Forerunners

In distinguished company

We look through the CSSC archives for some eminent former members, including some who may surprise you!

Geoffrey Boycott had to choose which career path to follow

Throughout its 166-year history, the UK Civil Service has certainly seen some changes: from its early work in the 18th century as the Office of Works and the Navy Board, to providing today’s modern and diverse range of services, employing nearly half a million people. But since its very beginnings the Civil Service has always embraced sport as a way of entertaining, relaxing and uniting an often disconnected and geographically widely distributed workforce.

Colleagues have always been encouraged to come together and form associations and sports teams, to help foster togetherness, camaraderie and friendly competition. With such a broad range of talents and opportunities, it’s no surprise when sporting enthusiasts turn their hobbies into a passion with the help of the service and go on to turn their passion into a profession.

We’ve scoured the CSSC archives to find some former members, along with Janis Cammell OBE’s recollections of treading the boards.

Mr Boycott must make up his mind

Over the years a small number of clubs and associations, including HASSRA, Plymouth Area Association and Cygnet Rowing Club, have created books telling their story. A History of Civil Service Cricket, by former Chair Sir Richard Hayward and Vice Chair Tony Phelps, was published in the early 1990s and included these interesting paragraphs:

‘In 1961 at Chiswick a young Clerical Officer called Geoffrey Boycott appeared for the Service, helping them to an innings victory over the Navy. He scored 66 and shared in a first wicket partnership of 124 with his captain Roy Sewell, of the Valuation Office. This was his one representative match for the Service. He had joined in 1960 and worked at the Barnsley office of the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance; but he was already beginning to make his way in the Yorkshire Colts and 2nd XI.

‘Former colleagues recall how he volunteered to work every Saturday morning during the winter months so that this would increase the amount of leave he could take to play cricket in the summer. In 1963 he applied for special leave without pay in order to play more cricket and see if he could secure a regular place in the Yorkshire 1st XI. His application was considered by the authorities in the Ministry and the Treasury, and the bureaucracy decided that “Mr Boycott must make up his mind whether he wishes to be a Civil Servant or a cricketer” – or words to that effect. He did, and the rest is history.’

Down memory lane for Janis Cammell OBE

From the mid-1960s, with the expansion of the Civil Service, London welcomed a huge influx of young entrants, often far from home, looking for entertainment and new friends as well as work. Many joined one of the drama clubs in and around the Whitehall area.

These clubs came together under the umbrella of the Civil Service Drama Federation (CSDF). The period from the 1970s through to the late 1990s was the heyday of amateur drama in the Whitehall area. This was all made possible by a grant from CSSC to the CSDF to manage the Civil Service Theatre. The CSDF also organised an annual weeklong drama festival in late spring, open to all CSDF members. Some 15 to 17 groups would take part from all around the UK. Each group presented a short one-act play, or a self-standing act from a full-length play, and was judged by an independent theatrical adjudicator on both acting and technical ability, such as lighting and staging.

Middle-distance runner Joy Jordan, from the Ministry of Supply

The Civil Service Theatre was located in the Ministry of Defence’s Northumberland House, just off Trafalgar Square, the former home of the Duke of Northumberland. During the Second World War the building was requisitioned, and the MOD moved in and stayed until the 1990s. The large Victorian dining room was converted into the theatre, which had a seating capacity of around 150. The Hotel Victoria was where Lillie Langtry had rooms, and where Edward the VII used to visit her. (You can still see the separate entrance.) Other famous names said to have frequented the hotel bar on first nights include Oscar Wilde. We always felt that Lillie Langtry’s benign ghost wished us good luck for our productions. Today, history has turned full circle with the building now housing two hotels, and the theatre has been restored back to a grand dining room.

The range of Civil Service productions was amazing, and it was like having a repertory theatre in residence – musicals, pantomime, classic drama, farce and comedy were all on offer. Personally I remember with affection (and this gives an idea of the range on offer) Private Lives, A Man for All Seasons, 1984, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Right Honourable Gentleman, The Apple Cart, Tom Jones, Confusions and Outside Edge.

I must have been convincing because once during a ‘whodunnit’ I was in the process of being murdered on stage and my mother apparently shouted out from the back row: “Will you leave my daughter alone!”

Potted personalities

During his tenure as editor of CSSC’s Journal, Henry James introduced an occasional series called ‘Potted Personalities’ which featured a cross section of Civil Service sportsmen and women,

‘Wind of Change’ from the CS Sports Journal, March 1961

some CSSC stalwarts and a number of other renowned athletes in their chosen field.

By the time Henry interviewed Geoffrey Paish in October 1955, Geoffrey was an established fixture on the international tennis circuit, but he was never too proud to grace such CSSC events as the Civil Service Lawn Tennis Championships and the inter-services matches at Chiswick. Born into a tennis family in Croydon in 1922, he displayed an aptitude for the game from an early age, winning the Schoolboy Under Sixteen Championship in 1937. After the war, he joined the Inland Revenue and took up tennis at Chiswick shortly before being invited to join the 1946 Great Britain Davis Cup team, appearing at Wimbledon later the same year. In 1947 he teamed up with Tony Mottram, Britain’s Number One, and together they would become the undisputed duo of British men’s tennis for almost a decade. By 1955, Paish had won the Wimbledon Plate twice, had represented Britain 19 times in the Davis Cup and would shortly add the Warren Fisher Cup as the outstanding Civil Service sportsman of the year to his trophy cabinet.

