Published in Windlesora 21 (2005)
© WLHG
The death by drowning of Jack Hall in 1834 led to the formation of the Eton and Windsor Royal Humane Society. For nearly half a century Hall had been a fisherman and servant of Eton College, and was found entangled in his own casting net near Surly Hall at Dedworth.
The Royal Humane Society had been instituted in 1774 to save lives, and recover the bodies of those who were apparently dead with the hope of reviving them. There were branches throughout the UK.
The Eton and Windsor Branch sought to prevent accidents on the river, especially at holiday times, to render assistance and recover bodies. They encouraged the practice of swimming and diving and provided a properly supervised bathing place. They also provided men and appliances in the event of the river being frozen.
They prevented many accidents in the summertime, especially on bank holidays, by stationing watermen at dangerous spots to warn those unacquainted with the river of the dangers, and when the Thames was frozen, men with suitable appliances were posted on the riverbank. Men were provided with drags (ropes with many large hooks on them) and other appliances to recover bodies in the Thames between Surly Hall and the Bells of Ouzeley in Old Windsor, a distance of about seven miles. The drags were kept at various public houses in Eton and Datchet.
The society held annual swimming and diving matches for boys and young men and taught people to swim. In 1923 the charge for the season was six shillings. Among the events in the matches were 40 yards for boys and girls under 14 and 440 yards for men. There were diving, obstacle races, a tub race, soapy pole and a water polo match as well as a life-saving competition. The races were held at Fireworks Island on the Brocas, Eton and in 1889 the river was attractively decorated on both the Buckinghamshire and Berkshire banks and very large crowds gathered to watch. The swimming and rowing races attracted large entries but it was the soapy pole, pillow fighting and diving for plates that created most excitement. Medals were also given for ‘headers’ which entailed running several yards and then diving in the river.
Being a rail terminus, Windsor attracted many people from London at weekends, and they swam in spite of the warning notices. The river is particularly treacherous where it shelves away only a few feet from the bank. Bodies were found almost every weekend.
The Eton and Windsor Royal Humane Society did such yeoman work recovering bodies with their drags and punts but now the police divers undertake these sad tasks.
In August 1954 the society was wound up as it had to close its swimming baths and thereby curtail all swimming activities due to the collapse of the river bank.
Windsor Local History Group 