1915-1916 Lacrosse Team

This is a photograph of the Bedford Physical Training College 1^st XII lacrosse team from 1915-1916, some of whom were selected to play as part of a combined team with Ӧsterberg Physical Training College in a charity match on 15 April 1916 at the Richmond Athletic Ground, London in support of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Foreign Service.  Their opponents were an international team of players from England, Scotland and Wales.  The Bedford and Ӧsterberg team lost 16-6 but all six of their goals were scored by Bedford students.

Bedford Physical Training College produced an astonishing number of individuals who competed at the international level.  From the 1920s through to the 1990s a total of 267 former Bedford students were awarded international honours of which 137 were for lacrosse.  It is thought Helen Simpson from Set X (1912-1914) was the first Bedford student to play lacrosse for an international team, representing England in 1922.

The photograph is taken from a photograph album created by students who attended Bedford Physical Training College from 1914-1916 (Set XII) and was presented to the Principal, Margaret Stansfeld as a memento of their life at the College.  The creation of such albums was popular amongst individual Sets (year groups) of students and the archive contains 100 albums dating from 1903 to the 1960s, providing a rich source of social history.

1st XII Lacrosse Team 1915-16
Ref. BPEA PH 1/8