| Level | Sub-fonds |
| Finding Number (Click this to view full catalogue structure) | ATH/SY |
| Title | Papers of Squire Yarrow |
| Extent | 1 standard box (comprising 1 volume, 1 file and 35 items) |
| Date | 1938-1984 |
| Thumbnail (Click this image to open a larger image) | 
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| Description | Papers collected by the athlete and athletics administrator Squire Yarrow. The collection includes a small number of athletics programmes relating to meetings in which Yarrow participated during the 1930s and 1940s. There are articles and newspaper cuttings concerning his athletics career as well ephemera comprising an autograph book, certificates, badges, menu cards and orders of service. |
| Notes | Old references: SY; NCAL XXV.Y2 |
| Arrangement | These papers have been arranged into the following 3 series:
athletics programmes;
articles, newspaper cuttings and photograph;
ephemera |
| Access Conditions | Access to all registered researchers. |
| Copyright | Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material. |
| Language | English |
| Norwegian |
| Finding Aids | A catalogue of this collection is available on the online archive catalogue. Click on the Finding Number to display the summary contents list of the catalogue and to view the full catalogue, or view the catalogue as a PDF file by clicking in the document field below. A paper copy is also available in the Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections Department. |
| Document | ATH_SY.pdf |
| Access Status | Open |
| Creator Name | Yarrow, Squire Stevens (1905-1984), athlete and athletics administrator |
| Administrative History | Squire Yarrow was born on 28 July 1905, his birth registered in Hackney. At the outbreak of World War One the family moved to Epping Forest, near to Wanstead Park. As a young boy he utilised the park and became a keen walker and runner. He was played hockey, cricket, squash and boxing. Following a motorcycle accident in the 1930s he took up running seriously and joined Polytechnic Harriers. Throughout this decade he ran in every Poly and Middlesex team bar one, focusing on running three, six and ten miles on the track. Squire regularly finished in second place and was a runner-up to Wally Clift, Bob Hadland, Percy Bull and Maurice Carr amongst others.
In 1938 he decided to focus on road racing and entered the 'Finchley 20', finishing second to O'Sullivan of Herne Hill. He finished second in the Polytechnic Harriers Marathon and was selected for the first ever British team to run in the European Championships, held that year in Paris. He won the silver medal in the marathon race with a time of 2 hours, 39 minutes and 3 seconds. Following the Second War, Squire attended the 1946 European Championships in Oslo. Here, aged 41, he finished seventh in the marathon race on a course which was later discovered to be one and a quarter miles short. Following the Oslo meeting, Squire and Sydney Wooderson formed the Smestad Club, intended to comprise all the British team members and enabling the group to keep in touch. Later, all full internationals were admitted and the Club held an anniversary dinner. This kept going until the formation of the IAC. He also worked alongside Ernest Neville and assisted with the formation of a club for marathon runners, the Road Runners Club.
As an administrator, Squire represented Polytechnic Harriers on the Middlesex committee and was the editor of the county handbook until 1939. He was assistant team manager to Great Britain's 1948 Olympic Games team. In 1950 he settled in the Midlands and was involved with Staffordshire County and Midlands administration. This led to membership of various AAA committees and the Chairmanship of Coaching, Development and Facilities. He later became Vice-President and then President of the AAA in 1978, succeeding Harold Abrahams. He took great interest in the AAA's Five Star Award Scheme held in schools; was director and referee of the London Marathon from its inception; and was also one-time President of Victoria Park Harriers.
Squire Yarrow died on 11 April 1984.
Sources: papers of Squire Yarrow; Free Births, Marriages and Deaths website accessed 8 October 2014 from http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/search.pl; Victoria Park Harriers website accessed 8 October 2014 from http://www.vphthac.org.uk/history/vph-history-03.html |
| Custodial History | This collection was previously in the custody of the National Centre for Athletics Literature (NCAL). |
| Archival Note | Papers arranged and described by Mark Eccleston, October 2014, in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description (ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; and in-house cataloguing guidelines. |
| Related Material | Other archive collections, formerly held as part of the National Centre for Athletics Literature (NCAL), are catalogued as collections distinct from this collection. They comprise both institutional archives and collections of personal papers of athletes, athletics administrators, journalists and others associated with the athletics world.
