Never Forgotten: The Freddie Tomlins Story

"Smart lad, to slip betimes away / From fields where glory does not stay / And early though the laurel grows / It withers quicker than the rose." - Excerpt from "To An Athlete Dying Young", A.E. Housman, 1896

"Wherever he performed, his exhibitions of dauntless skill and courage captivated the crowds. His ingenuity was such that he could do almost anything on skates. How sad that he should have lost his life at this point of his career, fighting for his country's cause for freedom." - Henry Graham Sharp, "The Skater" magazine, 1949

Frederick 'Freddie' William Edwin Tomlins was born August 5, 1919, to Ernest and Grace Halcyon (Pye) Tomlins in Lambeth, England. When Freddie was only seven months old, the family relocated to Canada as his father was serving in the Canadian Army. Freddie's father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all leather dressers by trade.

While in Canada, Freddie's younger sister Margaret (Peggy) was born. The Tomlins family returned to England in June of 1923, taking up residence on Upper Grange Road, Bermondsey, South London.

Freddie was an athletic child who excelled at swimming, diving, boxing, tennis, running, football and cricket. Ernest, equally sports-minded, was a former boxing instructor, tennis champion, hockey player... and ice skater. When Streatham Ice Rink opened, he brought little Freddie and Peggy along and began showing them the ropes. Soon, both Tomlins children began taking lessons from Ernest Batson, and then Phil Taylor, the father of World Champion Megan Taylor.

Joy Ricketts and Freddie Tomlins

By the age of thirteen, Freddie passed his N.S.A. bronze test and began competing and skating exhibitions as a pairs skater with Joy Ricketts, taking from Eugen Mikeler and Nate Walley. He also found success as a speed skater, setting records of 1 min, 24 1/2 seconds for the half-mile and 2 mins, 51 and 1/5 seconds for the mile, both unpaced. In no time, Joy and Freddie won the Count de la Feld Challenge Trophy for junior pairs skating.

Though undeniably a talented pairs and speed skater, what really caught people's attention about Freddie was his fearless free skating. He was actually so popular with other skaters that they would often travel from other rinks just to watch him practice. He began training seriously as a singles skater at Westminster Ice Rink under the tutelage of Howard Nicholson. In 1933, he became the first skater in Great Britain to earn the N.S.A.'s Silver Medal in both figure and speed skating.

In November 1935, Freddie entered the British Ice Skating Championships at the Westminster Ice Club, which served as the trial event for British skaters hoping to compete at the Garmisch-Partenkirchen Olympics. The five-foot-five-tall, one hundred and fifty-six-pound youngster with dark brown hair and green eyes made an incredible first impression with his high-flying jumps and well-centred spins. His program included a double Salchow, several variations of the Axel (inside, outside and one-foot) and Lutzes in both directions. "The Times" described his  performance in the autumn of 1935 as "the best exhibition by a man ever seen in Great Britain." He finished second to Henry Graham Sharp and made the Olympic team at the ripe old age of fifteen.

Prior to the Olympics, Freddie made his international debut at the 1936 European Championships in Berlin, placing a respectable eighth in a field of fifteen. In his 1959 book "Ice-Skating: A History", Brown aptly described Freddie as "the first artistic skater to use speed on ice, courageously and unhesitatingly to get the most out of a jump" and that's precisely why, despite his placement in Berlin,
he was already getting invitations to skate in Paris, Brussels, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Berlin and even Japan in his first season competing abroad. However, at the Olympic Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen that followed, the talk centered around what the teenage Briton was doing off the ice rather than one. Howard Bass recalled that "Freddie told Graham that he intended to get 'old Schickelgruber's autograph' and proceeded by devious means to bore his way right through Hitler's S.S. bodyguard, reputed to be impassible, and went straight up to the surprised dictator and handed him a pencil! He got the autograph, but what the S.S. guards got afterwards was, I gather, less rewarding." His Olympic teammate and friend Belita Jepson-Turner later recalled, "I don't know what he said to one of the soldiers, but they threw him out in his skates and his tights and his little badge and number and everything - threw him right out into the snow - and left him out there for about two hours, locking the door of the arena."

