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as Recorded by the
Mother Hash
The Original Hash House (Kuala Lumpur) Circa 1938
The Hash House
The 'Hash House' was the mildly derogative nickname given
(for its unimaginative, monotonous food) to the Selangor Club Chambers, by
the British Civil Servants and businessman who lived and dined there.
Originally, the ground floor housed the main Selangor Club dining room, and
between the two World Wars it became a social center of the times, used
regularly for lunch time meals by the members who worked in the immediate
vicinity.
Situated close to and behind the present Selangor
Club, it's function changed after independence and it became a key office
for the local Water Board, as it was the place where all Kuala Lumpur
(K.L.) residents came to pay their water bills. Sadly, it gave way to the
relentless march of time around 1964, being bulldozed to the ground under
the north-bound lane Jalan Kuching. The buildings housing the original
stables and servants quarters are still in existence.
Ancient Harriers
The idea of Harriers chasing paper was not new to
Malaya in 1938, as there had been such clubs before in Kuala Lumpur and
Johore Bahru, and there were clubs in existence in Malacca and Ipoh (the
Kinta Harriers) at the time. "Horse" Thomson (one of the KLH3
founding fathers) recalled being invited on a run, shortly after his
arrival in Johore Bahru in 1932, which chased a paper trail and followed
basic Hash rules every week but was so magically organized that it had no
name. The club flourished in the early 1930's but is believed to have died
out around 1935.
The other branch of our ancestry comes from Malacca,
where A. S. ('G') Gispert was posted in 1937 and joined a club called the
Springgit Harriers, who also operated weekly under Hash rules and are
believed to have been formed in 1935. Some months later, 'Torch' Bennett
visited him and came as a guest on a few runs.
Hash House Harriers
By 1938, Thomson, Lee, and Gispert had all moved to
K.L. and founded their own club, following the rules they had learnt
elsewhere. The principal original members were:
- A. S. ('G') Gispert
- Cecil Lee
- 'Horse' Thomson
- Torch' Bennett
- Eric Galvin
- H.M. Doig
Soon joined by others, including:
- Frank Woodward
- Philip Wickens
- Lew Davidson
- John Wyatt-Smith
- M. C. Hay
It is not clear that the club actually had a name at
the very beginning, but Gispert is credited with proposing the 'Hash House
Harriers' when the Registrar of Societies required the gathering to be
legally registered.
'Torch' Bennett technically missed being a founder
member, because he was then on leave, bout on his return he introduced the
first necessary organization - a bank account, a balance sheet and some
system. More importantly, he seems, with Philip Wickens who joined later in
1939, to have helped to keep things going immediately after the war.
Sadly, Gispert had only a short time with his
extraordinary creation, being killed in the fighting on Singapore Island on
February 11th, 1942, whilst serving with the Argylls. But with the
exception of Philip Wickens who died in 1981, and Lew Davidson who died
very recently, the rest of the hardy band of hashers hare still with us and
the KL hash House Harriers keeps in touch with them all. [Editor's note: Torch died soon
after this was prepared in 1992]
The founding members were all British, although
Gispert was actually Spanish in origin, his parents having migrated to
London some time before he was born. Extraordinarily both he and Bennett were
accountants, as were Paul Barnard and Jack Bridewell who made a significant
contribution to our activities of later years. Some Hash psychiatrist
should investigate where this work leads to extreme forms of escapism.
The HHH duly celebrated it 100th run on 15 August
1941, but only 17 runs later was forced into temporary hibernation by the
arrival of the Japanese.
Postwar Rebirth
Post World War II, it was nearly 12 months before the
survivors reassembled. 'Torch' Bennett put in a claim for the lost hash
mugs, a tin bath and two old bags, on the fund set up with the proceeds
from confiscated Japanese property and run No. 1 was a trot around the
race-course in August, 1946. Subsequent to the 1,000th post war run the
celebrations surround it were considered to be such a success that the 117
official pre-war runs were added to the total as we could celebrate the
2,000th run as soon as possible.
With the advent of the Emergency in 1948, the Hash
was automatically in bad official odor, as their activities were generally
illegal in terms of the curfew imposed on most of the areas surround Kuala
Lumpur and in the years 1948-51, they maintained a precarious existence at
best. The turn round came with the famous bandit incident at Cheras.
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).
Other colorful incidents related by Cecil Lee,
include how 'Torch' Bennett once nearly drowned in quicksand, and how on
one memorable occasion the erstwhile unathletic 'G' was actually leading the
pack: sadly his moment of glory was short lived as the paper trail turned
to be false. Swimming would seem to be an unofficial prerequisite to all
Hashmen too, for Cecil remembers having had to swim across a mining pool in
order to get home after being lost on one occasion, and on another it is
reported that several Hashmen ran in to a stream where bathed some
unsuspecting Malay maidens. The girls screamed; their menfolk came hurtling
to the rescue with the unsheathed parangs flashing, and the errant Hashmen
broke land speed records in the eagerness to clear the scene.
The Hash Spreads Out
The second Hash Chapter was founded in Singapore in
1962, [Editor's note:
The Royal Italian Bordighera Hash was begun in the late '40s but died by
the late '50s. It was later resurected by members of the Milan H3] followed
by Kuching in 1963, Brunei, Kota Kinabalu and Ipoh in 1964, Penang in 1965,
and Perth was the first outside Malaysia and Singapore in 1967. Even by the
time of K.L. 1,500th run in 1974 the total was only 35, so the subsequent
explosion has been spectacular indeed. The 1992 international list will
total around 1,100 clubs in over 135 countries and all continents
(including Antarctica) where the hash format is often adapted to
environments very different from the near rows of Malaysian rubber trees
amongst which it was conceived. Kabul HHH understandably foundered, but
what can it be like to hash in Sinai, Peking, Addis Ababa or the Falkland
Islands? [Editor's note:
The aforementioned second hash dating back to 1962 was founded in Singapore
by Ian Cumming who is still actively hashing with the New York H3. He is
also a primary contributor to every hash songbook].
Interhash
The first attempt at an Interhash get-together was
the K.L. 1,000th post-war run in 1966, and the spectacular 1500th run in
1973 when attendance was something over 300. Interhash 1978 in Hong Kong
broke new ground with an attendance around 800; Interhashes 1980 and 1982
were credited with 1,200 - 1,300; Interhash 1984 with rather more Interhash
1986 broke the 2,000 barrier with 2,143.
Attendance at Bali for Interhash 1988 was reported to
bet between 2,600 and 2,700. Interhash 1990 in Manila was affected by the
then current state of emergency in the country, but nevertheless some 1,600
intrepid Hashers were let loose in Manila and survived to tell the tale.
Interhash 1992 in Phuket, Thailand does not seem to
be affected by the recent unhappy turmoil in Bangkok and, judging by
reported registrations the numbers are set to pass 3,000. [Editor's note: Interhash 1994 in
New Zealand drew nearly 4,000, Interhash 1996 in Cyprus drew 6,000 and
Interhash 1998 in Kuala Lumpur had over 7,000 participants]
Written in 1992 by Mike Lyons from the copious
research material prepared by John Duncan. Transcribed in 1994 by Tom
"Self-Executing Officer" Moore, On-Sec, Boston H3, and edited by
Chas. "ZiPpY tC" Baumerich, On-Sec, Pikes Peak H4.
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