Remembering WIM Rowena Bruce (15-v-1919 24-ix-1999)

[John Upham]

Thanks to Dinah and Ken Norman we have fresh insights into the life of England's second WIM (1951).

Also, a couple of new photographs and ancestry records.

https://britishchessnews.com/2020/09/24 ... ary-bruce/

[Gerard Killoran]

Check out

viewtopic.php?f=31&t=10764&p=243853&hil ... e#p243853

For an early photograph of Rowena Dew.

[Paul Habershon]

My mother, born 14th June 1920, went to the same school in Plymouth as Rowena, who was just over a year older. This is scarcely of historical interest, but none of the biographical details above say where Rowena was educated and unfortunately I do not know the name of the school my mother and she attended.

I was eventually born in Plymouth just after WW2 (Mother had unsurprisingly married a navy man), but moved around a lot subsequently, as is often the case with armed forces families.

After I became interested in chess, my mother mentioned Rowena's success in the World Girls' being celebrated at the school. I used to say hello to her occasionally if we were both at a British Championships congress (she did remember my mother). Arthritis had made handshakes painful for her, so I had to remember to be gentle.

My grandparents continued to live in Plymouth and I did visit Plymouth Chess Club once in the 1960s when staying with them. Rowena was probably there, but I remember that Nigel Holloway was the rising star at the club.

My father became a club (Frome) and county chess player after leaving the navy. At a Somerset v Devon match, during the tea interval (seems a quaint custom now!), he introduced himself to Rowena. He asked her how her game was going (quite illegally, I suppose). 'I'd rather have my position than his,' was Rowena's typically diplomatic and understated reply.

[John Upham]

My mother, born 14th June 1920, went to the same school in Plymouth as Rowena, who was just over a year older. This is scarcely of historical interest, but none of the biographical details above say where Rowena was educated and unfortunately I do not know the name of the school my mother and she attended.

I was eventually born in Plymouth just after WW2 (Mother had unsurprisingly married a navy man), but moved around a lot subsequently, as is often the case with armed forces families.

After I became interested in chess, my mother mentioned Rowena's success in the World Girls' being celebrated at the school. I used to say hello to her occasionally if we were both at a British Championships congress (she did remember my mother). Arthritis had made handshakes painful for her, so I had to remember to be gentle.

My grandparents continued to live in Plymouth and I did visit Plymouth Chess Club once in the 1960s when staying with them. Rowena was probably there, but I remember that Nigel Holloway was the rising star at the club.

My father became a club (Frome) and county chess player after leaving the navy. At a Somerset v Devon match, during the tea interval (seems a quaint custom now!), he introduced himself to Rowena. He asked her how her game was going (quite illegally, I suppose). 'I'd rather have my position than his,' was Rowena's typically diplomatic and understated reply.

Paul,

Thanks for this.

I was intrigued by

"I was eventually born"

which reminds me of The Piranha Brothers in which Doug was born in February 1929 and Dinsdale two weeks later and a week after that.

[Paul Habershon]

Paul,

Thanks for this.

I was intrigued by

"I was eventually born"

which reminds me of The Piranha Brothers in which Doug was born in February 1929 and Dinsdale two weeks later and a week after that.

Indeed, John, even as I wrote it I did fear that some fun could be had therewith. I suppose it is 'eventually' in terms of my mother's life after leaving school. This included, as a bank employee, firewatching on the roof of the bank at night during bombing raids. Plymouth was seriously blitzed of course. She remembered streams of cars heading up on to Dartmoor for safety.