Freddie returned to international competition at the 1937 European Championships in Prague. In her 1947 biography "Freddie Tomlins: His Life on Skates", his sister Peggy wrote, "He put up a spectacular performance against his older and much more experienced opponents... Freddie showed his grit and determination by ignoring the formidable array of famous names and revealed a type of skating not hitherto displayed by a youngster. He astonished the stolid Czechoslovakian skating enthusiasts... and soon became a popular favourite." The British and French judges had him third but he ended off just off the podium in fourth behind Felix Kaspar, Graham Sharp and Elemér Terták. At the World Championships that followed in Vienna, he finished second in free skating but sixth overall. Though he certainly worked with some big name coaches, his inexperience often kept him just behind the top echelon of skaters in the school figures, practically having to dominate the free skating events every time to make a real impact. A prime example? At the British Championships held at Harringay Arena on March 15, 1937, Freddie defeated Graham in the free skating but a distant second place in figures still kept him in the number two slot. Returning to Europe, he gave an exhibition at the Berlin Sportpalast... and that's when he ended up with a Nazi watch! With his cursed jewelry on his wrist, he returned to skating life in England, both the drudgery of eight-hour training days and the excitement of constant invitations to perform as a guest in shows. In fact, that spring alone, he gave exhibitions at Streatham and Purley Ice Rinks, the S.S. Brighton, the Richmond Ice Rink, Empire Pool at Wembley, Empress Hall at Earl's Court and Queen's Ice Club. As a keen collector of skating club badges, Freddie loved going to as many rinks as possible.

Freddie Tomlins, Graham Sharp and Tony Austin. Photo courtesy BIS Archive, Gerschwiler Family Collection.

On December 13, 1937, Freddie again finished second to Graham at the British Championships, but this time, "The Times" wrote that he "performed at an amazing speed, in good style and rhythm; it was, with its prodigious jumps and beautifully controlled spins, one of the finest exhibitions of free-skating ever given by a man in this country." Despite the media's best effort to make rivals out of Freddie and Graham - and they tried - the two competitors were great friends. With that 'scoop' foiled, the media latched onto a rumour about Freddie's intention to turn professional. He ended up publishing an official denial and leaving later that month to give exhibitions in Berlin before heading to Switzerland to train on the outdoor ice in St. Moritz before that year's European Championships. Despite improved figures and another exciting free skate, his marks were far from generous. The German judge had the Briton seventh, the British judge third. He finished sixth, although many thought he outskated the winner, Felix Kaspar.

Incredibly, in the short time between the European and World Championships, he gave exhibitions in seven European cities: Basel, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Dortmund, and Hamburg. After the World Championships, Freddie, Ernest and Graham Sharp went to The Hague, narrowly missing Hitler's Anschluss (annexing) of Austria on March 12, 1938.

Despite his popularity with German audiences, Freddie immediately flatly refused to ever accept an invitation to perform there again after the Anschluss. Ernest defended him, telling those who sent invitations, "I believe in individualism and Freddie is an individualist." He instead headed down to Australia with Dunbar Poole to give a show and train for the following year's European and World Championships. Down Under, he took up speed skating again and defeated the reigning New South Wales champion at a quarter-mile race at the Sydney Glaciarium... by twenty yards. Australian Speed Skating Champion Tom Gibson was dismissive of Freddie's fast feet in an interview in the July 28, 1938 issue of "Referee". He proclaimed, "The way he scrapes with his back skate as he goes round the bends i bad. It's just brute strength that does it with Tomlins. Look at the muscles on his legs. He should be a wrestler with legs like those." He actually intended to compete in the August 1938 Australian Speed Skating Championships but was told by the secretary of the Victorian Ice Hockey Association he wasn't allowed as "the admission of contestants from overseas would be unfair to Australian skaters." It turned out to be a major hullabaloo. Freddie shrugged it all off saying, "The suggestion that I might take the trophies out of Australia is laughable. If I won a race, I would return the trophy." The ban was eventually lifted, and he knocked seven seconds off the Australian half-mile record.

Returning to the family home in Stockwell Green, London that autumn, Freddie finished second behind Graham yet again at the British Championships. The friendly rivals placed one/two at that year's European and World Championships as well, but Freddie actually won the free skate at that year's World Championships in Budapest with first-place ordinals from four of the five judges. It was so close, reportedly, that Graham announced, "You've won it, Freddie!'"

Photo courtesy The Skating Club of Boston, "Skating" magazine

Unphased by a season of silver, Freddie returned to England and gave exhibitions at Bristol Ice Rink and Wembley, then accepted an invitation by the USFSA to take part in the Skating Club of New York's annual carnival. Off he sailed to The Big Apple on the S.S. Europa at the age of eighteen with fourteen-year-old Daphne Walker and her mother, Maude. The American press lauded him as 'The English Skating Ace' and 'The 1940 Olympic Champion'; the American audience called him back for three encores. From New York, Daphne and Freddie headed to Massachusetts to perform in the Skating Club of Boston's carnival before leaving on the Queen Mary.

