In The Spotlight - More Missives from Torch Bennett

In The Spotlight – More Missives from Torch Bennett

By Ed "Hazukashii" Howell
11 Oct 2021

Following up on the revelation of when 'Torch' Bennett believes the 'HASH HOUSE' Harriers got their start (July 1939), in his letters to Hema (a.k.a. Colin Snow) from 1981 . . . here are a few more bits on hash history for you to ponder. 

1.  As one of the founding members of the HHH, and an early On-Sec, Torch wrote the hash trash with a special sort of British humour.  Torch stated . . . "I did the weekly circular and used to try to embellish them with a little ode on some incident on the previous weeks run, a variant of the cartoon character "Sporting Sam" . . . "or match-stick-man drawings, but by the 100^th run we were all too pre-occupied with other things."  Sporting Sam [https://tinyurl.com/sportingsam] was a British political comic series that ran from 1908-1995.  This cartoon seems poignant for the time: https://tinyurl.com/HHH-restart

2.  Both G and Torch worked for Evatts & Co as accountants before the war, where they first met in Singapore in 1934.  After the war, Torch continued to work for Evatts stating . . . "I actually left Evatts for Neill & Bell (now Couper Bros) on 31/3/47 and retired from N. & B. on 31/3/58." 

3.  As far as his hashing career goes, he states . . . "I had actually stopped active participation some time earlier [before his retirement in 1958], partly on account of anno domini and partly as having survived the war and subsequent P.O.W. life, I didn't want my impending retirement stopped by bandits."  This confirms his status as a POW, which I will need to do a little more research on to better elaborate.  The bandits he mentions refers to an incident that occurs post war in 1948, as told by Cecil Lee: "This has been widely misreported, but what actually happened was that below where the Lady Templer Hospital is now, in an area that was then rubber and belukar, the Hares on a darkening and rainy evening came across some men wrapped in ground sheets sleeping on the ground. The following pack found the bandits on their feet but someone, in the general confusion nobody got hurt. One member ran to Cheras Police Station and raised the alarm; the army laid ambushes on tracks leading out of the area and first thing the following morning bagged three bandits trying to break out. One of them was found to have a substantial price on his head and the bounty was shared among the non-government employees on the run (government servants were not allowed to participate in such rewards)."

4.  Torch makes reference to the original Hash Anthem being Anthony Rolly.  This is actually an old British children's song known as 'A Frog be would a-wooing go.'  So, for those looking to replace Swing Low, consider this:

Anthony Rolly
(a.k.a. Anthony Roly, Anthony Rowley . . . A Frog be would a-wooing go)
The tune can be heard in this children's version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkK4t1Rmvy4

"A" is for asshole, all covered in shit

[Chorus, the first (c1)] = "Heigh-ho," says Rolly.

"B" is for the bugger who revels in it,

[Chorus, the second (c2)] = Singing rolly, poley, up'em and stuff'em, "Heigh-ho," says Anthony Rolly.

[Then start the sequence again]

"C" is for cunt all dripping with piss, (c1)

"D" is for the drunkard who gave it a kiss, (c2)

"E" is for the eunuch with only one ball, (c1)

"F" is for the fucker with no balls at all, (c2)

"G" is for goiter, gonorrhea, and gout, (c1)

"H" is the harlot who spreads it about, (c2)

"I" is for insertion, injection and itch, (c1)

"J" is the jerk of a dog on a bitch, (c2)

"K" is for knight who thought fucking a bore, (c1)

"L" is the lesbian who came back for more, (c2)

"M" is for maidenhead all tattered and torn, (c1)

"N" is the noble who died on his horn, (c2)

"O" is for orifice all cunningly concealed, (c1)

"P" is the penis all pranged up and peeled, (c2)

"Q" is the Quaker who shat in his hat. (c1)

"R" is the Rajah who rogered the cat, (c2)

"S" is the shit-pot all filled to the brim, (c1)

"T" is the turds which are floating within, (c2)

"U" is the usher who taught us at school, (c1)

"V" is the virgin who played with his tool, (c2)

"W" is the whore who thought fucking a farce, (c1)

And "X", "Y", and "Z" you can shove up your arse, (c2). 

