Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Mar 20, 2010
Tagged in:
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Winter Olympics ,
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Walter George ,
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training ,
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running ,
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pioneering sportswomen ,
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carried his bat ,
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100-up exercise
After the success of the local(ish) Amy Williams and the continued determination and perseverance from Pewsey’s 2006 silver medal winner Shelley Rudman in this year’s Winter Olympics, I thought I would bring to light another of Wiltshire’s pioneering sportswomen. Fanny Williams played for Swindon Town ladies football team in the 1920s. Ladies football developed during World War I when the employees of munitions factories formed teams to play each other. The Football Association banned ladies football on their grounds but the English Ladies Football Association was formed in 1921. A national Challenge Cup competition was begun in 1925. Fanny’s boots are kept at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery.
Wiltshire can also be said to possess famous athletics stars of the past. Purton produced a famous athlete in James Kibblewhite, born in 1866.
James Kiblewhite running for Spartan Harriers in the two mile NCAA Championship, Manchester, 1890 Ref: P18380 Wiltshire Historic Photographic Collection, reproduced with kind permission from Purton Museum
He began his athletics career in 1884 and enjoyed great success for over 10 years. In 1890 he was selected to run in London in front of King Edward and Queen Alexandra (then the Prince and Princess of Wales). He won many medals but one of his greatest achievements was breaking the three mile English Record and World Record in London. He was employed by the GWR works in Swindon by 1916 and had a son who was also a promising athlete. Purton Museum holds many items of memorabilia relating to James Kibblewhite, including trophies, medals, gold chain and watch, and newspaper cuttings of his career which are well worth having a look at.
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Dec 1, 2009
Tagged in:
tended ,
Swindon soldier ,
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Belgium ,
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ancestry.co.uk ,
Albert Cook
For a school trip to the First World War battle fields in Northern France and Belgium, we had to research a Swindon soldier from the war. We visited the History Centre with the school on a Monday; they kindly opened it for us so we could have the place to ourselves with the full attention of their expert staff who were extremely helpful (we would have found it very difficult if not for them!). Our soldier, Albert Cook, was a worker in the GWR works. His parents were from a small village called Clyffe Pypard and his mother died when he was six. Although he is no relation to us, neither famous nor very important, from all the hours of hard work and visiting his grave we now feel like we’ve known him all our lives.
Using original archival material at the History Centre
Since we didn’t get enough information on the first visit to the centre and we were too tight to pay for an account on ancestry.co.uk, we decided to go back to the centre where it’s free and more fun. We took the train down and were surprised the staff could remember us and our problems with our research we had the first time we visited. They showed us round again and helped us with the computers. The other people visiting that day were also very helpful and friendly; they showed us some great websites and how to get around on them.
From this visit we solved most of our previous mysteries but aroused some others, we found he had a sister who had disappeared when he was in his toddler years and we still didn’t know how his mother died. We decided to go again the next day; it’s so fun and interesting. We cleared all but a few of our problems, these few were not solvable because no records existed that would have held the data we wanted.
The trip was amazing, it seemed the soldiers of the First World War are the most remembered in Europe and they are never going to be forgotten. Their graves are still tended to like they died yesterday and schools from many different countries visit the cemeteries. When we sat by Albert’s grave we both had tears in our eyes. This was the reason why we came, to sit by the grave side of a person we felt we knew so well. If not for the centre and its bursting information of the past we wouldn’t have felt anywhere near like we did. Thank you Swindon and Wiltshire History Centre!
Emily Kellett and Charlotte Manser
Commonweal School, Swindon