The late Benjamin T. Wright, former chairman of ISU Technical Committee and ISU Referee and ISU and USFSA historian, once told me, "The Skating Club of Boston invited Tomlins to come to our carnival in 1939, just before the war. He was an extraordinary jumper, and we measured. He did a double Salchow that was twenty-five feet long. He was a short guy, and his feet were above the boards. Coincidentally, the year before, Felix Kaspar came, and he was a little guy too. He was the kind of guy that'd get up in the air and do a flying Axel thirty feet long and four feet high! With that skill [and different skates], it was obvious they could have done quads."

Freddie Tomlins, Benny Lee and Megan Taylor at Streatham Ice Rink. Photo courtesy "Skating World" magazine.

Back in England, Freddie appeared in Purley Ice Rink Fancy Dress Masquerade with Phil Taylor, Daphne Walker and Violet and Leslie Cliff and the Streatham Ice Rink's Annual Ice Ball and Gymkhana. On May 17, 1939, Freddie and Cecilia Colledge were honoured in a special show at the Nottingham Ice Rink. The next month, the Empire Pool held a gala in honour of the International Olympic Committee, with all proceeds going to the 1940 Olympic Team. The "Skating Times" reported that "Tomlins' dazzling exhibition drew deafening applause from the packed arena."

Freddie Tomlins and Daphne Walker

Freddie then performed at the Murrayfield Ice Rink and in August, was invited to the opening of the ice rink at the Belgian Exhibition in Liege. The trip to Tintin territory was ultimately cancelled amidst rumours of war. Instead, he gave exhibitions at Empress Hall in carnivals in aid of the News Chronicle Tobacco Fund for the Fighting Forces and the British Sailors' Society in December 1939 and March 1940. 

Freddie won the Baker Cup for speed skating on outdoor ice in January of 1940, setting a long-standing record of 18.2 seconds. At his final figure skating performance at Wembley, Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden were in the audience. Afterwards, Freddie was presented to Churchill, who expressed his admiration of his "musculosity".

Raising funds for British war charities was not enough for Freddie. He began driving trucks to 'do his bit' and then, inspired by Churchill, he joined the Royal Air Force. After taking a preliminary course at an I.T.W., he set sail for Canada to begin his training as a pilot. He arrived at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the S.S. Strathenden in August 1941.

Although Freddie's main reason for being in North America was obviously training to be a pilot, he performed at charity-minded skating carnivals organized by the Rotary Club of Vancouver and the Alumni Association of the Calgary General Hospital. 

Freddie was also a popular guest at skating carnivals in Toronto, Ottawa, Oakland, St. Paul, North Bay and Trenton. The March 5, 1942 issue of "The Ottawa Citizen" praised him thusly: "His speed on the blades is terrific. His jumps are almost unbelievable in their height and daring. In his spins, he whirls as if he would never stop. He also is a real comedian and his wonderful personality makes him a favourite wherever he goes."

Britta Lundequist, Norah McCarthy, Irene Dare, Tasie McCarthy, Ann Taylor, Donald Gilchrist, Tommy LeVonne, Freddie Tomlins, Bobby Specht and Gene Theslof performing in "Ice Vanities Of 1942", a carnival held behind blackout curtains at the Oakland Figure Skating Club. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.

Freddie Tomlins as The Blonde Bombshell

In one show at the Collingwood Arena, Freddie even donned his best drag as The Blonde Bombshell. The papers read, “Dressed in a fetching costume complete with blonde tresses that hung to her shoulders, the Bombshell cavorted through an intricate routine that left the crowd howling for more.” Freddie had an love of camp and a great sense of humour. Around this time, he formed a close friendship with U.S. Figure Skating Champion Bobby Specht - a magnetic performer celebrated for his flair and artistry - who for a time lived with Freddie's former Olympic teammate Belita Jepson-Turner. The two shared a camaraderie and often travelled together.

Left: Group photo from the Oakland Figure Skating Club's 1941 carnival. Back (left to right): Freddie Tomlins, Bobby Specht and Gene Theslof. Front (left to right): Irene Dare, Taisie McCarthy and Anne Taylor. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine. Right: Photographs from a Skating Club of New York carnival program.

After obtaining his Pilot Officer's certificate - and legions of new fans - at the Royal Canadian Air Force base in Trenton, Ontario, he returned to London in May 1943. After giving a series of skating exhibitions to raise money for British war charities, he was posted to a Coastal Command station at St. Eval in Cornwall.

