John DUDDERIDGE, who taught at the School from 1931 to 1969
died on 23rd January 2004 aged 97.

The first obituary is taken from the British Canoe Union website. The second obituary has been found on the Cambridge Canoe Club web site. An obituary about his life as a schoolmaster at Habs will be added, hopefully, in due course.

From the British Canoe Union web site:

"John Dudderidge was a founding member of the British Canoe Union, the governing body for canoeing and was a notable figure in the administration of the sport, both nationally and internationally for 45 years.

Canoeing was included in the Olympic programme for the first time in 1936. Dudderidge had acquired his first canoe three years earlier, and he was among those who recognised that it would be necessary to set up a national governing body, if a British Olympic team was to travel to Berlin. As with many sports Canoeing had started in Britain in the 19th Century when the Royal Canoe Club was founded by John MacGregor and continued with a number of clubs around the kingdom, but with no overall control. The British Canoe Association was founded in 1933. In 1935 Dudderidge became Racing and International Secretary, and set up a training squad, which were invited to train at Royal C C. In 1936 the British Canoe Union was founded, taking over competition from BCA, affiliating to the IRK and BOA, and Dudderidge took a team of three to Berlin. In 1938 he took a larger British team to Stockholm to compete in the First World Championships. At the Congress of the IRK (later rebranded as International Canoe Federation) held at this time he was elected to the Board of Management as one of two members for Europe, a position he retained until retiring in 1980.

At the outbreak of war in 1939, Dudderidge was appointed Hon.General Secretary of the BCU when the existing officer was called up to serve in the Forces. He guided the Union through the difficult war years and held this post until 1959, when he was elected President. Somehow, he also found time to assist in the foundation of Richmond Canoe Club at Richmond on Thames, now one of the leading clubs in competitive canoeing.

By 1946 the time had come to revive the International Federation, which had been a somewhat German dominated body, known as IRK (Internationale Repraesentantschaft fuer Kanusport). Out of the ruins a new international body emerged, the present ICF, and Dudderidge was at once elected Vice-President with responsibility for organising the 1948 Olympic Canoe Regatta, held at Henley, to be followed by the World Championship programme and the Congress. Dudderidge undertook all this with characteristic enthusiasm and inspired the many volunteers required to do the work. Not content with this work load he persuaded a firm which had previously specialised in manufacturing aircraft propellers to provide, as a gift, the dozen racing kayaks required for training the British team.

John W. Dudderidge was born on 24th August 1906 in Sheffield. He was educated at Magnus Grammar School, Newark on Trent and University College, Nottingham. After two years as Assistant Master at Manor House School, London, the rest of his professional career was spent at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School at Hampstead and Elstree, where he was Head of Physical Education 1931 to 1956, on the Science Staff 1956 to1969 and Housemaster 1956 to 1966.

It must be remembered that Dudderidge worked for sport development at a time when there little or no government funding. He believed that those who had enjoyed the privilege of participation in a sport should be prepared to plough back some of that enjoyment and help others, in particular young people, to find similar satisfaction.

After the war, therefore he set out to promote Canoeing in schools, beginning with his own; persuaded the Outward Bound Schools to include canoeing activities in their curricula; encouraged developments in the Scouts and other uniformed youth organisations as well as in the Youth Clubs, and when the Central Council of Physical Recreation was given Bisham Abbey as a National Training Centre he pressed for canoeing facilities to be included, offering to run courses there and find other canoeists to help. He also sought to interest the Youth Hostels Association in setting up youth hostels to cater for travellers by water. It was through this involvement in youth activities that he came to realise that if the Union was to cope with the growing flood of would-be canoeists it would be necessary to train people for the work of teaching the basic skills, and conceived the idea of setting up a Coaching Scheme under BCU. He then began to organise training courses in various parts of the country in collaboration with local canoe clubs, and from these courses he appointed selected people as coaches on whom to build up the Scheme. Pioneer courses were held in Sheffield, Leamington, Bradford on Avon, Ham Dock and other centres. When the Coaching Scheme was on its feet he handed over the Chairmanship to his colleagues who developed it to its present stature.

Ever enthusiastic for canoe touring, Dudderidge travelled widely at home and abroad; taking the opportunities offered by his official duties as an ICF Official at Olympic Games and World Championships in many parts of the world, he made a practice of staying behind when teams returned home, to find out more about the host country and its rivers. In 1965 he began a long dialogue with land-owning and angling interests in the hope that a policy of collaboration and reasonableness rather than confrontation might lead to the opening up of more private waters to canoeists, or at least prevent further restrictions. He was for many years the Chairman of the Access Committee formed to handle this work and found that English Law on property rights severely hampered progress. On one occasion he was called to address a committee of the House of Lords on this issue. This is still the case and the work he started continues.

