Oral History Interview: Francis (Howard) Davis

Partial Transcript: DAVIS: My, my name is Francis Howard Vincent Davis but I'm called Howard. Er, my brother was called Matthew William Lloyd Davis and he's called William.

Segment Synopsis: Davis states his name and year and place of birth.

Keywords: Broseley--United Kingdom (UK); Date of birth; Shropshire (county); Stoke-on-Trent--United Kingdom (UK)

Partial Transcript: DAVIS: We lived in Cauldon Road and I went to Cauldon Road School which is an elementary school.

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls his childhood and his interest in singing that lead him to be Head Chorister at Lichfield Cathedral.

Keywords: Boxing; Cambridge University; Cauldon Road School; Choir; Chorister; Cricket; Father; Football (Soccer); Hobby; Lichfield Cathedral; Lichfield--United Kingdom (UK); Mother; Queen Consort Elizabeth, The Queen Mother; Rugby; School; Singing

Subjects: Education and Schooling; Life Outside of Hockey--Family--Childhood; Recollection of Others--Celebrity

Partial Transcript: DAVIS: But I also started playing hockey in January 1947. But 1947 was a terrible winter. Er, [indistinguishable] er, w--we actually had snow, I think, even until May that year w--so we didn't play much hockey.

Segment Synopsis: Davis recounts his rise from school hockey to England trials via county and territory level. He references to his good fortune at multiple trials at various levels where he benefited from injuries and illness to other players.

Keywords: Arthur Rex Alston; Cambridge University; Centre Half; Commentator; Cricket; England; Felsted School; Flu; John Cockett; Left Half; Longton Cricket Club; Midland Counties Hockey Association (MCHA)/Midlands (territory); Newcastle-under-Lyme--United Kingdom (UK); North Stafford Hockey Club; Northern Counties Hockey Association (NCHA)/North (territory); Right Half; School; Selectors; Staffordshire (county); Stoke-on-Trent--United Kingdom (UK); Trials

Subjects: Education and Schooling; Fitness & Injury; Recollection of Others--Celebrity; Recollection of Others--Coach & Manager; Recollection of Others--Player; Teams--Boys--School; Teams--Men--Club; Teams--Men--County; Teams--Men--International; Teams--Men--Territory; Teams--Non-hockey

Partial Transcript: DAVIS: Erm, and by this time I'd finished my Pottery Manager's course at Stoke-on-Trent and, er, w--joined the Army and had my basic training up at Carlisle and then moved down to, that was in about, er, mid summer.

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls his enrolment into the British Army and the teams he played for within the Army setup. He goes on to recount how he was invited to Great Britain trials whilst still serving and how he came to be selected for the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games.

Keywords: 1st Mechanized Brigade/1st Armoured Infantry Brigade; 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (2 RTR); Aldershot Services Hockey Club; Aldershot--United Kingdom (UK); Berlin--Germany; British Army; British Army of The Rhine; Centre Half; Combined Services Hockey Association; Date of birth; England; Financial Times; Folkestone Festival; Germany; Great Britain; Great Britain Hockey; Hockey Association (HA); Ironsides (Royal Tank Regiment Hockey Team); Lilleshall Hall National Sports Centre; Netherlands; Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU); Olympics/Olympic Games; Right Half; Royal Armoured Corps (RAC); Royal Tank Regiment (RTR); Russia; Sir Geoffrey Owen; Soviet Union (USSR); Trial; Wales

Subjects: Armed Forces; Associations--National; Hockey Homes, Venues & Stadia; Media; Olympic Games--1956 Melbourne; Recollection of Others--Player; Teams--Men--Armed Forces; Teams--Men--International; Teams--Men--Touring; Tournaments--Festival

Partial Transcript: DAVIS: So...
SOMERVILLE: What was it like going to the Olympics?
DAVIS: Well, it was marvellous.

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls his experiences of the Melbourne 1956 Olympic Games. He speaks fondly of the five day journey to Australia via the USA and of his frustration at finishing fourth overall.

