Humphrey Blake Playford (8 February 1896 – 1981) was an English

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

distinguished by rowing in three successful races against

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and rowing Head of the River for

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

in the same three years.

Birth, Parentage and Youth

Playford was born in

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria Canada * Hampton, New Brunswick *Ha ...

, then in Middlesex, the son of

Frank Lumley Playford Frank Lumley Playford (1855–1931) was a British rower who won the Wingfield Sculls five times and the Diamond Challenge Sculls at Henley Royal Regatta in 1876. Playford was born at Putney, the son of Francis Playford and his wife Emily August ...

and his wife, Kate Percy He was educated at

St Paul's School, London (''By Faith and By Learning'') , established = , closed = , type = Independent school Public school , religion = Church of England , president = , he ...

. Leaving school in 1914, he was employed as a temporary Clerk in the Army Audit Office, Headquarters, Eastern Command. He attested in the British Army on 27 December 1915 and was mustered on strength as a Driver, Army Service Corps. He was discharged on 21 January 1916 to take up a Commission, being appointed Second Lieutenant, Army Service Corps, Horse Transport, with effect from 22 January 1916. He crossed to France in April 1916. In 1918 he returned to England and was posted on attachment to 70 Wing,

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northeast of London. His ...

. He resigned his commission with effect from 29 January 1919.

Cambridge

Playford went up to Jesus College, Cambridge in 1919, graduating

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in 1921 and

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1925. He was 6 ft 5in tall, with a long reach, and quickly made his mark as a rower: In March 1919 he was picked in the place of R.C. Guthrie (indisposed) to row in the Jesus College crew in the semi-finals of the Fixed-seat, Eight oared Races. He rowed in the winning

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

crews in the

Boat Race Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

in 1920, 1921 and 1922. In July 1921 Playford won the

Silver Goblets The Silver Goblets & Nickalls' Challenge Cup is a rowing event for men's coxless pairs at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing club A rowing club ...

at Henley in a

coxed pair A coxed pair is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat with sweep oars and is steered by a coxswain. The crew consists of two rowers, each having one oar, and a cox. One row ...

with John Campbell, defeating Guy Oliver Nickalls and Richard Lucas "easily" in the final. He served as President of the Cambridge University Boat Club (C.U.B.C.) from October 1921 - April 1922. Rowing stroke with G.O. Nickalls, bow, he was beaten by five feet by W.F. Godden and R.E. Eason of

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

, in the final for the Silver Goblets and Nickalls Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta on 7 July 1923.

Professional career

Playford was ordained as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

by the Bishop of Ely, the Right Reverend Frederic Henry Chase, at Ely Cathedral on 8 October 1922. He was ordained as a priest at Jesus College Chapel by the Bishop of Ely on 8 June 1924. He served as Chaplain of Jesus College, Cambridge, 1922–1924. He served as Curate of Christ Church, Trafalgar Road, East Greenwich, 1924-1925. In 1925 he was recruited by J.F. Roxburgh, and appointed as Assistant Chaplain and Master at

Stowe School , motto_translation = I stand firm and I stand first , established = , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent school, day & boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster ...

in Buckinghamshire. He was appointed as first Under-

Housemaster {{refimprove, date=September 2018 In British education, a housemaster is a schoolmaster in charge of a boarding house, normally at a boarding school and especially at a public school. The housemaster is responsible for the supervision and care o ...

of Grafton House in 1926, and served as Housemaster of Bruce House, 1928-1939 and 1940-1953. He was described as a "larger-than-life figure of strong opinions, known to be quite combative in the Common Room". When the Second World War broke out, Playford took leave of absence to play a short, but exciting, role in hostilities: "Even ... the Reverend Humphrey Playford, now rising 40 ic had managed to be driving ambulances in Nazi-threatened France n the summer of 1940(before beating a hasty retreat)”. He retired from Stowe School on 29 July 1958.

Later life

Playford was married, in Cambridge in 1959, to Elizabeth Mary Bickersteth ("Betty") Birks, the daughter of the late Dr. Guy Thornton Birks and his wife, Elsie A. Marsh, of Bedford; she was born on 5 January 1914. He settled in Hampshire, and died there, aged 85 years, in 1981. His widow, Mrs. Betty Playford, died, aged 87 years, in 2001.Death registered in Winchester Registration District in June 2001.

Publications

*F. Brittain and H. B. Playford ''The Jesus College Boat Club, Cambridge'' Cambridge 1928 *F. Brittain and H. B. Playford ''The Jesus College, Cambridge, Boat Club, 1827-1962'' Cambridge 1962

References