The South of England Airedale Terrier Club was formed in 1935; accordingly, the committee and Members are this year celebrating their Golden Jubilee in proper style with many special events woven into the normal fabric of the Club's activities. It would be more accurate in an historical sense to say that the club was 're-formed' in 1935 because a South of England Airedale Terrie Club was first registered with the Kennel Club on the 11th October, 1898, some twenty-two years after the breed was recognised. The minutes of the Committee meeting of the Kennel Club read as follows:
'A letter was read from Mr. Holland Buckley asking for the registration for the South of England Airedale Terrier Club with which he forwarded a book of rules and a list of members. The application having been advertised in the 'Kennel Gazette', and the fee of 1 guinea having been paid, it was decided that the Club be registered on the books of the Kennel Club subject to the regulations being complied with.'

Mr. Holland Buckley, who was to become a respected Secretary of the Kennel Club, was Secretary of the South of England Airedale Terrier Club from its inception.

In 1906 the London and Metropolitan Branch of the Club was formed and registered and, at approximately the same time. There was also a Birmingham and Midland Branch with Mr. C. Allsop as its Honorary Secretary. At this distance in time, it is difficult to understand why it was thought appropriate to have a branch of the South of England Club in Birmingham and the Midlands, particularly because the Midland Counties Airedale Terrier Club was established in 1907.

The Original Club Ceased to Exist by 1920
Probably because of the impact of the First World War, it is sad to record that in 1915 the London and Metropolitan Branch was closed and that by 1920 the original South of England Club had also ceased to exist.

The Re-formed Club
The formation of the South of England Airedale Terrier Club for the second time in 1935 involved a group of enthusiasts which included most of the professional handlers operating from the South of England at that time, prominent among them being Fred Cross, A. J. (Towyn) Edwards, George Carr and A. H. (Bert) Southgate. Mr. Cross was the Secretary of the Club from its re-inauguration and Mr. J. Arthur Knight, Chairman.

In 1935 the showing of Terriers was almost totally dominated by the professional handlers. It therefore says a great deal for the clear-sightedness of the professional handlers associated with the new South of England Club that they set a policy of favouring the owner exhibitor and they made it a rule that no professional handler could handle at the Club's shows except when handling his own dog.

Members Shows were Frequent
The new committee set off at a sparkling pace with four Members Sanction shows in 1935, each held at the Horns Hotel, Kennington, London SE11. There were classes for 'exhibitor never to have won a first prize' and also for 'exhibitor never to have won a prize at any show'. Entry fee was 2 shillings per dog per class and prize money 6 shillings, 4 shillings and 2 shillings. It is interesting to note that Mrs. C. M. Lampen (later to become a very prominent exhibitor under the name C. M. Halford) was exhibiting in these classes in 1935, and it was not until the eighth show in June 1936 that she won the class for exhibitor never to have won a first prize with a dog called Shanty of Siccawei. At the same period, there were entries by Mrs. Beamish-Levy who was to have an indirect but considerable influence on the breed when she set up the Ardross Kennels. The kennels provided training in kennel management and several who were to become prominent in the breed after the Second World War were trained here, including Molly Harmsworth (nee Harbutt), Barbara Roberts, Barbara Sedorski and Pat McCaughey.

By 1937 the Club was holding seven members shows, all in the evenings and still at the Horns Hotel. During this year Mr. A. L. Holloway became Chairman in succession to Mr. J. Arthur Knight.

At the December show there was a warning of things to come when Molly Harbutt, as she then was, showed Bengal Lancer and won three first prizes, two seconds and left with three of the ten cups on offer - a feat she was to repeat and exceed many times in the years to come. It is also worth noting that in November 1938, Miss. I. Hyde was showing her bitch Janinta, the foundation of her Highwater line, and which appears in many important pedigrees and had an influence on the breed far exceeding success in the ring.

By July 1939 the Club had reached its twenty-eighth show with Mr. F. Mutsaerts as Judge (the second from Holland in four years), and then all activity stopped as the Second World War approached. Shows started again on July 4, 1943 with the same management team in charge of the Club but with Secretary Fred Cross operating from Blackpool, where his wartime work had taken him. At this show, a number of new exhibitors, who were to become prominent as exhibitors and officers of the Club, were showing for the first time, including Barbara Sedorski, Pat McCaughey, Joe Mottram and Mrs. J. C. (Rene) Coghlan. Shows for Members were held with increasing frequency from then on as the end of the war approached and, by November 1945, the Club was holding its thirty-seventh show at the Boathouse, Kew, a venue which was to become closely associated with the Club.