Photo courtesy "Skating World" magazine

In 1943, twenty-three-year-old Freddie was tragically killed during an operational flight over the English Channel. The aircraft he was serving as an Air Gunner on had six men aboard - five from Great Britain and one from Canada. It was presumed to be shot down by a Nazi submarine. Liz Deery of the Ministry of Defence explained, "P/O Tomlins was the Air Gunner on board Whitley LA814 aircraft which went missing whilst on Atlantic patrol on June 20, 1943. P/O Tomlins was with a No 10 Operational Training Unit (OTU) detachment at the time of his loss. During 1942 No 10 OTU became responsible for a large anti-submarine flight manned by crews from all the Whitley OTUs, detached to St. Eval (No 19 Group) for anti-submarine patrols over the Western Approaches and the Bay of Biscay; 33 Whitleys were lost before the OTUs were withdrawn on July 23, 1943. P/O Tomlins and his crew members went missing after take-off and as nothing was heard six months later it was presumed they lost their lives at sea; death was presumed to have occurred on June 20, 1943. It was normal practice during the Second World War that death was presumed to have occurred if nothing was heard for six months regarding missing personnel." Freddie's name is commemorated at the Runnymede Memorial at Surrey, alongside over twenty thousand other airmen who were lost during operations in the second World War.

Belita Jepson-Turner described Freddie as "very small and a wonderful jumper" and "one of England's great champions". Graham Sharp, in the Spring 1946 edition of "Ice Hockey World and Skating Review" recalled his friendly foe thusly: "All his actions in his life were free and easy. He was irresistable. He had tremendous energy, replete with joie de vivre. A jolly comrade. He would no doubt have reached the very pinnacle in the skating world if the war had not procluded this... Freddie was a real sportsman, and the best loser I ever knew.... He was the first to congratulate me at the finish. He was never inclined to take anything - even a World Championship - too seriously." Cecilia Colledge recalled, "Freddie Tomlins and I grew up on the ice together. Year by year, before and after the Championships, we skated in the same exhibitions, galas and charity performances, everywhere. We were true pals in a comradeship of skill, youth and happiness. I admired Freddie's unequalled ability and am convinced that he was without rival in his marvellous feats. The news that he had been killed on air operations came as a great shock to me, and his untimely death deprived skating of its most spectacular star... His humour was infectious, bubbling over like the sparkling effervescence of a priceless vintage."

In the closing paragraph of her biography of her brother, Freddie's (now also deceased) sister Peggy recalled, "He was my chum, my partner in ice-skating, and I watched his dazzling career with the jealous interest that a mother might bestow on a favourite child... He was the Gay Cavalier of the Ice, dauntless, daring and withal taking his phenomenal success in his stride, as if it were a natural sequence to his strenuous efforts. I am convinced that, if a cruel fate had not intervented, my brother would have attained high rank in the Air Force... Yet I console myself that from his Valhalla, his soul, wafted thither by the Valkyries, looks down upon the scene of his triumph - the Ice Rink - and participates in the achievements of his successors."

Photo courtesy "Skating World" magazine

Twenty-three years after his son's death, Albert Tomlins donated the Freddie Tomlins Trophy to the National Skating Association as a prize for a one-mile scratch race in speed skating. The winner, John Tipper, went on to represent Great Britain at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble. 

Had fate allowed, Freddie Tomlins may well have been the UK's first Olympic Gold Medallist in men's figure skating. Instead, he lost his life in the skies, his dreams buried with him. Despite his talent, sacrifice, and legacy, his name remains missing from the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame - an omission that speaks less to his merit than to how easily history forgets its heroes.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Bluesky, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering one of eight fascinating books highlighting the history of figure skating: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

Celebrate Figure Skating History This Women's History Month

   

October is Women's History Month Month in Canada and Skate Guard celebrates key milestones of women in figure skating.

You can find all of the Women's History Month content by tapping on the link in the top menu bar of the blog or clicking here.

To nominate amazing Canadian women in figure skating to the Skate Canada Hall Of Fame, click here. 

Celebrate Figure Skating History This LGBTQ+ History Month

October is LGBTQ+ History Month in Canada and Skate Guard celebrates key milestones of LGBTQ+ figure skaters. 

You can find all of the LGBTQ+ History Month content by tapping on the link in the top menu bar of the blog or clicking here.

To nominate LGBTQ+ skaters, coaches, judges and builders to the Skate Canada Hall Of Fame, click here. 

Celebrate Figure Skating History - Latin American Heritage Month!

October is Latin American Heritage Month in Canada and Skate Guard celebrates key milestones of skaters of Latin American heritage. 

