Oral HISTORY INTERVIEWS

  Steven Bradley (standing back left in the photograph) became involved with hockey when he started playing for Streetly Hockey Club (now Beacon Hockey Club) in the West Midlands; he loved the social side of the 'hockey family'. In 2013 Steve became Sports Development Wellbeing Officer for Midland Mencap, a charity which works and campaigns for accessible and inclusive services and a better...

  Joanna (Jo) Thompson is a former England and Great Britain hockey goalkeeper. Born in Kent, Jo started playing hockey at school, initially in defence. She joined Slough Hockey Club because her Physical Education teacher was also their manager. As goalkeeper, Jo played for England in the 1990 World Cup and for Great Britain in the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. In this...

  Dawn Bonner is an English umpire, umpire coach and umpire manager. Dawn has been involved in hockey for most of her life, first as a player with Ealing Ladies' Hockey Club during the 1980s and 1990s before qualifying as a Level 2 umpire in 1992 in the South region. Since then, Dawn has been involved with umpire coaching, assessing and umpire management. She joined the National Programme...

  Avtar Singh Bhurji is a former field hockey player. Born in India, he moved to Uganda as an infant where he played hockey for his secondary school. After completing his further studies in England and playing for London Indians Hockey Club, he returned to Kampala (Uganda) and competed at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games for Uganda. He continued to play hockey until a health condition forced...

  Kulbir Singh Bhaura is an England and Great Britain hockey player. Born in Jalandhar, India, Kulbir first became involved with hockey by watching international players play for the college team. At the age of 13, Kulbir emigrated to England where he joined Indian Gymkhana Hockey Club. He earned his first England cap in 1979 when he was selected to play against Belgium at Lord's Cricket...

  Jaswindar (Jas) Singh Missan is a former Kenyan international player. In 1961 his international career was cut short when he settled in England after graduating from university. Despite being asked to return to the international scene, Jaswindar stayed in England and went onto play in the British Universities Sports Association tournaments and represented British Universities against...

  Sutinder (Suti) Khehar is an England and Great Britain hockey player. He is the first Sikh player to play an international hockey match for England. Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Sutinder played for Sikh Union Hockey Club and was selected to represent Kenya Juniors against Uganda Juniors in 1970. At the age of 18, Sutinder emigrated to England where he joined Slough Hockey Club; the club that...

Elizabeth (Liz) Huggins was the manager of the Great Britain (GB) women's hockey team during the 1980s. Under the management of Liz and the coaching of Win Heath, the squad worked hard to qualify and then prepare for the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games. Sixteen were selected for what should have been a first Olympic appearance for GB's women. Unfortunately, there was a political boycott following the...

In this oral history interview, England and Great Britain hockey internationals John Peake (standing) and Anthony "Tony" Nunn (seated) fondly reminisce over their hockey years. Despite being of similar age (a three-year age gap) and hockey-playing contemporaries, their international careers did not cross. Together they reflect on their similar and differing experiences of hockey in 1940s and...

John Peake is an England and Great Britain international hockey player. He studied mechanical engineering at Cambridge University and, after graduating, he joined the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors where he also played hockey. In 1948, John was selected to represent Great Britain in the London Olympic Games at the age of 23. Despite hardly being able to train together, the squad went on to...

Laurie Alcock, aka 'Mr Cannock', has been playing hockey since 1954. He remains heavily committed to the administration of hockey in Staffordshire and the Midlands and gives his insights to the challenges faced during the merger of the Hockey Association (HA) and the All England Women's Hockey Association (AEWHA) and the transition to the English Hockey Association (EHA) in 1996. Alcock is also...

Jenny Cardwell is a former international player, coach and manager. As well as reflecting on her playing career, Cardwell recalls her transition to coaching at county and territory level before being appointed by England. She discusses the hurdles she faced coaching international hockey at a time when the England setup was, by today's standards, amateur and recalls her appointment of and working...

  Freddie Martin is best known as a former Ireland international player and was part of the first Irish squad to go to a World Cup in 1978. As well as reflecting on his international career, in this interview Martin offers insight into the rise and fall of Hounslow Hockey Club for whom he played before coaching them to the EuroHockey Cup Winners' Cup in 1990. He was also involved in an...

​Win Heath is an ex-Welsh international player who took on coaching England and Great Britain. She talks about the difficulties of fitting coaching sessions around players' working lives in the late '70s and early '80s and the disappointment of not going to the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games.

Francis Howard Davis describes how he made progress from school hockey through to England - partly due to the misfortunes of others - and went on to achieve a record-breaking 81 caps for England and Great Britain through three Olympic Games. Images courtesy of Howard Davis and Mike Smith

Peter Child is best known for his involvement with the internationally touring Angels Hockey Club of the 1960s and for his administrative role in setting up the World Grand Masters Association (WGMA) in 2002, whereupon he became its inaugural President.

Hamish Jamson is an international umpire who has umpired at Champions Trophies, EuroHockey Championships and Olympics. He speaks with particular affection of the London 2012 Olympic Games and looks back on the learning curve that was touring, as an umpire, with England to Australia in 1995. Jamson reflects on the evolution of modern hockey and different styles of play discussing how they have...

Lieutenant Commander Alan Walker was a driving force in Navy hockey and a prominent coach in the south of England. He was known as ‘Mr Hockey’ in Navy circles such was his commitment to the game. In this interview, he recalls his hockey playing career in the Royal Navy and his transition to coaching and management where he really made his name, primarily within the Armed Forces but...