Dudderidge’s unfailing cheerfulness brought friends and recognition in many countries and the mere recital of awards and offices held indicates the wide spread of his interests. He received the BCU Award of Honour in 1961, with the Award of Merit from the ICF in the following year together with the OBE “for services to sport.” In 1977, after seventeen years as President of the BCU he was given the title “President of Honour”.In 1980 on retiring from the Board of the ICF he was presented with the Gold Medal and Honorary Life Membership. He represented Canoeing on the Council of the British Olympic Association 1938-1980, Member of the Executive 1969-1973, Deputy Chairman 1973-1977 and Vice President 1977-2004. As competitor or official he attended every Olympic Games from 1936 in Berlin to 1992 in Barcelona.

In his nineties, having retired to Cambridge, Dudderidge was still active with his local canoe club. He retained his independence and zest for living and at the age of 97 took his first gliding lesson, which thrilled him greatly. He married Evelyn in 1936 who predeceased him. John Dudderidge is survived by his two daughters, Hilary and Ruth, and two sons, Philip and John."

From the Cambridge Canoe Club web site:

Farewell to a distinguished paddler

John Dudderidge OBE, Honorary President of Cambridge Canoe Club since 1995 died on 23 January 2004 in Cambridge. Many members of the Club will be familiar with John and Aileen on their trips out on the River Cam in their open boat, and though over the last few years they were grateful for help to launch the boat, once on the water they were off and away. John’s vitality and interest belied his age, and perhaps Club members will have seen a newspaper photograph of John celebrating his 97th birthday last August with a flight in a glider.

John began paddling before there was a national canoeing governing body. This caused a problem in the run-up to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and the BCU was set up in that year so that a group of six paddlers were able to compete for Britain in the new discipline of canoe racing. JD raced with A. R. Brearley in the category ‘folding pairs’ (we think that this was with a single-bladed paddle).

In 1946 JD represented Britain at the creation of the new International Canoe Federation (ICF) replacing an older continental-based Internationalen Representation fur Kanusport.

The 2nd edition of the Canoeing Handbook reads ‘The establishment of the BCU Coaching Scheme owes much to the work of John Dudderidge, who travelled extensively in 1959 and 1960 selecting people to organise coaching on a regional basis…’

‘Later he produced a set of standards for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award’ and more advanced coaching awards.

‘The contribution that JD has made to the sport, the Union and the ICF is immeasurable. His personal involvement in so many different aspects has been greatly responsible for the development of canoeing. The OBE was awarded in 1963 and in 1964 the Award of Honour of the ICF. At the Moscow Olympics in 1950, John was presented by the ICF with a specially struck gold medal in recognition of his devotion and unique service, which has led to the growth in strength and stature of the pastime founded in the ‘pleasure of the paddle’.

John and his wife moved to Cambridge in the late 1980s, but as his wife became increasingly ill he had little time for personal canoeing. After her death he made contact with Cambridge Canoe Club and soon after was elected our Honorary President. It was always a great pleasure when he attended Club events. He remained interested in the sport, in changes in canoeing administration, in all manner of canoeing events and in individual paddlers. John was always happy to present the Cam Marathon and Hare & Hound prizes and to make a speech afterwards. His sympathy for the loser in a competition will always be remembered. He argued that because of the loser the paddler who won had a better race, and it was up to the chaser to make sure that the winner deserved his title. John was always keenly interested in young canoeists as well as older ones, and was often seen in earnest conversation with paddlers about experiences on the water. His optimism and positive outlook inspired many of all ages.

Aileen, his companion in later life, proudly told us that she was taught to canoe by John in 1937. She lost her husband shortly before JD’s wife died, and as John and she had a lot in common they used to spend their time together. An admirable arrangement, except that sometimes it was hard for Aileen to live up to John’s physical activity and desire for a paddle after an afternoon of hard gardening!

The Club has lost an eminent friend and supporter as well as an Honorary President, who took time in his later life to serve our Club and local canoeing. He will be missed with great affection by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. To John’s family and Aileen we send our sincere condolences in their sad loss.

A Memorial Service in the Quaker fashion is planned for 2 pm on Saturday 27 March at the Wesley Methodist Church, King Street, Cambridge and all will be welcome.

May & Bill Block