Keywords: Boxing; Denver--United States of America (USA); Empire State Building; Fiji; Final; Geoffrey Cutter; Honolulu--United States of America (USA); International Match; London--United Kingdom (UK); Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG); Melbourne--Australia; New York--United States of America (USA); Olympic Stadium; Pakistan; San Francisco--United States of America (USA); Semi-final; Sydney--Australia; University of California; Waikiki Beach

Subjects: Fitness & Injury; Hockey Homes, Venues & Stadia; International Travel; Olympic Games--1956 Melbourne; Olympic Games--1960 Rome; Recollection of Others--Player; Teams--Men--International; Tournaments--International; Training & Conditioning--College & University

Partial Transcript: DAVIS: September of '56, er, Denys Carnill

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls standing in as England Captain when Denys Carnill was abroad.

Keywords: Australia; Dean Close School; Denys Carnill; England; France; International Match; Speech

Subjects: Captaincy; Teams--Men--International

Partial Transcript: DAVIS: I think the other thing about the Olympics in those days of course, they were all amateur.
SOMERVILLE: Yeah.
DAVID: And very strictly amateur.

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls his experiences of the Rome 1960 Olympic Games where Great Britain just missed out on a Bronze Medal. He also reflects on the strictly amateur status of the Olympic Games at the time compared to the modern day event.

Keywords: Bronze Medal Match; Extra Time; Great Britain; India; John Saunders-Griffiths/Christopher Saunders-Griffiths; Kenya; Olympics/Olympic Games; Semi-final; Spain; Winger

Subjects: Amateurism & Professionalism; Olympic Games--1956 Melbourne; Olympic Games--1960 Rome; Olympic Games--1964 Tokyo; Teams--Men--International; Tournaments--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: And then in '64 you went on...
DAVIS: Went to Tokyo.
SOMERVILLE: ...To Tokyo.
DAVIS: Yeah and, er, we, er, didn't do very well at all in Tok--we came ninth in Tokyo.

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls the Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games where Great Britain finished ninth in the hockey. He tells of a recent reunion of international athletes from the 1964 Games in Japan and compares the experience to running the 1500m in Berlin's Olympic Stadium at an unspecified athletics event.

Keywords: Athletics; Australia; Benjamin Basil Heatley; Berlin--Germany; Cycling; Great Britain; Hungary; Japan; Olympic Stadium; Olympics/Olympic Games; Palace Hotel Tokyo; Silver Medal; Suicide; Tokyo--Japan

Subjects: Olympic Games--1964 Tokyo; Olympic Games--2020 Tokyo; Recollection of Others--Non-hockey Athlete; Reunion; Teams--Men--International; Tournaments--International

Partial Transcript: SOMEVILLE: To follow the Olympic progress we've obviously glossed over a lot of your England playing career...
DAVIS: Yes.
SOMERVILLE: ...So do you want to go back and pick up some of that?

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls touring with England to South Africa and Rhodesia in 1958. He recounts the places they visited and some of the matches they played. He makes reference to the playing surfaces in Africa and to the political situation at the time of their tour (Apartheid).

Keywords: "Host Family"; Apartheid; Bloemfontein--South Africa; Cape Town--South Africa; Durban--South Africa; East London--South Africa; England; Epilepsy; Harare--Zimbabwe; India; International Match; Johannesburg--South Africa; John Conroy; Jonah Jones/LSE Jones; Kenya; Kimberley--South Africa; Klerksdorp--South Africa; Laterite/Murram; Marriage; Melbourne--Australia; Nairobi--Kenya; Ndola--Northern Rhodesia/Zambia; Northern Rhodesia; Olympics/Olympic Games; Poland; Port Elizabeth--South Africa; Rhodesia/Southern Rhodesia; Salisbury--Southern Rhodesia; Son; South Africa; Stellenbosch University; Tour; Welkom--South Africa; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Subjects: Fitness & Injury; International Travel; Life Outside of Hockey--Family--Adulthood; Olympic Games--1956 Melbourne; Playing Surfaces; Politics; Prejudice & Inequality--Racial; Recollection of Others--Coach & Manager; Recollection of Others--Player; Teams--Men--International; Teams--Men--Touring

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: Tell me about the England internationals based more at home then.