5.  And finally, for those who are still doubters . . . Torch makes it clear when he says:  ". . . an American friend sent me a cutting from the Wall Street Journal in 1975 with a long article about us, and said 'surely there can't be two Torch Bennetts in this world".  In it, both G. and myself were called Australians, horrible thought."  No offense to the chain gang down under, (well . . . then there is Hamersley of course).   If any hasher out there has a Nexis Lexis account, I would be grateful if you could look up this article and send it to me.  Much appreciated.

For many more articles like this on the history of hashing, check out . . . http://gotothehash.net/history/inthespotlight.html

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On on!

In The Spotlight – We Know Where, but When Did It All Begin?

In The Spotlight – We Know Where, but When Did It All Begin?

By Ed "Hazukashii" Howell
4 Sep 2021

The history of the Hash House Harriers has been a topic of great interest for many years, but the one question that still makes us ponder is . . . WHEN did it start?  Like many things we do in hashing, there is usually some sort of punchline, or bawdy humor involved, and this is no exception.  Hashers have been asking this question for many years, but most take it for granted that it was sometime in 1938.  Yet there is no known document that gives us a clear understanding, or so we thought.  I became interested in the date after attending the Mother Hash 75^th anniversary in 2013, and started with the simple math, reviewing the dates of key events. 

We have documents that clearly state that the 100th run for the Hash House Harriers was 15 Aug 1941, and run #117 was on 12 Dec 41.  This shows that by that point the hash was run on a weekly basis (and was on Friday evenings prior to the war).  So, counting backwards 99 weeks from 15 Aug, the math does not work out for weekly runs unless the HHH started in Sep 1939.  Bi-weekly does not add up very well either, unless they shifted from biweekly to weekly sometime in mid to late 1940.  Otherwise, there must have been a multitude of missed runs to put the start date in 1938.  Obviously, I am not the only one who has come to this conclusion.

Colin "Snowman" Snow started hashing with Mother Hash in Jan 1976, and through a by-chance occurrence, found himself finishing out the 1977 term of the vacant ON-SEC position.  That was followed up with a full term as Joint Master in 1978.  Colin took to hashing quickly, and even back then the question lingered as to when was the first run?  Well, one day in Mid-1980, Colin mentioned to John Duncan (who had been the ON-SEC and JM back in the 1960s), that he was traveling to Africa.  John boldly directed "If you are going to Africa, you must look up Torch Bennett."  This led to a most unexpected journey documented by Colin in his article "Checking In Africa – An Evening with Torch Bennett."  [https://www.gotothehash.net/history/torch/CheckingInAfrica.pdf] While most of this conversation was published many years ago, one of the big questions that Colin wanted to know, was discussed but not included. 

Like many British expats on assignment, Colin had moved around over the years.  Malaysia in the 70s, with follow on jobs in several places including Taiwan and Thailand.  Now retired, he makes his home in Bangkok.  I first met Colin somewhere in SE Asia about 20 years ago, and we have occasionally crossed paths on some of my hash excursion through the region.  While recently discussing another bit of hash trivia, he mentioned to me . . . "If you want to add to the historical confusion of Run no 1, I had an extended exchange by airmail letters with Torch Bennett, back in 1980/81, the original Hon Sec."  He added that "I had found Torch Bennett in Durban, RSA back circa 1981 in one of the most unlikely small world stories, I must dig it up & send it on to you. That led to an airmail exchange twixt me & Torch until he moved on to the Big Rubber Plantation overhead about 1993, which included those 2 letters from Torch which you now have copies. John Duncan was also copied but by agreement of the 3 of us, nobody else."  You can bet I was very interested to read these letters!

