronicle sponsored national event. David remembers that all he knew about this was when the games master called him and said they had to get together a team (boys and girls - his was a mixed school) for an East Sussex championship and this would include many events which did not figure in the school sports. The consequence of this was that David started to compete in the one mile. He won it comfortably and subsequently discovered that he would now be part of an East Sussex team for a Sussex Schools championship. After winning this event he then found that, with two other pupils from his school, they were to be in a Sussex team for the national championships to be held at Port Sunlight. It was at that time a track of more than three and less than four laps to the mile. David misjudged his finish and was just beaten.
1951 was David's best year. He finally won the Blackheath Harriers Schools Cross Country event (15th, 2nd and 4th previously) and notes that he will never forget that his winner's medal was presented to him by Sidney Wooderson. For a time, David held the record time for the Sussex County Junior and Senior 1 Mile championships Southern Counties; AAA Junior 1 Mile championships; and All England Schools 1 Mile championships.
David was called up for National Service in October 1951 and after basic training started the new year training as a Radar Mechanic at RAF Yatesbury. The officer in charge of athletics Flt/Lt. D. C. Davies always tried to ensure, when he could, that people in his teams joined the permanent staff at the station, so David completed all of his service there and won the RAF one mile championship in 1953. He was demobilised in October 1953 and was then faced with earning a living with a full-time job and obtaining qualifications. Finding the time to continue athletics training and compete was no longer possible.
Source: information supplied by the depositor.
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Presented, March 2020
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Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.