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls his England career with specific focus

Keywords: Belfast--United Kingdom (UK); David Judge/Harold David Judge; England; Father; Full Back; Great Britain; Guilford--United Kingdom (UK); Harry Cahill/Harold Cahill; Home Internationals Series; International Match; Ireland; Mother; National Anthem; Northern Ireland; President; Republic of Ireland; Scotland; Speech; Trials; Wales; Welsh Hockey Association

Subjects: Associations--National; Life Outside of Hockey--Family; Recollection of Others--Player; Social & Friendships; Teams--Men--International; Teams--Men--Territory; Tournaments--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: Thinking of the success of the England side, er, you said you don't think you ever lost to a Home Counties...
DAVIS: No.
SOMERVILLE: ...Countries side, er, did you have the same sort of success against European sides?

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls his some of his international matches for England against European opposition and reflects on the amateur status of the game at the time (1950s-'60s). Specifically, he recalls a tournament in Lyon after which he had to return the winners' trophy because the Hockey Association did not endorse formal competition - the game was to be played purely for fun.

Keywords: Belgium; Brussels--Belgium; England; Germany; International Match; Lyon--France; Netherlands

Subjects: Amateurism & Professionalism; Awards--Hockey Trophies; Teams--Men--International; Tournaments--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: Looking at your England career as, as opposed to the Olympic career, erm, the Olympic career was started successfully and got less so...
DAVIS: [laughs] Yes.
SOMERVILLE: ...And if you go back even further, of course it was very successful in 1948.

Segment Synopsis: Davis looks back on his England and Great Britain playing career and compares the level of the teams that he played in against the level of the other countries in the world.

Keywords: Australia; Bronze Medal; Denys Carnill; England; Germany; Great Britain; India; International Caps; John Neill; Netherlands; Olympics/Olympic Games; Pakistan; Record; School; The Guinness Book of Records

Subjects: Captaincy; Fitness & Injury; Olympic Games--1948 London; Olympic Games--1952 Helsinki; Olympic Games--1956 Melbourne; Olympic Games--1960 Rome; Olympic Games--1964 Tokyo; Recollection of Others--Player; Teams--Men--International; Tournaments--International

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: You've travelled around quite a lot. You've met an awful lot of people, erm, you talked earlier about having made friends. Have you made any lifelong friends who've, with whom you're still in touch?

Segment Synopsis: Davis discusses his lifelong friendships within hockey and how he keeps up with the sport. He recounts his recent involvement with the England LX Hockey Club, a touring Veterans team.

Keywords: Abingdon Hockey Club; AstroTurf/Artificial Turf; Australia; Golf; Hobby; John Neill; LX Hockey Club; North Stafford Hockey Club; Speech; Tour; Vice-president

Subjects: Dinners; Reunion; Social & Friendships; Teams--Men--Masters & Veterans; Teams--Men--Touring

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: And the Bacchanalians, you were going to tell us [indistinguishable]...
DAVIS: Bacchanalians sadly, well all th--th--the, all the sort of Bacchanalian-type sides which were s--they were mainly for, erm, festival, er, festivals...

Segment Synopsis: Davis recalls his involvement with the Bacchanalians (a touring festival hockey team) and the Wizards (a Veterans team of Dutch and English hockey players).

Keywords: Baccanalians Hockey Team; Cambridge University Hockey Club; Cannock Hockey Club; De Batavieren Hockey Club; Easter; Eindhoven--Netherlands; England; Folkestone Festival; Grass; Knee Replacement; Netherlands; Olympics/Olympic Games; Oxford University Hockey Club; Peter Howells; Postcard; Republic of Ireland; Wizards Hockey Team

Subjects: Fitness & Injury; Olympic Games--1960 Rome; Olympic Games--1964 Tokyo; Teams--Men--Club; Teams--Men--College & University; Teams--Men--Masters & Veterans; Teams--Men--Touring; Tournaments--Club; Tournaments--Festival

Partial Transcript: SOMERVILLE: When you look back on your career, wha--what stands out as the main, or a couple of main highlights to you?

Segment Synopsis: Davis picks out his successful England trial as his career highlight and the Great Britain team's failure to win a medal at the Rome 1960 Olympics as his biggest regret.

Keywords: "Davis Cup"; England; Felsted School; Golf; Great Britain; Hobby; Northampton--United Kingdom (UK); Olympics/Olympic Games; Participation Medal; Selectors; Son; Trials

Subjects: Olympic Games--1960 Rome; Teams--Men--International; Tournaments--International