Why now is this coming to light you may ask?  Colin explained that "I was conscious that since Torch & John Duncan had moved on, then I alone had those letters from Torch Bennett, & was it now time to publish them."  After reading, and rereading these letters, many bits of history have some context, including discussion of the date of origin.  Torch stated "Around May/June 1938 I was in Malacca with "G" who was office manager and with him ran with the Springgit Harriers there.  I returned to K.L., went off on leave about late November and "G" was still in Malacca, so H3 definitely did not start in 1938."  Now my original question about counting backwards from run #100, and was it weekly, ties in . . . Torch states in his letter that ". . . the runs were always weekly and never abandoned for bad light or weather."  He also mentioned that a small few runs may have been missed due to holidays, such as Christmas, New Years, and Easter.  Torch continued, stating "I returned from leave late July 1939 to find "G" manager of the K.L. office and H3 in action, and have always felt that I got back in time for the 4^th or 5^th run."  Then Torch makes the grand conclusion that "I think I can now pinpoint it as far as the month is concerned, and I make it July 1939."

Now, I will remind the readers, that these letters were written back in the summer of 1981.  Why has this information been withheld for so long?  In typical hash fashion, Colin tells me "At the time we were concerned that if the 1939 start date became common knowledge we (Mother HHH) would have to recall several thousand HHH Tee Shirts inscribed 'Running since 1938.'  And that was after HHH had had its glorious 40th anniversary PU [piss up] on 23 September 1978, when I was a JM."  Can you believe it . . . what a story!  It was all about the printed T-shirts.  😊

Colin, now in his 80s, went on to explain that . . . "Torch came up with the wonderful concept that by Chinese counting we are aged one at birth.  Hence HHH could have been conceived circa Sep 1938, with birth 9 months later in June 1939 with Run No1, near enough matching Torch's memory. We 3 agreed that this be kept quiet & be allowed to merge into Oriental myth. This history remained slumbering until I became concerned that if/when I pop off then that HHH history would be lost forever."

More to follow on other historical points from Torch . . . On On.

World Hash Events: November 2021

Hello hashers,

After the successful execution of EUROHASH 2021, other major events have
saved some dates:

INTERSCANDI 2022 - will be held 30 June to 3 July 2022 Venue is at Mustjöe,
in Tallinn, Estonia. Full details to follow.  Save the date . . .
https://www.hash.st/sections/2/pages/143

EUROHASH 2023 - will be held 17-20 Aug 2023 at Castle de Berckt in Baarlo,
the Netherlands. General registration is not open yet, but keep an eye on
the website . . .  https://www.eurohash2023.eu

There is still time to BUY or SELL registrations for the next INTERHASH in
Trinidad.  I currently have about 50 available for the event, and about a
dozen for the RED DRESS RUN. https://forms.gle/gxEQ9zT5gHDFN8Ak8

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In case you missed them, there are several new (and revised) articles to
choose from this month . . .

In the Spotlight – Czech Republic (Czechia) -
https://groups.google.com/g/gotothehash/c/q7A2v3Ijd6g

In the Spotlight – Scotland -
https://groups.google.com/g/gotothehash/c/q_C80Es3H-g

In the Spotlight - A long overdue revision to The first 10 known Hash House
Harriers Clubs - https://groups.google.com/g/gotothehash/c/etEKhQJlYd4

In the Spotlight – Harriettes (Updated) -
https://groups.google.com/g/gotothehash/c/-uTZpP1mOTM

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Shakesprick has released his latest edition of ON ON MAGAZINE.  See it, and
all past editions at http://gotothehash.net/history/shakes.html

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Hare and Hounds

     This is a game played at most English schools, but more especially at
Rugby.  Two of the fastest runners in the school are generally selected as
the "hares," and allowed ten minutes' start.  They carry with them a
quantity of small pieces of paper, which they scatter at intervals along
their route, to afford a guide to the "hounds," their school-fellows.  These
are under the control of a "huntsman" and a "whipper-in," on whom in a great
measure depends the success or failure of the pursuit.  The former carries a
white, the latter a red, flag.