You can find all of the Latin American Heritage Month content by tapping on the link in the top menu bar of the blog or clicking here. 

To nominate skaters of Latin American heritage to the Skate Canada Hall Of Fame, click here. 

The Westminster Ice Club

After The Great War forced Prince's Skating Club to close, well-to-do figure skaters in London, England, found their options to be quite limited. A handful of rinks, including the Hammersmith Ice Drome, Park Lane Ice Club at Grosvenor House and a rink in the basement of Albert Hall, filled the skating void. However, all of these ventures proved more or less temporary, and it wasn't until the Westminster Ice Club came along that figure skating in London enjoyed a massive revival in the late 1920s and 1930s.

The Westminster Ice Club was located on Johnson Street (now John Islip Street), just off Horseferry Road in Millbank. Though a stone's throw from the Houses of Parliament and Tate Gallery, the Club's location was somewhat unlikely, also being not far from Page Street, which then played host to a series of decaying windowless Victorian tenements and stables. The private Club was established by Sir Stephen Cortauld, a wealthy philanthropist and member of the Cortauld textiles family, and Walter Keigwin. Cortauld and Keigwin had been inspired by visits to rinks in Germany and Switzerland, and hoped to market the Club to wealthy Londoners who were "too busy to go abroad". Twenty-five thousand shares of stock were issued at one pound sterling apiece.

When the Westminster Ice Club opened on January 14, 1927, the attendance was so great that thousands were turned away. Some who made it inside stood on ladders to view the scene on the ice over the crowds. The January 15, 1927 issue of the "Birmingham Gazette" reported, "Extraordinary scenes were witnessed last evening at the opening of London's new Ice Club at Westminster, when the number of those who arrived and sought admission was so much great than the available accommodation that the building was packed before the proceedings commenced, was surrounded by a large crowd throughout the evening, and at one time people were literally swept into the entrance by the pressure from those behind. Queues of cars and taxis quickly formed all along the thoroughfares leading to the building, and the occupants, most of them attired in evening dress, alighted from their cars and proceeded on foot to the club entrance, only to find they could not obtain admission. Many holders of invitations were unable to enter the building. Women in evening dress, many of them wearing valuable jewelry, were among the crowded audience. Probably about 5,000 people were inside the building, and it is estimated that at least that number, if not more, had to go away without gaining admittance." Later, "The Bystander" speculated that one of the reasons this all happened was because "so many members interpreted their invitations as covering a quantity of friends."

Greta Midgley, Mr. Bullimore and Betty Rushby dining on the balcony on the Club's opening night in 1934.

The Westminster Ice Club had an ice surface of approximately one hundred and eighty by ninety-eight feet - comparable in size to the arena that was home to The Skating Club of Boston at the time. It was decorated in green and pink beige, with pale orange lights illuminating the ice. The Club had heated dressing rooms, a restaurant, a wine cellar and two bars, one of which was on the ground floor and dubbed The Skaters' Cocktail Bar. Fresh off the ice - and still wearing their boots - the Club's members could chat about their figures and listen to phonograph records while sipping brandy and fine scotch.

Dorothy Fane, T.D. Richardson, Miss Peel, Gerard Mitchell, Mildred Richardson and Major Hutchison at the Skaters' Cocktail Bar.

In the mornings, the rink was eerily silent while skaters practiced their school figures. In the afternoons, a full orchestra accompanied those participating in Waltz intervals. A younger crowd showed up around cocktail time and skated until dinner. The Royal Skating Club also made use of the facilities, booking the ice for intervals for their old English Style combined figures. Ice hockey and speed skating were largely frowned upon at the Club, being considered rather boorish, but the figure skaters who ruled the roost did allow curlers the use of the ice.

Captain Fairfax-Ross, Mrs. Jack Cortauld, Henning Grenander, Mr. Lloyd, Jack Cortauld, Mrs. Stephen Cortauld, an unidentified woman and Mr. Ommanney at a carnival at the Ice Club in 1929.