Between 1958 and 1962, Joy Jordan (Ministry of Supply) was ‘the untouchable force of middle-distance running in Britain’. Joy first appears in the pages of the Journal in 1956 as a rising star in the 100- and 200-yard events, when she came a close second to Ann Sissons, a notable sprinter of the time. A gifted amateur, Joy displayed an early aptitude for running but, like Geoffrey Paish, took a laid-back attitude to training and diet.

All of that changed when her husband, Dennis Jordan, stepped in as her coach, and by 1958 she was regularly leaving her mark in the half-mile (880m) at Women’s Amateur Athletics Association events and the European Championships in Stockholm. In 1959 Joy set a British record of 2:08.01 for the 800m at the Civil Service Championships. A few weeks later she broke this record against West Germany at White City, putting her firmly in the frame for the 1960 Rome Olympics and in a whimsical cartoon in the Journal.

In Rome, Joy established herself as the sixth fastest female middledistance runner in the world. However, Welwyn Garden City a few weeks later would be the setting for her pièce de resistance, when she set a new world record of 2:06.01 for the 800m on 24 September, thereby inviting the accolade that she was the first woman world record holder the Civil Service had ever had. And, of course, she also had the Warren Fisher Cup ‘in the bag’ for 1959. Joy Jordan remained at the top of her game until 1962, when she won a bronze medal for the 800m at the British and Commonwealth Games in Australia.

For help developing your pastimes into more than just hobbies, explore CSSC’s offers, benefits and funding to see how far you could go.

Civil Service athletics – the early days

The range of distinguished colleagues who have competed at sporting events hosted by the Civil Service Athletics Association is indeed varied: including a young linford Christie OBE, who started his career at the Inland Revenue and competed in CSSC’s 60th Anniversary Festival of Sport at Crystal Palace; and a fresh-faced 19-year-old from the Chief Secretary’s Office in Dublin, disqualified from the five-mile walk in 1868 for running the last 20 yards – stoking disappointment, which perhaps spurred on Abraham Stoker (right) to write Dracula.

While not every member goes on to classic fiction or gold medals, it’s true to say the Civil Service and public sector are replete with talent, energy and enthusiasm. And throughout its history, CSSC has always fostered that passion with funding, inspiration and opportunities to help our colleagues grow, thrive and flourish.

Our CSSC community lottery

Our CSSC community lottery has already proved a phenomenal success. In addition to life-changing cash prizes, it’s been raising money for our community fund

Supporting local

The CSSC community’s main aim is to help empower local initiatives and activities in communities up and down the country. To give back to those who give their all and support life’s true champions.

Since we’re a not-for-profit organisation, 100 per cent of all CSSC proceeds goes back to our members, to help look after their health and wellbeing. But the CSSC community lottery has given us an extra chance to really focus on causes close to our members’ hearts: causes where they live, work and play with their colleagues, friends and families.

Throughout the year, the CSSC community lottery has been helping to back the community fund, which you can learn more about throughout November and December.

Funding can be used to pay for the cost of tools, materials or equipment needed to run a community project. It can also support the cost of venue hire and other expenses as well as running costs.

How does it work?

The CSSC community lottery is drawn weekly every Saturday, with the winning numbers announced on our website at 8pm. Each ticket costs £1 and players can have up to a maximum of five tickets per draw.

Players must choose six numbers from 0 to 9, or they can choose a ‘lucky dip’ which randomly generates six numbers. How much a player wins depends on how well their numbers correspond to the ones drawn and the order in which they are drawn.

Each ticket has a 1 in 50 chance of winning a prize, so it’s really open and exciting for everyone who gives it a go.

Members could win £25,000 for matching six numbers in the right order. There are loads of other cash prizes and free tickets up for grabs for matching fewer numbers in order. 6 numbers = £25,000 5 numbers = £2,000 4 numbers= £250 3 numbers = £25 2 numbers = three tickets for the next draw

So far we’ve had 134 cash prize winners, with 14 winners over £250

n “i am very happy to have won! it came at a brilliant time too, as we have a young child and have just moved home.” Anonymous n “i play football for the civil Service Fc. This was an opportunity to put a little back in, with the added benefit of potentially winning something!” christopher n “i was quite excited when i heard about the new cSSc lottery and thought it was great being able to decide each month whether you want to enter. i had forgotten it had started so was shocked when i won £250.” Shirley n “When i first heard about the cSSc community lottery i didn’t hesitate in joining, especially as all the proceeds go back to local activities and initiatives. Obviously winning is always a bonus and happy to say my winnings will go towards my season ticket to Blackpool Fc.” Rob n “Absolutely buzzing, i only signed up a few weeks ago and won £250.” Stephen

Slow down but don’t stop

Love football, or another sport, but don’t feel quite as nimble as you did? There’s no need to give up: just dial it down with a ‘walking’ version... By Adrian Monti

When Stuart Langworthy needed hip replacement surgery aged 47, he reluctantly accepted that his football-playing days would be over. But instead it kicked off a whole new chapter in his love of the beautiful game, which means today he’s playing as much as ever, even though he is now 60.

Stuart’s unexpected extra time on the pitch is thanks to the growing popularity of walking football. The sport first took off in this country back in 2011 courtesy of Chesterfield FC, which launched a then pioneering way to encourage those in its over-50s community to be more active. Soon this slower version of football was springing up across the UK and in many other countries too. Today, there are about 1,000 walking football clubs in the UK, with more than 60,000 men and women regularly playing at leisure centres, sports halls and other suitable indoor and outdoor pitches. And each week even more people are trying it out, with a fresh resurgence of interest since lockdown restrictions eased. “I had played local league football to a decent level all my life, until my hip started to slow me down so I couldn’t run after the ball any longer,” explains Stuart, who’s from Gloucester. “But then a couple of years after my hip operation I read in our local