The Hash House
The 'Hash House' was the mildly derogative
nickname given (for its unimaginative, monotonous
food) to the Selangor Club Chambers, by the British
Civil Servants and businessman who lived and dined
there. Originally, the ground floor housed the main
Selangor Club dining room, and between the two World
Wars it became a social center of the times, used
regularly for lunch time meals by the members who
worked in the immediate vicinity.
Situated close to and behind the present Selangor
Club, it's function changed after independence and it
became a key office for the local Water Board, as it
was the place where all Kuala Lumpur (K.L.) residents
came to pay their water bills. Sadly, it gave way to
the relentless march of time around 1964, being
bulldozed to the ground under the north-bound lane
Jalan Kuching. The buildings housing the original
stables and servants quarters are still in existence.
Ancient Harriers
The idea of Harriers chasing paper was not new to
Malaya in 1938, as there had been such clubs before
in Kuala Lumpur and Johore Bahru, and there were
clubs in existence in Malacca and Ipoh (the Kinta
Harriers) at the time. "Horse" Thomson (one
of the KLH3 founding fathers) recalled being invited
on a run, shortly after his arrival in Johore Bahru
in 1932, which chased a paper trail and followed
basic Hash rules every week but was so magically
organized that it had no name. The club flourished in
the early 1930's but is believed to have died out
around 1935.
The other branch of our ancestry comes from
Malacca, where A. S. ('G') Gispert was posted in 1937
and joined a club called the Springgit Harriers, who
also operated weekly under Hash rules and are
believed to have been formed in 1935. Some months
later, 'Torch' Bennett visited him and came as a
guest on a few runs.
Hash House Harriers
By 1938, Thomson, Lee, and Gispert had all moved
to K.L. and founded their own club, following the
rules they had learnt elsewhere. The principal
original members were:
- A. S. ('G') Gispert
- Cecil Lee
- 'Horse' Thomson
- Torch' Bennett
- Eric Galvin
- H.M. Doig
Soon joined by others, including:
- Frank Woodward
- Philip Wickens
- Lew Davidson
- John Wyatt-Smith
- M. C. Hay
It is not clear that the club actually had a name
at the very beginning, but Gispert is credited with
proposing the 'Hash House Harriers' when the
Registrar of Societies required the gathering to be
legally registered.
'Torch' Bennett technically missed being a founder
member, because he was then on leave, bout on his
return he introduced the first necessary organization
- a bank account, a balance sheet and some system.
More importantly, he seems, with Philip Wickens who
joined later in 1939, to have helped to keep things
going immediately after the war.
Sadly, Gispert had only a short time with his
extraordinary creation, being killed in the fighting
on Singapore Island on February 11th, 1942, whilst
serving with the Argylls. But with the exception of
Philip Wickens who died in 1981, and Lew Davidson who
died very recently, the rest of the hardy band of
hashers hare still with us and the KL hash House
Harriers keeps in touch with them all. [Editor's note: Torch died soon
after this was prepared in 1992]
The founding members were all British, although
Gispert was actually Spanish in origin, his parents
having migrated to London some time before he was
born. Extraordinarily both he and Bennett were
accountants, as were Paul Barnard and Jack Bridewell
who made a significant contribution to our activities
of later years. Some Hash psychiatrist should
investigate where this work leads to extreme forms of
escapism.
The HHH duly celebrated it 100th run on 15 August
1941, but only 17 runs later was forced into
temporary hibernation by the arrival of the Japanese.
Postwar Rebirth
Post World War II, it was nearly 12 months before
the survivors reassembled. 'Torch' Bennett put in a
claim for the lost hash mugs, a tin bath and two old
bags, on the fund set up with the proceeds from
confiscated Japanese property and run No. 1 was a
trot around the race-course in August, 1946.
Subsequent to the 1,000th post war run the
celebrations surround it were considered to be such a
success that the 117 official pre-war runs were added
to the total as we could celebrate the 2,000th run as
soon as possible.