Like Prince's years before, the 'members only' Westminster Ice Club played host to a unique mix of legitimate figure skaters and society types who were more concerned about their outfits than their outside edges. Olympians Sonja Henie, Cecilia Colledge, Belita Jepson-Turner, Maribel Vinson, Jackie Dunn, Rosemarie Stewart and Ernest Yates, Mildred and T.D. Richardson and Mollie Phillips all skated there, as did Sir Samuel John Gurney Hoare, Lord Jellicoe and his wife and daughters, Lord Dunmore, Sir Howard d'Egville and Harry Gordon Selfridge and his family. A number of high-ranking military officials were members, including Vice-Admiral Tritton Buller and Lieutenant Commanders Sir Hugh Dawson and Ivan Davson. Lady Minto was a fixture of the Club, always spotted rinkside in her regal furs. Perhaps most famously, King George VI (then Duke of York) and Prince of Wales, the Duke of Windsor took to the ice at the Club for a game of hockey in 1929. Sir Frank Boyd Merriman, who went on to become England's Solicitor General, made the transition from society to serious skater by competing in an English Style championship at the club in 1928 and Sir Peter Markham Scott won pairs competitions with future World Professional Champion Joyce Macbeth. He so impressed respected coach Bernard Adams that he reportedly said, "If you give me your time uninterrupted for the next two years, I will make you World Champion."

Belita recalled, "At Westminster Ice Rink, Mummy used to skate with us. She got us a teacher who taught us to do edges, three turns and figure eights. Mummy used to waltz and tenstep during the dance intervals. She did them quite well. It was at Westminster, that early in my life, I first saw my future trainer. His name was Jacob Gerschwiler. In those days he had few pupils. There was one, his favourite called Cecilia Colledge, known to all as Fatty. She was as round as a small tub with a pudding basin for a head. Her hair parted in the middle and pulled into two short braids that stuck out each side of her face. Gerschwiler said she would be a champion, but to us she did not seem very good. Fatty did not like the younger children and was nasty to us all. She was three or four years older than I was. I could still not do my own boots up, so I had to go to the ladies skate room and to Number Seven. NUMBER SEVEN! Without him, there would have been fewer girls skating for Britain in future championships. He watched over us with the loving care of a mother hen. He mended our boots, screwed on and sharpened our skates; when we had finished practicing, he wiped and dried our skates, put Vaseline on them and kept our locker keys. He was divine. A round-faced, big, amiable Swedish-type Cockney, with thinning brown hair and a ruddy complexion. I never knew his name."

Claude Langdon once wrote, "Captain [T.D.] Richardson and I were entertained by [Stephen]
Courtauld one night at his club, and of course I was fascinated [by] what we saw. Some of the biggest Mayfair celebrities had been induced away from night-clubs, and in the clear, cool air of the rink were practicing the Salchow jump, the counter-cross-spin and the Axel Paulsen jump! Marples, one of the professionals of the Park Lane Club, had just come from giving private coaching to Princess Elizabeth, today our beloved Queen."

Over the years, the Westminster Ice Club's instructors included Jacques Gerschwiler, Melitta Brunner, Bernard Adams and Lady Katherine Manley. The male instructors wore black; the females a pillar-box red uniform. Howard Nicholson, the club's chief instructor, drove a Cadillac and made over two thousand pounds a year from teaching alone. He charged ten shillings for a twenty-minute lesson.

Several important Championships were decided at the Westminster Ice Club. In 1927, the National Skating Association held the first women's championship for the Martineau Cup, donated by Major Hubert Martineau, a skating judge and bobsled and cricket enthusiast. Kathleen Shaw was the winner. In 1928, the World Figure Skating Championships for women and pairs skating were attended by the King and Queen, the Duchess of York, Prince Henry and Princess Mary. The attendance of the royals generated so much attention that the police had to drive them through the crowd to the entrance! In 1929, Gillis Grafström won his third and final World title at the Club and in 1933, the Club hosted the European Figure Skating Championships.

Hookway Cowles illustration of "The Veiling Of The Sun" ice ballet.

A number of carnivals and ice pantomimes of note were also held at the Westminster Ice Club. In 1929, a carnival in aid of Mary, Countess of Minto's Indian Nursing Association and the Bird in Bush Infant Welfare Centre at Camberwell featured an egg-and-spoon race, a backwards race and tea race, as well as exhibitions by Fritzi Burger, Melitta Brunner and Ludwig Wrede, Phil Taylor and Henning

 Grenander.  A fancy dress ice carnival in aid of the National Council of Girls' Clubs in 1930 was attended by the Duchess of York.

 

In 1935, Howard Nicholson's ice ballet "The Veiling Of The Sun" received rave reviews. The Club's 1936 "Galaxy Gala" featured an ice ballet set to the music of Felix Mendelsohhn called "In The Springtime Of Love" and a daring interpretation of "Dracula", where stilt skater Herman Steinschaden performed as a bat, while his victim lay on the ice in a pool of fake blood. Freddie Tomlins, Belita Jepson-Turner, Gweneth Butler and Mollie Phillips all appeared in this production, which was attended by the Duchess of Westminster, Lord and Lady Ossory and Lord and Lady Inchcape.