Catalogues of the institutional archives available on the online archive catalogue are as follows:
Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1880-1992. Finding No: ATH/AAA;
English Cross-Country Union: papers, 1911-1989. Finding No: ATH/ECCU;
Midland Counties Amateur Athletics Association: papers, 1900-1991. Finding No: ATH/MCAAA;
Midland Counties Cross Country Association: papers, 1898-1985. Finding No: ATH/MCCCA;
Midland Counties Women's Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1949-[1980s]. Finding No: ATH/MCWAAA;
Northern Counties Women's Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1933-1989. Finding No: ATH/NCWAAA;
Northern Cross-Country Association: papers, 1906-1983. Finding No: ATH/NCCA;
Northern Women's Track and Field League: papers, 1982-1983. Finding No: ATH/NWTFL;
Southern Counties Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1958-1983. Finding No: ATH/SCAAA;
Southern Counties Cross-Country Association: papers, 1911-1990. Find No: ATH/SCCCA;
The Sports Council: papers, [1940s]-2001. Finding No: ATH/SC;
Women's Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1932-1989. Finding No: ATH/WAAA.
Catalogues of personal papers available on the online archive catalogue are as follows:
Abrahams, Harold Maurice (1899-1978), athlete, administrator, commentator and journalist: papers, 1902-1989. Finding No: ATH/HA;
Adam, George Mair (1898-1989), athlete, coach and athletics administrator: papers, 1909-1989. Finding No: ATH/GA;
Binks, Joseph (Joe) (1874-1966), athlete and athletics commentator: papers, [1920s-1950s]. Finding No: ATH/JB;
Brown, Audrey Kathleen (nee Court) (1913-2005), athlete: papers, [1930s]-2005. Finding No: USS22;
Cardew, Martin H. (b 1927), athlete: papers, 1964-1988. Finding No: ATH/MHC;
Cullum, Dennis Noel Johnson (1913-1985), athlete and coach: papers, [1930s]-1985. Finding No: ATH/DC;
Humphrey, David (b 1933), athlete: papers, 1944-1958. Finding No: ATH/DH;
Ives, Bert (1890-1975), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, [1920s-1970s]. Finding No: ATH/BI;
Jarvis, Walter (c 1888-c 1935), athlete: papers, 1910-1996. Finding No: MS4;
Jewell, John Christopher (1912-2001), athlete and athletics commentator: papers, 1897-2002. Finding No: ATH/JJ;
Lloyd-Edgley, Ralph: scrapbook, [c 1924]-[c 1931]. Finding No: ATH/RLE;
MacLean, Duncan (1884-1980), athlete and coach: papers, 1948-1977. Finding No: ATH/DM;
Monk, Walter Harry (Wal) (1896-after 1965), athlete: papers, 1918-1961. Finding No: ATH/WHM;
Morgan, Wilf (b 1935), athlete and athletics historian: papers, 1937-2012. Finding No: ATH/WM;
Newton, Arthur Francis Hamilton (1883-1959), athlete: papers, [c 1904]-[1990s]. Finding No: ATH/AN;
Payne, Howard (1931-1992), athlete: papers, 1899-[c 1975]. Finding No: ATH/HP;
Percy, Joe W. (1912-2001), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, 1910-1997. Finding No: ATH/JWP;
Perry, George (b 1903), athlete: papers, [1920s]-1956. Finding No: ATH/GP;
Powell, Edgar Robert Leslie (Peter), (fl 1920s-70s), athlete: papers, 1813-1988. Finding No: ATH/ERLP;
Richards, Wilf (b 1906), athlete and journalist: papers, 1924-[mid 20th century]. Finding No: ATH/WR;
Roberts, Dave (fl 1930s-1990s), athlete and statistician: papers, [1930s]-1991. Finding No: ATH/DR;
Simpson, Colin J. (1929-2011), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, 1945-1990. Finding No: ATH/CS;
Tatham, Wilfrid George (Gus) (1898-1978), athlete: papers, 1908-1960. Finding No: ATH/WGT;
Thomas, Dr Philip, athletics administrator and coach: papers, [c 1900]-[late 20th century]. Finding No: ATH/PT;
Vargas, Charles Climaco (1905-1975), athlete: papers, 1921-31. Finding No: ATH/CCV;
Ward, Leonard H., athletics coach: papers, [mid-20th century]. Finding No: ATH/LW;
Watman, Melvyn Francis (Mel) (b 1938), athletics journalist and statistician: papers, 1980-1993. Finding No: ATH/MW;
Wight, Robert M., athletics administrator: papers, [mid-20th century]. Finding No: ATH/RW;
Winter, Arthur E. H. (d 1990), athlete and athletics commentator: papers, [early 20th century]-1983. Finding No: ATH/AW;
Yarrow, Squire Stevens (1905-1984), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, 1938-1984. Finding No: ATH/SY. |