INTERNATIONAL ROWING TURNS PROFESSIONAL worked together. They would have produced wonderful crews.”2990 Edwards was rowing through the height of the schism between English Orthodox and Fairbairn followers. Edwards: “The truth is that in English rowing there were, and are to this day, as many shades of opinion as in the French Chamber of Deputies. Everything to the right or the left of centre was described as Orthodox or Fairbairn, and although a successful crew without exaggerations one way or the other was acclaimed by both schools as rowing on their lines, there was no definition of such a crew.”2991 Much of Edwards’ London career would be punctuated by the rivalry between the so-called Orthodox crews of Jack Beresford, Sr. at Thames Rowing Club and the Fairbairn-coached crews at London Rowing Club.2992 Edwards: “The London crew of 1927 was the fastest I had until then rowed in, and I enjoyed every minute of it. We won every race we went in for at home and abroad save only for the Grand and Stewards. [They were beaten in the finals of both by Thames R.C.] At Kingston, I won the Sculls as well as the Fours and Eights. Of course, I had tremendous incentive; I thought it would begin to teach Guy Nickalls and the rest of the pink-cap brigade2993 to talk about ‘baby blubber.’ “It is noteworthy that this sort of thing usually involved six races a day. It was a severe form of ‘repetition rowing,’ but 2990 Ibid, p. 3 2991 Ibid, p. 20 2992 See Chapter 25. However, Leander considered themselves the true Orthodox and Thames still Fairbairnesque, even years after Fairbairn had left them in 1926. Every rivalry seemed to be steeped in good-versus-evil imagery. 2993 Leander Club, i.e., the Establishment. practiced by us thirty years before the athletes thought of it.”2994 During 1928 and 1929, Jumbo taught school at Courtenay Lodge at Sutton Courtenay, on the River Thames south of Oxford. He coached schoolboys and sculled during the week, and then he joined the London crew on the weekends. In 1930, Edwards decided to follow his brother into the Royal Air Force. Edwards: “The only way I could get a permanent commission was to return to Oxford, get a degree and a University Commission. I passed Mods and was allowed to return.”2995 That year, he reluctantly rowed in the losing Oxford Blue Boat even though “that sort of rowing did not appeal to me after rowing for London.”2996 In the summer of 1930, Edwards was a member of the London Eight and Coxless- Four that won the Grand and Stewards’ at Henley, and both boats went on to win the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The Times of London: “For power, skill and smoothness combined, Edwards stands alone among the heavyweights of today.”2997 In 1931, Jumbo Edwards repeated in the Grand and Stewards’ and, representing Christ Church with Lewis Clive, added the Silver Goblets, joining a select group of rowing immortals who have won the three top Henley sweep trophies in a single day. The following year, Edwards and Clive again won the Goblets and, representing Britain, earned the 1932 Olympic Gold Medal in the coxless-pairs. Then when a member of the British Coxless-Four took ill, Jumbo substituted and won a second 2994 Edwards, p. 3 2995 Ibid, p. 5 2996 Ibid. 2997 Qtd. by Edwards, p. 6 837
