Scrapbook of Colonel (Hubert) Bruce Logan
Bruce Logan (1886 - 1965) was born in Chesterton, Cambridgeshire, England and was a renowned sportman, primarily for rowing but also for boxing and rugby.
In presenting the history of the Club to its members we take the liberty of jumping, from year to year, from point to point in the story. This year we are privileged to have an account of what happened in the Club before the 1914-1918 war from the pen of the Bean, and we displace the story we commenced last year of the early days of the club to print it. The Bean introduces his chapter as follows: ‘The following notes of the Club’s doings from 1905 to 1914 are somewhat personal, but Beresford had a big influence and there is no doubt that but for him we should have recorded far fewer wins in these years in pairs, fours and eights. Various crews were made up and changed in his four without success, but when the Four was included in the First Eight and stroked by Berry, it was at once successful. After the 1914-18 war Steve Fairbairn was elected Captain. Beresford, Tann, Logan and I rowed in the four and won at all regattas except Henley. Logan and I were in the Eight at Marlow, Logan at stroke. They were defeated there, but won at Henley and other regattas, with Beresford at stroke. The winning Fawley Cup eight was: Teale, Kelly, Tann, Vernon, Roylance, Logan, Ian Fairbairn and Beresford; Berry was then nearly 52. Steve kept the veterans together in 1920 and 1921 in order to bring on the youngsters and both Eights and Fours were successful at regattas other than Henley. In 1923 the young crew stroked by Ian Fairbairn won the Grand.’
In 1905 Thames Rowing Club won the Thames Cup, and this was the first Henley win we had had in eights or fours since 1894. The crew consisted of: B.T. Monier-Williams (bow), H.B. Harrison, H.C. Huxley, W.S. Hallett, F. Trewby, G.L. Thomson, H.G. Irwin, C.G. Sprague (stroke) H.E. Greenwood (cox). In the first heat T.R.C. beat Mersey R.C. by a length in 7 min. 30 sec.; in the semi-final we beat Twickenham R.C. by half a length in 7 min. 31 sec.; and in the final we beat Kingston R.C. by a length in 7 min. 28 sec.
Beresford and I joined the Club that year. He rowed at bow in the Stewards Four which raced Third Trinity to half a length. The next year Beresford and I started our long and successful partnership in pairs, etc. Notwithstanding our many wins up and down the river we were not wanted in eights or fours at Henley, and in the autumn of 1907 Beresford made up a private Four (Beresford, Vernon, Rought and Logan (stroke)), and bought a boat for us. Rought had been dropped from the Second Eight and was about to leave the Club; Logan did not want to row in a Henley Eight that year. We rowed on Sunday mornings throughout the year, Logan and I played Rugger on Saturdays, Beresford coached us from box.
In the spring of 1908 Beresford persuaded us to compete in an International Regatta at Amsterdam and, to everyone’s surprise, we beat a Belgian Four in the Coxless Fours and gained gold medals. These Belgians had won the Grand at Henley in 1906 and 1907. The Club Stewards and Wyfold Fours had been made up by that time; on our return from Amsterdam we were tried against the Stewards Four and beat them easily. This Four, entered for the Wyfolds, consisting of A.E. Snellgrove (bow), K. Doulton, J.S. Wilkes, C.G. Sprague (stroke), won their first heat in a paddle by a length in 8 min. 7 sec.; in the semi-final they beat Molesey B.C. by two lengths in 7 min. 59 sec. And won the final against London R.C. by a length in 7 min. 55 sec. Our Four was entered for the Stewards. Rought and Logan were included in the First Eight and Beresford and I were entered in the Goblets. Had we concentrated on the Four there is no doubt that we should have won both the Stewards and Olympic Fours. As it was, we had to row the famous Magdalen Four in the early afternoon when they were quite fresh and after Rought and Logan had rowed and lost a terrific race in the Grand against Eton in the morning. We led most of the way in the Stewards and were only just beaten in record time. The Magdalen Four won the Olympic Fours comfortably. Beresford and I were invited to row for the Olympic Pairs as Gladstone and Barker who defeated us in the Goblets were in the Olympic Eight, but, unfortunately, our entry was withdrawn in error.
In 1909 Logan and Rought rowed in the First Eight and practice in the four was somewhat restricted. Nevertheless we beat the same Magdalen Four quite easily in the final of the Stewards. The crew, J. Beresford (box, steers), K. Vernon, C.G. Rought, B. Logan (stroke) beat Trinity Hall in the first heat by several lengths in 8 min. 10 sec. Magdalen College was beaten in the final by 1½ lengths in 7 min. 38 sec.
In 1910 Snellgrove rowed bow in our Four in place of Beresford. We met Winnipeg at Walton Regatta and were fouled and overturned when leading. We were awarded the race, but we gave the pots to Winnipeg and held the Challenge Cup for the Club. This resulted in great friendliness and Winnipeg gave us a dinner at the Ritz before they went back to Canada. At Henley, Beresford returned to bow, and after beating a strong Leander Four composed of four Blues in a heat we met Winnipeg again, but lost to them after a hard race. It was rowed in a strong bushes wind on the old course with Winnipeg in the sheltered station.
I was married in August 1910 and retired from rowing, Cloutte taking my place at 2 in the four. In the spring of 1911 Beresford and Logan called on me and persuaded me to come back. We rowed against Magdalen in the second heat of the race and beat them by 2½ lengths in 7 min. 54 sec. In the semi-final we beat Third Trinity by 1¾ lengths in 7 min. 36 sec. And we won the final against Trinity Hall by ¾ length in 7 min. 35 sec.
In the Goblets in 1911 Beresford and Cloutte and Rought and Logan dead-heated in the semi-final in record time, 8 min. 8 sec. Cloutte and Rought tossed to settle the result of the dead heat, and Cloutte won for himself and Beresford the right to contest the final. This course was adopted owing to three of the four having to race in the final of the Stewards as well. In the final Beresford and A.H. Cloutte won by 1½ lengths in 8 min. 15 sec., a time equal to Muttlebury’s old record.
In 1912 our Four was selected for the Olympic Games at Stockholm. There were no Coxless Fours and we practised with a coxswain. This may have handicapped us a little at Henley, where, after beating a strong Leander Four, we were defeated in the final by New College, stroked by the famous Bob Bourne. Rought and Logan won the Goblets, beating Pembroke College and First Trinity in heats and Beresford and Cloutte in the final by a length and a quarter in 8 min. 36 sec. At Stockholm we got into the final but we were beaten by a powerful German Four. We gained some valuable points for our country, and silver medals.
In 1913 S.M. Bruce selected and stroked the Thames First Eight, Beresford and I did not get a place. The Eight concentrated on the Grand and no Four was entered for the Stewards. They lost to Leander Club in the semi-final by 1¼ lengths in 7 min. 4 sec. In 1914 Rought did not row and E.L. Watts filled is place at 3. The Four was successful at all the regattas except Henley, but Thames won five of the nine events at the Metropolitan Regatta beating London in the Champion Eights by a foot.
