Life in an internment camp

Six years after the founding of Bedford Physical Training College in 1903, former students agreed to establish a Bedford Physical Training College Students’ Association (BPTCSA), primarily to form “a bond of union between all students trained in the College.”  It is an association which continues to this day and the publication of its Annual Report, first produced in 1911, provides an increasingly comprehensive chronicle of the life of the College and the means with which to trace the employment history of former students and small details of their family lives with records of marriages and births.  Occasionally, former students, particularly from those who were working or living overseas, would submit letters giving accounts of their activities.  One such correspondent was (Charis) Veronica Rynd (née Warmington-Reed) who attended Bedford Physical Training College in 1927-1930.

We know from the BPTCSA Annual Reports that Veronica’s first teaching post after leaving the College in 1930 was at Château Mont-Choisi, a finishing school in Lausanne, Switzerland.  And we also know that in 1939 Veronica married Patrick G. Rynd, an employee of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and moved to Manila in the Philippines.  On 8 December 1941 the Japanese invaded the Philippines and Veronica and her husband spent the next 3¼ years in Japanese internment camps.  The 1945 BPTCSA Annual Report published extracts of letters from Veronica giving an account of her internment and eventual release in February 1945.

The BPTCSA Annual Reports held in the Archive provide the means to discover something of the careers and personal lives of former students from Bedford Physical Training College.

Incidentally, if you are interested in learning more of Veronica’s experiences, an account of her story based on her recollections and those of fellow internees has been written by her youngest daughter, Merilyn Brason.  The Bamboo Bracelet: A True Story is scheduled to be published in June 2020 by Matador.

Extract of letters from Veronica Rynd published in the 1945 BPTCSA Annual Report
Ref: BPEA OSA 6/1

King Gustavus V Gold Medal

King Gustavus of Sweden (1858-1950) was a pioneer in promoting sports. He is better remembered for his love of tennis, and learnt to play in Britain in 1876. In 1980 Gustavus was elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Not only appreciating tennis, he recognised the importance of Pehr Henrik Ling’s contribution to the art of Gymnastics. In 1939, the 100th anniversary of the death of Ling, the Lingiaden was inaugurated in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Lingiaden was an international demonstration of 7399 participants from 12 countries. As Ling’s approach was highly valued at Bedford Physical Training College, the Vice-Principal Cecily Read, was chosen to lead a 25 strong team which included five senior students from the College.

Two former students of the College were awarded the King Gustavus medal in recognition of their services to the Ling Physical Education Association, Phyllis Spafford and Phyllis Colson. Phyllis Spafford (1888-1990) became the Secretary of the Ling Association of Teachers of Swedish Gymnastics in 1932 and received an OBE in 1949 for her outstanding contribution to the physical education profession. Phyllis Colson (1904 – 1972) came to Bedford Physical Training College in 1923, and became an outstanding student. Unfortunately, her active career in teaching was cut short due to arthritis, but she became part of the Physical Education for the National Organisation of Girl’s Clubs and in 1935 founded the Central Council of Recreative Physical Training (now known as the Sport and Recreation Alliance). With her knowledge and enthusiasm she continued an active role within organisations and was recognised for her achievements by receiving the King Gustavus medal in 1949, and the CBE in 1964.

The King Gustavus V Medal is just one example of the medals and badges held in the Bedford Physical Education Archive awarded to former students and staff. They and their recipients offer an interesting source of study for revealing Bedford’s contribution to the field of physical education at the national and international level.