Club Trophies and the Personalities Behind Them

The President's cup, also known as the Victor Ludorum cup, was awarded by our one-time President, Bill Howlett. As most technical aspects of photography were already covered by other trophies, Bill thought it would be a nice idea that the cup should be presented annually to the person who, during the year, had done most for the club - not necessarily in the field of photography. Thus the illustrious names already engraved on the trophy show our appreciation of service to the club given by these worthy people in the past.

Luigi Westlake presented the fine cup for the quarterly slide competition winner. Luigi is unfortunately no longer with us, having passed away a good few years ago. He had been a top research scientist for E.M.I.

The Ramshaw trophy for the quarterly portrait competition winner was donated by Luke Ramshaw, who had been a leading figure in the Ashford Cine Society, long defunct. He retired to Wales some years ago.

Fred Tong, an ex-employee of Petters, gave us the Tong trophy for the winner of the annual slide competition - general. He died some years ago.

Nevin Electrics was a local electronic business run by Alan Clouter. His cup is awarded for the annual black and white portrait winner. He also died some years ago.

The award for the annual black and white general class winner was given to us many years ago by Bernard Urwin, generally known as Ben - who was one of our longest serving members. Ben, who was a W.O.P. Air Gunner in the RAF in the war won a string of campaign medals. He died some years ago after a long illness.

Harold Brown, one-time Chairman, gave us the two major colour awards, the Devon and Dorset Trophies. Whilst living in Ashford, Harold was Sales Manager for the prestigious Medici Foundation. His first service to the club was to draw up a 4 page set of rules - we had managed quite nicely for 12 years without!! He retired to Hampshire some years ago, to Ringwood, where one of our Honorary members Geoff Eales was the local wedding photographer! Harold died a few years ago in a nursing home.

The annual Black and White Portrait runner-up receives the Timber Plaque, donated by one of our early members Timber Wood - who went on to found the Shepperton Camera Club. Timber was an ex-RAF and Dan Air Flight engineer, who died in 1998. He also gave us the Rosebowl.

The Club's remaining trophies were donated by George Potts, a consultative Electrical Engineer, who was a dab hand at colour printing, a popular member and Chairman for some years prior to his early retirement to Norfolk and an untimely death through health problems.

In recent years, we were given the Sunbury trophy awarded for the Quarterly Intermediate Portrait winner. The donor was Sylvia Wilson, one of our more distinguished members who worked in a scientific capacity at the National Physical Laboratory.

The Middlesex Cup, awarded for the quarterly portrait slide winner, was kindly donated by Richard Stevens, ASIS, FRPS. Richard is also a member of the Selsey Camera Club in West Sussex.

Geoffrey Gould

N.B. The above notes were written by Geoff Gould shortly before his death in 2003

Following the introduction of a Nature category to our quarterly and annual competitions in 2006 we have acquired new trophies. Three are named after former officers of the club, namely Geoff Gould, Maurice Curtis and John Wilson. The Spelthorne Cup is named after the local borough and the ancient Spelthorne hundred of Middlesex. The Ramundi Cup was kindly donated by club member Nick Ramundi.