With the advent of the Emergency in 1948, the Hash
was automatically in bad official odor, as their
activities were generally illegal in terms of the
curfew imposed on most of the areas surround Kuala
Lumpur and in the years 1948-51, they maintained a
precarious existence at best. The turn round came
with the famous bandit incident at Cheras.
This has been widely misreported, but what
actually happened was that below where the Lady
Templer Hospital is now, in an area that was then
rubber and belukar, the Hares on a darkening and
rainy evening came across some men wrapped in ground
sheets sleeping on the ground. The following pack
found the bandits on their feet but someone, in the
general confusion nobody got hurt. One member ran to
Cheras Police Station and raised the alarm; the army
laid ambushes on tracks leading out of the area and
first thing the following morning bagged three
bandits trying to break out. One of them was found to
have a substantial price on his head and the bounty
was shared among the non-government employees on the
run (government servants were not allowed to
participate in such rewards).
Other colorful incidents related by Cecil Lee,
include how 'Torch' Bennett once nearly drowned in
quicksand, and how on one memorable occasion the
erstwhile unathletic 'G' was actually leading the
pack: sadly his moment of glory was short lived as
the paper trail turned to be false. Swimming would
seem to be an unofficial prerequisite to all Hashmen
too, for Cecil remembers having had to swim across a
mining pool in order to get home after being lost on
one occasion, and on another it is reported that
several Hashmen ran in to a stream where bathed some
unsuspecting Malay maidens. The girls screamed; their
menfolk came hurtling to the rescue with the
unsheathed parangs flashing, and the errant Hashmen
broke land speed records in the eagerness to clear
the scene.
The Hash Spreads Out
The second Hash Chapter was founded in Singapore
in 1962, [Editor's note:
The Royal Italian Bordighera Hash was begun in the
late '40s but died by the late '50s. It was later
resurected by members of the Milan H3]
followed by Kuching in 1963, Brunei, Kota
Kinabalu and Ipoh in 1964, Penang in 1965, and Perth
was the first outside Malaysia and Singapore in 1967.
Even by the time of K.L. 1,500th run in 1974 the
total was only 35, so the subsequent explosion has
been spectacular indeed. The 1992 international list
will total around 1,100 clubs in over 135 countries
and all continents (including Antarctica) where the
hash format is often adapted to environments very
different from the near rows of Malaysian rubber
trees amongst which it was conceived. Kabul HHH
understandably foundered, but what can it be like to
hash in Sinai, Peking, Addis Ababa or the Falkland
Islands? [Editor's note:
The aforementioned second hash dating back to 1962
was founded in Singapore by Ian Cumming who is still
actively hashing with the New York H3. He is also a
primary contributor to every hash songbook].
Interhash
The first attempt at an Interhash get-together was
the K.L. 1,000th post-war run in 1966, and the
spectacular 1500th run in 1973 when attendance was
something over 300. Interhash 1978 in Hong Kong broke
new ground with an attendance around 800; Interhashes
1980 and 1982 were credited with 1,200 - 1,300;
Interhash 1984 with rather more Interhash 1986 broke
the 2,000 barrier with 2,143.
Attendance at Bali for Interhash 1988 was reported
to bet between 2,600 and 2,700. Interhash 1990 in
Manila was affected by the then current state of
emergency in the country, but nevertheless some 1,600
intrepid Hashers were let loose in Manila and
survived to tell the tale.
Interhash 1992 in Phuket, Thailand does not seem
to be affected by the recent unhappy turmoil in
Bangkok and, judging by reported registrations the
numbers are set to pass 3,000. [Editor's
note: Interhash 1994 in New Zealand drew nearly 4,000,
Interhash 1996 in Cyprus drew 6,000 and Interhash
1998 in Kuala Lumpur had over 7,000 participants]
Written in 1992 by Mike Lyons
from the copious research material prepared by
John Duncan. Transcribed in 1994 by Tom
"Self-Executing Officer" Moore, On-Sec,
Boston H3, and edited by Chas. "ZiPpY
tC" Baumerich, On-Sec, Pikes Peak H4.