Ice dancing was also tremendously popular at the Westminster Ice Club. The Foxtrot, Quickstep, Paso Doble and Argentine Tango were all invented there, as was the Westminster Waltz, first performed by Eva Keats and Erik van der Weyden in a New Dance Competition sponsored by "The Skating Times" at the Club in 1938.

The Westminster Ice Club remained a popular fixture in Millbank until 1939, when - like many rinks in the UK - it was closed due to World War II. The facility was taken over by the military for some unknown purpose, and the freezing plant was sold to the Manchester Ice Palace. In 1942, the rink's glass skylights were shattered in an air raid. The Club was later demolished, and for many years it was a car park. Today, on its site, you will find the Westminster London Curio hotel.

Skate Guard is a blog dedicated to preserving the rich, colourful and fascinating history of figure skating. Over ten years, the blog has featured over a thousand free articles covering all aspects of the sport's history, as well as four compelling in-depth features. To read the latest articles, follow the blog on Facebook, Bluesky, Pinterest and YouTube. If you enjoy Skate Guard, please show your support for this archive by ordering one of eight fascinating books highlighting the history of figure skating: https://skateguard1.blogspot.com/p/buy-book.html.

Overlooked Canadian Champions Of The Fabulous Fifties

More people than ever flocked to Canadian ice rinks in the 1950s, many of them inspired to take up figure skating after Barbara Ann Scott's historic Olympic gold medal win in 1948. 

Canada had many memorable champions during the decade, including World Champions Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden, Barbara Wagner and Bob Paul and Donald Jackson. 

Today, we'll be learning a little more about a handful of Canadian Champions from the decade who are less remembered. Put on your poodle skirt or letter jacket, crank up the Dean Martin and join me for a trip down memory lane as we meet some very talented skaters that have been sadly overlooked.

FRANCES ABBOTT GUNN AND DAVID ROSS

Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

The list of Canada's earliest ice dance champions reads as expected: Toronto Skating Club, Minto Skating Club... but a very small club of dancers from the Winnipeg Winter Club managed to weave their way into the record books. In 1938, Janet and Fraser Sweatman won the Canadian Waltz title. Four years later, Evelyn Rogers and George McCullough won the Tenstep. In 1951, Mary Rose Trimble and David Ross were the Tenstep winners. However, it wasn't until 1953, when David won with Frances (Abbott) Gunn, that a team from west of Ontario won the Canadian senior dance title. They retired in 1954 after winning the Silver Dance and Waltz events at the Western Canadian Championships.

Frances Abbott

Frances and David were exceptionally talented skaters, but their dancing took second priority to their off-ice goals. After graduating from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science in degree in home economics, Frances worked as a diabetic intern at the University of Minnesota hospital in Minneapolis and as a dietician at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in Bermuda and the Winnipeg General Hospital. David worked as a zone manager at International Harvester, then taught skating at the Connaught Skating Club and Kerrisdale Arena in British Columbia. Frances remained involved in the sport as a high-level judge, presiding over the dance events at the 1967, 1968 and 1973 World Championships. She passed away on February 3, 2014.

MARLENE SMITH

Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

The daughter of Almeda (Haile) and Ernest Smith, Marlene Elizabeth Smith was born August 3, 1931, in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Her father, who was born in England, was the treasurer of the Smith Brothers Construction Company. Her mother, who was born in the United States, was a dancing instructor. Her parents married in Welland, Ontario, where her mother was raised.

Marlene first took to the ice at the age of seven, but didn't start pursuing figure skating seriously until she was twelve. She got her start at the Niagara Falls Skating Club but later trained in St. Catharines, Kitchener, Hamilton, Lake Placid and Toronto. Her primary coach for much of her career was Otto Gold, but she also worked with Gustave Lussi and Sheldon Galbraith. Off the ice, she studied at the Loretto Academy and Dominion Business College. Her hobbies were collecting spoons and Dalton figurines, and she always wore yellow socks when she skated.

Marlene won the Canadian junior title in 1948, the year Barbara Ann Scott won Olympic gold. The same year, she took the bronze in the senior class. At a ceremony celebrating her success, a local alderman remarked, "Ottawa can boast of her Barbara Ann Scott and now Niagara Falls can boast of her Marlene Smith."

In 1949, Marlene dropped to fourth in the senior women's event at Canadians but struck gold in the pairs with her partner Donald Gilchrist. She went on to win a pair of silver medals in both singles and pairs at that year's North American Championships. Upon returning home to Niagara Falls, she was greeted at the train station by a huge crowd of well-wishers and a pipe band, presented with a bouquet of roses and driven to city hall, where she received the key to the city.  

