English Chess Forum

Richard Bates wrote:

Matthew Turner wrote:
1986 I Nathoo's brother was called Irfan, that might jog somebody's memory.

I have a memory of Irfan Nathoo's sister being called Ayesha.

Yes - correct.

1987 U9 Would have been Alal Miah, I think.

1964 U14 TJ Gluckman

Timothy J Gluckman

I'm trying to research some of the early names, without much success so far.

GH Rowson - nothing in BMD or 1911 census, or in BCM. Was at St Paul's School so they should be able to check it out if you ask them nicely.

A Mortlock - again nothing obvious in BMD, 1911 census or BCM. Was at University School, Hastings, which no longer exists. You could ask Brian Denman, or try the Hastings Chess Club archives.

Will report back later.

Richard James wrote:GH Rowson - nothing in BMD or 1911 census, or in BCM. Was at St Paul's School so they should be able to check it out if you ask them nicely.

All I could find was a Sergeant Geoffrey Harold Rowson RAFVR whose plane came down with the loss of all crew on 17th / 18th January 1943:
http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.co ... owson.html

If he was 31 in January 1943, then he would have been about 16 at the time of the British Championships in 1927, which sounds about right.

Jon D'Souza-Eva wrote:

Richard James wrote:GH Rowson - nothing in BMD or 1911 census, or in BCM. Was at St Paul's School so they should be able to check it out if you ask them nicely.

All I could find was a Sergeant Geoffrey Harold Rowson RAFVR whose plane came down with the loss of all crew on 17th / 18th January 1943:
http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.co ... owson.html

If he was 31 in January 1943, then he would have been about 16 at the time of the British Championships in 1927, which sounds about right.

Very interesting - well done!

Further:
Sgt. Geoffrey Harold Rowson R.A.F.V.R.
Son of Simon and Esther Rowson; husband of Elfie Muriel Rowson, of Kensington, London.

His parents' names Simon and Esther suggest a possible Jewish origin. The family could well have anglicised their name in 1914. The 1911 census comes up with nothing for Simon Rowson. Kensington would tie up with St Paul's so this is almost certainly our man.

Richard James wrote:

Jon D'Souza-Eva wrote:

Richard James wrote:GH Rowson - nothing in BMD or 1911 census, or in BCM. Was at St Paul's School so they should be able to check it out if you ask them nicely.

All I could find was a Sergeant Geoffrey Harold Rowson RAFVR whose plane came down with the loss of all crew on 17th / 18th January 1943:
http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.co ... owson.html

If he was 31 in January 1943, then he would have been about 16 at the time of the British Championships in 1927, which sounds about right.

Very interesting - well done!

Further:
Sgt. Geoffrey Harold Rowson R.A.F.V.R.
Son of Simon and Esther Rowson; husband of Elfie Muriel Rowson, of Kensington, London.

His parents' names Simon and Esther suggest a possible Jewish origin. The family could well have anglicised their name in 1914. The 1911 census comes up with nothing for Simon Rowson. Kensington would tie up with St Paul's so this is almost certainly our man.

Chap called Geoffrey H Rowson was married in March 1934 in Marylebone.

... to Elfie M Graff, with a son Henry M Rowson, birth registered Q2 1936 in Southwark.

Are we all sitting here with genealogical websites open?

A possible for Mortlock:

Alfred Mortlock, born 1910, died September 1999 in Hastings. He married Katherine M Hare, again in Hastings, in 1977. A family tree mistakenly gives his death date as 1977. The only birth record for Alfred Mortlock in 1910 was in Worcestershire.

Richard James wrote:Are we all sitting here with genealogical websites open?

If you can find anyone called "Holowczak", get in touch.

Alex Holowczak wrote:

Richard James wrote:Are we all sitting here with genealogical websites open?

If you can find anyone called "Holowczak", get in touch.

Stick it in here

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp

Alex Holowczak wrote:

Richard James wrote:Are we all sitting here with genealogical websites open?

If you can find anyone called "Holowczak", get in touch.

I can list all the Holowczaks in the country if you want. Drop in at the Chess Palace and I'll show you.

I discovered a few months ago that I indirectly knew two of the three Liam Rabbittes in the country.

I use Family Search as well, but it's far from complete. I mostly use http://www.ancestry.co.uk which has complete BMD records - but you have to pay for it.

Gaige offers Harry Rowson - BCM 1951, p 272, doubt that's our man.

I have a book - God knows where - inscribed by A Mortlock. I withdraw 'Mark' Kerridge and raise you a Duff.

Thanks to Nick for briefly making me British U21 Champion when I was 24. No thanks to Ian for telling everyone. To be fair, Stuart and I (whom I have never met nor played) have exchanged so many ELO points over the years we are almost indistinguishable.....

My recollections are

1956 Clive Girling (played for Gravesend up to the 1980s I think)
1973 Julia Park
1974 HD MacPherson was I think known as Dugald. Paul Smith, I think, but he was definitely from Essex.
1975 Trevor Fernley
1977 Jimmy Hockaday, Darren Lee
1978 Danny Shuttleworth, John Hall (I think) Steve Quigley
1979 Simon Kerr (was from Surrey, went to Trinity I think, Or Whitgift.)

1984 Stuart Brown. It's official.

Apart from that, I'm either too old or too young. Or too old to remember!

James Pratt wrote:Gaige offers Harry Rowson - BCM 1951, p 272, doubt that's our man.

Aged 75, so obviously not. Sounds like an interesting character though, was at one time Lasker's secretary.