Butts Stadium and Godiva Harriers

This is a cutting from 1909, unfortunately the Coventry newspapers online stop about 1914. There are earlier mentions of the paper chases and it was also a sport carried on by the Coventry Motor Club. MR, you obviously never watched the film "The Railway Children"

MR, no you can skip the athletic part, but there was a Coventry mayor involved that I had not read about before, Coventry mayor being of German descent and the war about to start I need to know more

Siegfried Bettmann founder of Triumph.

Hello Kaga Simpson. It depends what you mean about 'paper chases' as there are many variations often dictated by the drain on club finances. Different clubs in different parts of the country had their own peculiar 'chase' depending on whether the harrier club was a working or middle class club and also whether it was pub or church based!!!! And, without wishing to send you to sleep, it would depend on whether the club was 'affiliated', a school team, a 'works harrier' team or just an ad hoc informal group interested in chasing as a 'race' for prizes. Large championship races used similar methods in the first thirty or so years of the sport's existence. And just to complicate things further, whether it involved the newish sport of cyclo-cross, derived from events in WW1. Why the interest in the east side of Coventry? - have you an individual or specific team in mind because different Coventry Harrier clubs [or surrounding village clubs] tended to stick to their own 'patch'; problems arose if they didn't. It also depends which of our members was the Mayor (or Lord Mayor) you refer to as we had more than one!!! Rather than go on at length about the technicalities/variations of organising a chase perhaps you would like to get in touch off forum?? For the non sports minded, the history of Godiva is not so much concerned with athletic performances but more concerned with how a harriers club founded at the birth of the sport managed to survive as a result of the influences of local educational, industrial, Political (with a large 'P'), historical and not least, philanthropic initiatives when all contemporary clubs foundered. A comparative study of a Northern club which failed amply illustrates just how special Coventry is as a city. If you look at the cutting from Annewiggy you will notice the name 'Davenport' - for the WW1 anniversary I completed a three display-board tribute to him. Just preceding him in joining the colours was another Godiva member who won the Military Cross at the same disastrous battle in which Davenport was killed.

There is a link which mentions the paper chases also mentions Bulkington and villages around Bulkington way on the Nuneaton Harriers but when you down load the file no mention of the paper chases nor Bulkington.

Harrier, thank you, maybe it was just local races, no way of finding out really I'm talking 1930/2 time, my father took part in several. Winning prizes, main one to him was a 'salt-cellar', me, I got ticked off for throwing toffee paper on the ground. morgana, thanks for that, the one I remember started at Grove Farm, Parrotts Grove, headed towards Barnacle.

I don't suppose your dad (possibly granddad) lived at 22 Main Street (where ever that was)??? Mother's maiden name either Taylor or Basnett by any chance?? If you have facts about your dad, I may be able to find information about his running.

Harrier, thanks, no not those names, other than his name, most of his prizes were lost years ago, I think the name of the club was on one of them. The only thing we have is a football cup 26-27yr but the inscription on that is vague, I did the 82 and 83 Cov marathon sponsored mainly by Brighton people, money went to Coventry charity. One thing, am I right in thinking Godiva Harriers came second and fourth in the Tokyo Olympics. Thanks again. Kaga.

Harrier, should have said Tokyo Olympics marathon.

Certainly Godiva Harrier Basil Heatley won silver in the Marathon in the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Here is his autograph that I obtained from him around this time when he was out training on the Heckley fields at Exhall.

Brian Kilby was fourth

.... and what is not known is that Godiva arguably should have provided the third G.B. marathon runner in Tokyo ... The team selectors stated a set of criteria at the start of the season and then altered it half way through preselecting two runners well before the Championship Race which was held late in the season in Coventry from Binley Park School. There was only one marathon place left to be selected from this race. Brian Kilby won this championship which must have taken the edge off his performance in Japan as the Trial was held far too close to the Olympics to allow for a full recovery. The third Godiva runner who should have been picked for the team was Juan Taylor who should have run the marathon instead of Ron Hill. Hill also ran the 10,000m in the Games and finished 19th in the marathon and 18th in the shorter track event.

Just a note of thanks to all you good people. Happy Xmas, Kaga.

Are there any photos of the Godiva harriers pre 1914? I am trying to find a photo of my grandfather Ernest Brown who was a harrier. I would love to know what he looked like

Still looking for information and pre-1914 photographs of Coventry Godiva Harriers if anyone has any please. My grandad Ernest Brown was a Harrier up till he was killed in action in April 1917. We have no pictures of him and would love to see any