The First Championship Show
The first Championship show of the South of England Club was held at the Lime Grove Baths on Friday March 28, 1947. The Judge was Mrs. C. J. (Winnie) Barber and by this time Mr. Cross had become President of the Club and Mrs. Coghlan the Secretary, Mr. Holloway continuing as Chairman. There were seventy-two dogs at the show making two hundred and twenty-six entries. The dog Challenge Certificate was won by Anna Care's Rural Wyrewood Apollo with Brineland Barrier taking the reserve and in bitches, Mrs. Hayes' Aislaby Elzevia took the ticket with Warland Wargift reserve. A second Championship show was held on Saturday, November1, in the same year with Mr. E. R. L. Hoskins as Judge and, in addition, there were three Members shows during the year. From 1947 onwards the Club has held a Championship show each year, with the exception of 1958 when it was not awarded CC's.

A Very Successful Airedale!
At the 1948 Championship show the Secretary, Mrs. Rene Coughlan, had the sort of day we all dream of when her Penelope of Joreen, shown as an eleven month old puppy, was First in puppy, junior, maiden and novice classes and went on to win the CC and was Best in Show.

In that year at the Annual General Meeting, following the death of the much respected Chairman, Mr. Holloway, Mr. Fred Cross was elected in his place, and in recognition of the fact that Mr. Cross was still living in Blackpool, Mr. H. B. Harmsworth was elected Vice Chairman. The AGM also decide to make a collection for a trophy to be competed for each year in the 'Talena' stakes in memory of Mr. Holloway, and this tribute remains today.

By the mid '50s the Club had settled down to a regular pattern of one Championship show and two Members shows per year with many other social activities, including matches particularly with the Scotties, with whom there was a close association, and regular training and trimming sessions. It is interesting to note that in 1957 the judge at the Championship show was Mrs. Winnie Barber and, in fact, her name appears again as the judge for the 1967 Championship show, which must be a unique set of events, not only to judge a breed club Championship show on three occasions but for them to be spaced at exactly ten year intervals. Mr. Fred Cross resigned as Chairman at the 1955 AGM and Mr. J. Hazel was elected. He had a difficult task at that time because a substantial number of the novice exhibitors felt that their requirements were not being properly met by the Club. Jim Hazell overcame these difficulties and went on to become a popular and distinguished Chairman.

B. I. S. at Crufts, 1961
In 1960, two well-known and popular Members of the club, Miss Pat McCaughey and Mrs. D. (Mac) Schuth, exhibited their dog Riverina Tweedsbairn which was bred by another member, Mrs. Clare Halford. This dog, handled by Mr. Joe Cartledge, went on to become Dog of the Year in 1960 and 1961 and in the latter year was Best-in-Show at Crufts. In all, he won twenty-six CCs and when over seven years old, he was entered in the veteran class at the South of England Championship Show and won the CC and was Best-in-Show.

To celebrate the Crufts win, which did a great deal to restore the Airedale to public prominence, the Members of the South of England Club organised a 'Tweedsbairn' party. This then became an annual eveny to which the Best-in-Show at Crufts of the year was invited, together with the two Airedale CC winners, the winner of the Terrier group and many other prominent winners. This party is still popular with Members and with the agreement of the owners of Tweedsbairn has continued under that name since his death. In that way, his memory is kept alive and the Members have a legitimate excuse for a party.

No account of the South of England would be complete without noting the central role of Rene Coghlan as Secretary from 1946 until 1972. Though quiet of speech and manner, she was very determined, outstandingly efficient as a Secretary and had a complete mastery of the Kennel Club Regulations and their applications to Clubs and shows. She was totally committed to ensuring that the South of England Airedale Terrier Club would be the best and her love of the breed was a consuming interest. Her death in 1972 left a gap in the lives of many Members of the South of England Club and of other Airedalers and, for that matter, many other dog folk in other breeds. Throughout her period in office her brother, Mr. J. S. L. (Stanley) Coxwell, was the president of the Club.

Social Activities Contribute to the Success of the Club
The strength of the South of England Club lies in its membership, but also in the way a succession of Chairmen and Committees have stuck to the concepts of those who formed the Club in 1935. Jim Hazell gave a new emphasis when he took over as Chairman but those who have succeeded hin - Pat McCaughey, Ron Back and now Pat Crome - have all insisted on providing events for the newer Members as well as running successful Champioship and Members shows. Thus in the present - Jubilee - year, the programme includes the Championship, Open and Limited shows, the Tweedsbairn party, plus demonstrations and training and so on at venues from Kent to Hampshire. This programme, organised by Secretary Shirley Howard and strongly supported by Committee Members, seems to meet the needs and wishes of Members and confirms the foresight of those who 're-formed' the club fifty years ago.