The Papers of Elaine Taylor

This material is held atUniversity of Bedfordshire Special Collections

Scope and Content

The papers of Elaine Taylor relate primarily to her presidency of the All England Women's Lacrosse Association and of the West Women's Lacrosse Association, and of her membership with the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA) Patron's Club.
They comprise of minutes of meetings, correspondence, circulars and newsletters. Other material includes text of speeches, press cuttings and a copy of the Blackheath High School Record.

Administrative / Biographical History

Elaine Mary Tomkins was born on 24 April 1916, daughter of A. G. Tomkins, a bank manager. She was educated at Blackheath High School [1928-1934] and Bergman Osterburg Physical Training College (later Dartford College of Physical Education), qualifying as a PE teacher in 1937. In the 1960s and 1970s she taught PE at Bournemouth School for Girls [1966-1974].

In 1936 Elaine was selected to play for the England Reserves lacrosse team for the 1936-37 season.

Elaine took on a number of officer roles within the West Women's Lacrosse Association (WWLA) including Honorary Officer (1970-71), County Secretary (1975-78) and selector for West Territory (1980-81) before accepting the Presidency of the All England Women's Lacrosse Association (AEWLA) in 1981. Following her retirement as AEWLA President in November 1985, Elaine served as Vice-President (1990-92) and President (1993-94) of the WWLA. She was elected an Honorary Life Member of the AEWLA in 1985.

Elaine married Major Reginald Charles Walter Taylor on 18 April 1946.

Acquisition Information

The papers were included in a donation to the University of Bedfordshire by Celia Brackenridge in May 2012 under Accession No. A2012/001.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from University of Bedfordshire Special Collections. Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult.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.