Fencing first started at Bradfield around 1890 and evolved out of gymnastics with lessons given by the Gymnastics Instructor. The first reference to a prize is in December 1890, when A. W. Gundry, Esq. kindly offered a prize for fencing with the competition taking place about Easter. The earliest note of a Bradfield fencer competing against another school is in March 1899: ‘We are glad to record that our representatives at the Public Schools’ Gymnastic Competition at Aldershot have rendered a much better account of themselves this year. We must especially congratulate Geoffrey N. Shea on getting into the final of the fencing, in which he was beaten by a left-hander from Charterhouse.’ [Geoffrey went on to Sandhurst and won the Sword of Honour and Queen Victoria Medal as a Lieutenant of the Royal Munster Fusiliers and was killed in action in South Africa in 1902.]

Fencing seemed to enjoy a period of great popularity, and in 1894 was the main feature of Commemoration in the Greek Theatre. “Dramatic performances of the fight between Achilles and Hector as described by Homer and of the duel scenes in Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, together with three bouts with epee, broadsword and buckler and backsword were produced by the fencing instructor Captain Hutton, and were apparently a great success, though they were not repeated in later years.”

The sport began more formally in 1925 under Headmaster Hills. There began what became known as the 'Quadrangular'—a boxing and fencing competition with Charterhouse, Wellington and Beaumont. House competitions became more formal in 1927, ‘Although Fencing has gone on for several years, it was never taken seriously till last year, when a fencing competition was introduced. This year a cup was competed for. Since all the finalists came from Hillside, Hillside had an overwhelming victory.’  In 1938, Bradfield was represented in the Annual Public Schools Fencing Competition for the first time.  

Fives, boxing and fencing all took place and flourished in the new gymnasium when it opened in 1933. A more recent photograph of fencing taking place in the Old Gym, as it does today, can be seen in the gallery below.

The first team photograph we have in the Archive of a group of fencers was dated around the early 1930s in a familiar team picture taken outside Snake Door.

In 1938 a controversy over the awarding of colours to fencers, who were then under the authority of the boxing club, appeared in the Bradfield Chronicle. As fencing was no longer seen as a minor activity and since the Fencers had won the Quadrangular, it was suggested that boxing and fencing should be separated rather than united and there should be a separate fencing tie, and also a badge to wear on the arm while fencing and these should be awarded by the Captain of Fencing.   

In 1946 the Bradfield College Fencing Club was finally established with President, Capt. Mike Halsted (A 34-38); Vice-President and Treasurer, Henry J. Maslin (F 42-46); Secretary and Captain of Fencing, Martin Stevens (C 42-48). The Club's aims were to be fourfold: To collect a set of keen fencers; to provide two teams to represent Bradfield, as do many other schools; to become affiliated to the Amateur Fencing Association; and to put fencing on a proper basis, making sure that those who received instruction were really interested. All these objects were achieved, and a large party were entered for the Public Schools Fencing Championship that year. 

In 1954 the fencing team included: Instructor Sargeant Hartigan, David Bellan (F 51-56), Michael Fraser (F 50-55), Ian Spofforth (F 50-55) and Nigel Snell (A 50-54). Nigel returned to Bradfield to play in a South of England Epee competition in 2008 and remembered that “Sargeant Major Hartigan reigned supreme there in my day and one of the joys of being in the team was a visit on the way home from away matches to a little pub in Tidmarsh, now sadly gone, where he bought us all a pint! We had a successful team probably due to the fact that Ian Spofforth (F 50-55) was part of it. He became a British International and was also the tallest man in Britain for a time. He eventually reached 7’3” quite an advantage in Fencing.”

Michael Fraser noted that he was the Secretary of the team at that time, with Ian Spofforth as Captain. David Bellan remembers fencing taking up most of his afternoons in the winter terms and said “I still remember the look of horror that came over the faces of fencers from other schools when we faced them in matches. I trained with Spofforth most days and found ways of dealing with his extra-long arm and his height. When in the bent-knee position of a fencer, his knee was level with my nose! He went on to become an international fencer, and I've always regretted not following him on this route, but real life took over.”

David added: “My proudest memory is of reaching the epee final in the Public Schools Championships while my leg was in plaster up to the knee from an accident in the gym. . . you can find me if you look up the championship results for 1956. The same accident caused me to present a limping Julius Caesar in Greeker that summer.”

After pupils left Bradfield, fencing had no formal organisation for alumni, but teams occasionally got together and on one of these occasions won the Whitney Challenge Cup in 1962.

An action shot of Fencing from the College Archive in the gallery below features members of former staff Gordon Munnings (SCR 61-86) who taught gymnastics and Andrew Whiffin (SCR 75-88) demonstrating fencing to pupils in the Old Gym.

Andrew Whiffin remembers: “My own involvement came from finding myself Master i/c Fencing and we ended up with a team and some school matches, with me refereeing (largely incompetently). Among those who joined in, I remember Mike Robinson (D 83-88), who became a celebrity chef when he was running the Pot Kiln restaurant, and Anthony Wilson (D 75-80), one of our captains and brother of the playwright Snoo Wilson and son of a former master (and, I think, godson of Charles Lepper). 

In one of the pictures you can see Allan Skipp, who was one of our visiting coaches (who went on to coach the national team, in some capacity, I think). We entered competitions run by the Berks, Bucks and Oxon County Fencing Union. But I did find myself as an (unqualified) coach in foil, epee and sabre, the three weapons involved, for getting on for thirty years before retirement!”

The ‘Bradfield Worthies’ section of Blackie’s ‘History of Bradfield’ book lists several additional Bradfieldian fencers representing their country or fencing in the military including: James B. Armstrong, England; Norman E. Neter, England; Henry J. Maslin, England; Cecil R. Manasseh, R.N. and R.M. Epee Champion; Ian J. R. Spofforth, England.

If anyone has any other memories of taking part in fencing during their time at Bradfield, we would love to hear from you.