Jane Sixsmith is an England and Great Britain international player who competed at four consecutive Olympic Games between 1988 and 2000. She also won a Gold Medal with England at the Brussels 1991 EuroHockey Championships. As well as recalling her international experiences in detail, Sixsmith discusses her early years of hockey in the Midlands, her career outside of hockey and reflects on the...

Leandro Negre is an ex-Spanish international goalkeeper and former President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). He recalls being thrust into his club first team as an under 16 and his progression through to international hockey representing Spain at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic Games. Negre also reveals his rise as an administrator, from Catalonia through Spain and the European Hockey...

Maggie Souyave is a former international captain and coach. In this interview Souyave recalls her England playing career with specific reference to her experiences at Wembley Stadium and the 1975 IFWHA World Championship in Edinburgh. She discusses her appointment as Director of Player Performance for the English Hockey Association (EHA), coaching England women and the pioneering the use of...

Martin Gotheridge is best known for his administrative work within hockey but he was also a National League umpire and an international match official. In this interview he charts his rise to becoming President of the European Hockey Federation (EHF), reflects on the financial difficulties that lead to the demise of the English Hockey Association (EHA) and his role in establishing the English...

Anita White is a former international player and current academic. She is also the former President of Great Britain Hockey. White played for England at Wembley Stadium and represented her country at international tournaments in the 1970s. As well as recalling her international career, in this interview she discusses the Anita White Foundation, which evolved out of her work with the Women In...

Monica Pickersgill was the last President of the All England Women's Hockey Association (AEWHA). She oversaw its merger with the Hockey Association (HA) whereupon she became the first President of the newly formed English Hockey Association (EHA). She was also President of the Northern Counties Hockey Association (NCHA). Monica discusses her playing career that included captaining Yorkshire and...

Anne Ellis has enjoyed a distinguished career as an international player and coach whilst her off-the-field administrative roles within the game have encompassed national and international federations. In this interview Anne recalls her journey through hockey, from international tournaments and playing at Wembley Stadium to becoming President of Hockey Wales. She discusses captaincy and...

Morley Pecker is a man who, in his own words, has "worn many hats" within hockey. He is a former international umpire, administrator and photographer. In this interview Pecker recalls his experiences of officiating at the 1972 and 1976 Olympic Games in Munich and Montreal respectively; he charts his involvement with the European Hockey Federation (EHF) and the International Hockey Federation...

Audrey Appleby is best known as an international umpire. She umpired women's international matches at Wembley Stadium and went to become a successful umpire coach and assessor. Over the course of her hockey career Appleby witnessed a variety of rules changes and the introduction of artificial turf which altered the game dramatically from that which she had first known as a player. Image courtesy...

Pat Ward talks of her life as the Editor of Hockey Field until its demise; she tells of her time as President of Cornwall Hockey Association (CHA) and of the Western Counties Women's Hockey Association (WCWHA) where she was instrumental in the forming of a pioneering league involving all the clubs in the South West of England. Ward recalls her long interest in photography that culminated in...

Bernie Cotton is a former England and Great Britain international player and captain who represented his country on international tours, at European and World Cups and at the Olympic Games. He went on to coach GB men at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games working under Roger Self before managing England and succeeding Self as GB Manager. Image courtesy of Bernie Cotton

Peter Savage is a policeman turned hockey photographer and journalist. He tells of his early playing career and how his passion for hockey manifested itself in broadcast and written journalism and in sports photography. Peter explores the technical and logistical challenges of his hobby turned profession before discussing his personal battle with terminal cancer. He has covered four hockey World...

Biddy Burgum was a versatile sportswoman and England international hockey player who toured to South Africa. She was a teacher at Bedford and Chelsea PE Colleges and went on to become a respected coach, developing young talent but also training hockey coaches. In this interview Burgum also discusses her interest in recreational photography and the development of the hockey stick. Image courtesy...

Richard Dodds talks about his progress in hockey culminating in reaching the Great Britain squad. He recalls their last minute call up to the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games and describes in detail how Great Britain won the Gold Medal in Seoul in 1988. He mentions his time in hockey administration, his views on the new rules and the friendships and regrets he has experienced. Image courtesy of...

Brenda Read is a former England international player who coached several national teams and was instrumental, as Secretary of the International Hockey Federation's (FIH) Equipment Committee, in the development of the artificial pitch. Brenda describes how this was achieved and the knock-on effects on hockey sticks, shoes, players and on the game generally. Image courtesy of Mike Smith

Roger Self is a former Wales and Great Britain Manager. He is best known for leading the GB men's team to Gold in the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. In this interview Self recalls his hockey playing career before discussing the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games as the build up to Seoul and the Seoul Games themselves. He reflects on his innovation as GB Coach and his efforts to push British hockey...

Chris Todd became England's youngest international umpire in 1974. In this interview he recalls the World and European Cups, Champions Trophies and Olympic and Pan American Games in which he has umpired. As well as his biographical accounts, Todd discusses the impact of rule changes and reflects on the varied playing styles and rule interpretations of different nations. Image courtesy of...

Stephen Martin is a former Irish and Great Britain international player who won Gold at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. In this interview he recalls his route into hockey, breaking into the Ireland and GB setups at a young age and his experiences of, and the build up to, the Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 Olympic Games. Martin goes on to discuss his administrative roles, firstly with the Sports...