Marlene Smith and Donald Gilchrist. Photos courtesy "Skating" magazine (left) and "Skating World" magazine (right).

Marlene's successes continued in 1950, when she and Donald Gilchrist defended their Canadian pairs title, and she took the silver in singles. She represented Canada at that year's Worlds in London, where she placed ninth in the women's event and seventh in pairs. Swiss writer Nigel Brown described her in "Skating World" magazine as "a very speedy solo skater... [with] a very interesting programme which finished on a fast cross-foot spin following three double Salchows."

Marlene and Donald's partnership ended the following year. She returned stronger than ever in 1952, placing in the top ten in the women's event at both the Winter Olympic Games and World Championships and finally winning the Canadian women's title in Suzanne Morrow's absence.

Marlene turned professional after winning the Canadian title and taught at the Buffalo Skating Club in New York and the rink at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. On October 16, 1954, she married Lieutenant James Rollins Eddy, whom she met while water skiing in Florida. She lived, for a time, in Tokyo, Japan, when her husband was stationed at the Johnson Air Force Base. The couple later divorced, and Marlene went on to teach skating at the Washington Figure Skating Club, Ice Club of Baltimore and at a studio rink in Coral Gables, Florida. She passed away on March 1, 2009 at the age of seventy-seven.

ELAINE PROTHEROE AND WILLIAM TRIMBLE

Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

Elaine 'Lanie' Fern Protheroe and William Gordon 'Bill' Trimble of the Winnipeg Winter Club were familiar names in skating circles in the latter half of the fifties. In 1956, they won the Canadian title in the Waltz, defeating the following year's World Silver Medallists Geraldine Fenton and Bill McLachlan. The next year, in their final appearance at the Canadians, they won the junior dance event and finished third in the dance, Waltz and Tenstep. A likely exhausted Elaine competed in the junior women's event as well. No slouch as a singles skater, Elaine won the 1957 Western Canadian senior women's title. At the time, she was studying commerce at the University of Manitoba. Bill was a grade twelve student at United College. They trained in the summers in Lake Placid with Jean Westwood. Musically minded skaters, Lanie played the piano, and Bill collected records.

Photo courtesy University of Manitoba Archives

After retiring from competitive skating, Elaine married William Hume and became a skating coach. She later taught at the Royal Glenora Club in Edmonton, the Cleveland Skating Club and the Forest Hill Figure Skating Club in West Toronto. Bill later studied interior decorating at the University of Manitoba, worked at a department store and then taught at Edwina and Cliff Thaell's skating studio in Paoli, Pennsylvania and the Winnipeg Winter Club. Bill passed away on New Year's Eve in 1978 at the age of forty-four.

LINDIS AND JEFFERY JOHNSTON

Lindis and Jeffery Johnston. Photo courtesy Guelph Museums.

In 1955, Lindis and Jeffery Johnston of London, Ontario made history as the first sibling pair to win the Canadian ice dance title, just weeks after winning the first competition they ever entered - the Niagara International Competition in Buffalo, New York. They were students at the Central High School, where Jeff excelled at track and field, football and golf.

Left: Claudette Lacaille and Jeffery Johnston. Right: Lindis and Jeffery Johnston. Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine.

The teenagers trained in Buffalo during the winter and in Stratford, Ontario in the summers. She was only fourteen; he was seventeen - making them the youngest Canadian Champions in dance at the time. They also won the Tenstep and finished third in the Waltz that year. They also made history that year as the first Canadian ice dancers to compete at the World Championships, finishing eleventh. Jeffery had previously medalled in the dance events at the Canadian Championships in 1953 and 1954 with Montreal's Claudette Lacaille.

Photo courtesy "Skating" magazine

Lindis and Jeffery defended their Canadian title in 1956, narrowly defeating Geraldine Fenton and Bill McLachlan on the strength of their free dance - a new addition to the ice dance event in Canada. They again made history that year by placing ninth out of seventeen couples at Worlds, making them the first Canadian dance team to crack the top ten at Worlds.

In 1957, Lindis and Jeffery placed only fourth at the North American Championships, three places behind Geraldine Fenton and Bill McLachlan. They were so frustrated by their result that they withdrew from that year's Canadian Championships in protest. Lindis went on to skate with the Ice Capades. Jeffery and his wife Mimi Pong taught skating in Woodstock and Simcoe, Ontario and Cleveland, Ohio.

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