     An English writer furnishes the following description of the game:

          "At last the time comes for a start, and the signal has been given
that we are 'off.'  At once the pursuit commences merrily, if the pace is
not yet of the best; for we have to husband our strength, and it would be
unwise policy to overstrain our capacity at the first dash.  We must go on
steadily, acquiring fresh strength as we go, or we shall soon drop away from
the rest, and collapse ignominiously.  Still we go on, following the scent,
and closely adhering to this trail of paper, with the huntsman in front, and
the whipper-in judiciously ending the line of stragglers in the rear.  So
far we have had a straight course, if the fields have been heavy and the
jumps unpleasantly awkward, but at last we have met with a check."

          "It may be that accident has momentarily caused the sight of the
scent to be lost, that it has been obscured, or that with cunning
contrivance the hare has counterfeited a course so as to baffle the hounds,
and gain additional time for breathing.  In any case, the pursuit has been
checked, and the huntsman has not only sounded his horn to signify that the
trail has been broken, but has also planted his flag on the spot where lies
the last trace of the scent, so that no time should be wasted by the
misconception of the precise place, and the necessity for another search to
recover the lost ground.  The delay depends, of course, on the artifiees
[sic] employed by the hare, for there are any number of expedients to be
practiced, and the feints of an expert hare are innumerable—by retracing his
steps, by improving a false scent, and, in fact, by the employment of any
device that can dismay or impede his pursuers.  The hounds, though, have not
been idle in the quest, for speedily the trail has been regained, and the
cry of 'Tally-Ho!' from the huntsman, with another note from the horn,
signifies that once more the hounds are on the track.  So the chase is
maintained, either unobstructed or varied by frequent checks, until either
the hare has been captured, or the hounds themselves have been exhausted,
and have abandoned pursuit."

     The school-boy game of "Hare and Hounds," as it is practiced in the
form of an athletic pastime, is merely a mimic representation of the genuine
sport; though now, so exact is the imitation in point of the terms applied,
that we hear of the human packs as the "Metropolitan Harriers," with other
appellations derived from the vocabulary of the huntsman.  It is not only a
recreation, but a splendid exercise that prevents the blood from stagnating,
and diffuses the caloric through every vein.  We need hardly add that it is
a pastime for cool, bracing weather only.

If you have read this far, you may already know this article was published
in the Harper's Weekly, dated May 23, 1874 . . .
http://gotothehash.net/history/hareandhounds.html

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If you are looking to part ways with some of your old hash attire, you may
want to take a look at this Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1765571437094074

You can also donate your old items to the HHH Museum.
https://www.hhhmuseum.org

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Announcement for all former Seoul Hashers . . .

50th Anniversary of the Seoul H3 . . . and Hashing In Korea.  The Seoul H3
was founded on 11 June 1972, so it is fitting that this event is scheduled
for 11 June 2022.  Details are TBA . . . But . . .

Here is another excerpt from the Hash Historical Vault.  I had the great
pleasure to a paid up member of the Seoul HHH for three years (1997-2000)
and a handful of visits over the years since.  I still view Korea as some
the finest hashing territory on earth, having traversed nearly 400 flour
laden trails on the peninsula.  The following article appeared in The Times,
London sometime in the early 1980's.

Letter from Seoul
by Jacquline Reditt

Lure of the Hash Habit sweeps the east.

One of the more curious rituals in the mystic Orient these days is the Hash
- a weekly phenomenon which sends scores of scantily clad Western
businessmen pounding heavily along steamy jungle paths, puffing up
precipitous, snow-covered mountain tracks, or splashing through muddy rice
paddies.

Oblivious to the elements, the runners are spurred on by the unmelodic
blasts from the Hash horn, by the witless cries of "On On" from their
companions and by the prospect of a great deal of beer ahead.

The Seoul Hash House Harriers (SHHH) with a membership of 126 and a minimum
two-month waiting list is famous for its social rather than athletic
emphasis.  Every member has a Hash nickname, many of which are unprintable.
One long-standing member, known to his hashmates as Captain Marvel, whose
ample girth happily reflects the SHHH spirit, attributes the success of the
Seoul chapter to its comparative small size and the lack of zealous
athleticism.

Serious runners do not dominate the Seoul chapter although one member did
recently take third place in the New Your City marathon.  His experience
with the hash was invaluable according to Tom Pentony [Kimchee Marine], aged
50, a former US Marine major turned businessman and present leader of the
pack, known as the grand master.

There is excellent running terrain across paddy fields and mountains just 20
minutes from the city centre.  "It's all good fun", he says, "it's a good
focal point for the international community, it's completely relaxing, like
reverting to college life, it's magic."

A few members claim they "do it for exercise."  Some stick to soft drinks.
Some run and go straight home.  But these are a minority, and though
tolerated, such attitudes are not encouraged.  As one Hash addict put it:
"Running and then returning home is not Hashing . . . It's putting in the
time that counts . . . Feeble excuses such as a wife giving birth are not
considered adequate."

The Hash consists of three distinct stages.  First the run, set by two
randomly chosen "hares."  It is basically non-competitive.  Even walking is
allowed, but there are a lot of heated discussion concerning SCBs meaning
"those of questionable parentage who take short cuts."

Stage two is a time of jolly companionship around the bonfire at what is
called the "On On" site.  Food, usually all too reminiscent of the original
hash, and large quantities of beer are consumed.  Dirty stories are told,
dirty songs are sung, and the Grand Master presides over various quaint
ceremonies. 

Stage three begins when the beer runs out.  Hard-core members than move on
to the local night spot to sample whatever their host country has to offer.

The Seoul H3 was founded on 11 June 1972, see the history in this
publication.
http://harrier.org/pipermail/hash-l_harrier.org/Week-of-Mon-20131021/008169.
html

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From the Way Back Machine, hash happenings this month . . .

5 YEARS AGO:
http://harrier.org/pipermail/hash-l_harrier.org/Week-of-Mon-20160926/009043.
html

10 YEARS AGO:
http://harrier.org/pipermail/hash-l_harrier.org/Week-of-Mon-20110919/007034.
html

15 YEARS AGO:
http://harrier.org/pipermail/hash-l_harrier.org/Week-of-Mon-20060918/004403.
html

----------------------------------------

Upcoming hash events for the month of November 2021 are listed below.  See
the website for more details: http://gotothehash.net/e/hashevents21-11.html

Nov 5-7 - Postponed to Mar 2022
Aussie Nash Hash
Hosted by the Adelaide H3 in Adelaide, Australia.

Nov 5-7
Not Dead Yet Campout
Hosted by the Biloxi H3 in D'Iberville, MS, USA.

Nov 12-14
Harriette 55th Analversary (Harriettes Only Please)
Hosted by the Susquehanna Pussies On Trail (SPOT) H3 in Baltimore, MD, USA.

Nov 19-21
Octavus Analversary
Hosted by the Skull & Boners H3 in Orange, CT, USA.

Nov 26-27 - Cancelled
Mekong Indochina Hash
Hosted by the Yangon H3 in Yangon, Myanmar.

See the whole two year calendar of events at
http://gotothehash.net/hashevents.html         

If you know of an upcoming event not posted to the calendar, please send me
the info. 

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Hashing is fun!  See you on trail someday . . . :O)

On-On,
Hazukashii
Keeper of the old rusty pail, and Chief of the Royal Order of the Smelly
Shoe!
http://GoToTheHash.net  (Since 1998)     

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GoToTheHash page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/GoToTheHash

If you have any hasher friends that would like to subscribe to this rag, let
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In the Spotlight – A long overdue revision to The first 10 known Hash House Harriers Clubs

In the Spotlight - A long overdue revision to The first 10 known Hash House Harriers Clubs

By Ed "Hazukashii" Howell
20 Sep 2021

The process of updating and editing Bill Panton's amazing HHH Genealogy Project, by validating existing information, and adding logos, dates, and various other details that are missing, continues. Occasionally I come upon corrections that are needed, and this month several very significant corrections have been made.  It started with a question from my old friend Drainoil, who questioned the order of the Penang H3 and Ipoh H3.  He claimed that when he started hashing in 1966, it was common knowledge that Ipoh H3 was #6, and Penang was #7.  So an in-depth review ensued, with the following results.  Some appear to just be input errors, fat fingers, or whatever reason, but this month the shakeup directly focuses on the first 10 hash clubs that are known to have existed.  While I am always happy to receive and review new information . . . as of this moment, after corrections made, these are now the 10 oldest hash clubs (and be prepared for some additional revelations):

10.   Penang H3 - Founded on 10 May 1965, by Robin Rawlings.  No change, but moves from #8 to #10.
9.     Ipoh H3 - Founded 31 Jan 1965, by David "Mad Dog" Denning (a.k.a. Kinta H3).  Previous date in the genealogy was 9 Oct 1965, but has been updated.  Moves from #10 to #9.
8.     Jesselton H3 - Founded on 22 Jun 1964, by George Will (name changed to the Kota Kinabalu H3).  No change, moves from #7 to #8.
7.     Sibu H3 - Founded on 1 Jun 1964, founder unknown.  (Original club folded ~1966, but was restarted 8 Oct 1995 by Ambrose Chung).  No change, but moves from #6 to #7.
6.     Miri H3 - Founded sometime in 1963, by Ian Nash.  (Original club folded, but was restarted 27 May 1973).  Since the specific date in 1963 is unknown, the date is set to 31 December.  No change, moves from #5 to #6.  If a more specific date can be identified, this club could move up in the future.
5.     Sandakan H3 - Founded on 18 Oct 1963, by Jonathan Gray.  Upon review, it was discovered the date was wrong, posted as 18 Oct 1965, with correction to 1963, moves from #10 to #5.

The only shakeup in the top 4 was made back in 2013, when the 20 year mystery of the Bordighera H3, was discovered to be a hoax.  https://www.gotothehash.net/history/rmbh3/rmbh3.html 

4.     Kuching H3 - Founded on 21 May 1963, by Harry "God Knows" Howell - http://gotothehash.net/history/hhhk.html 
3.     Brunei H3 - Founded on 18 Feb 1963, by Colin Berwick - http://gotothehash.net/history/hhhb.html 
2.     Hash House Harriers Singapore - Founded on 19 Feb 1962, by Ian Cumming (a.k.a. Singapore H3, Father Hash) - http://gotothehash.net/history/hhhs.html 

1.      Hash House Harriers - It is common knowledge within the world of hashing, that the first HHH club (a.k.a. Hash House Harriers Kuala Lumpur . . . Mother Hash) was founded by Albert Stephen Ignatius "G" Gispert, with the assistance of a small group of mates.  Due to the advent of WWII, this original club was suspended on 12 Dec 1941, after run #117, but was reactivated in Aug 1946. No one know for sure exactly when the first hash run was set, but by current lore it is believed to have been ~ Sep-Dec 1938.  BUT . . . there has been on ongoing debate if this is actually true or not.  What we can confirm is that the 100th Hash (see attached) was held on 15 Aug 1941 (and 17 weeks later, run #117 was the last).  Counting backwards 100 weeks from 15 Aug 1941, would potentially make the first run on 22 Sept 1939, if there were no weeks missed.  The big questions are, did the old gang have a memory lapse?  Was there a major fat finger to the year?  It is obvious that the HHH ran weekly from #100-#117, but did the club run bi-weekly, or sporadically prior to the 100th run?  No one knows for sure.  Guess I have a major research project ahead of me . . . more to follow, and let the debate begin.

For many more articles like this on the history of hashing, check out . . . http://gotothehash.net/history/inthespotlight.html

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