Eddie Elderfield (1926 – 2014)
TVH is sad to report the death, on Saturday 6th December, of Eddie Elderfield who joined the Club in April 1948.
Geoff Goodman fondly remembers Eddie –
When Barrie Saunders kindly rang me to inform me that Eddie has passed away we both remembered my first race for the Valley in the autumn of 1964.
Eddie Elderfield was the TVH Winter Captain back then, a position he held with great distinction for many years. The winter season started with the Maidenhead Relays in September and concluded with the London to Brighton Relay (latterly the National 12 Stage) in the April.
The club was a male only club in those days, so the main pivotal role was carried out by Eddie assisted by his Vice Captain, John Davies.
Race entries, coach hire (not so many people had cars in those days), communicating with athletes by snail mail, sometimes by phone, again many young athletes living in flat land did not have phones!! The tasks were herculean.
The number of races were much much less in those days. My own home town race the Witney 12, held on the first Saturday in November was the only race in the South of England, the West Country and the Midlands that day. One could not slip off and run in a local 10K., they did not exist. Consequently Eddie had some authority then, if you were not picked to run in the Southern or the National by Eddie then one was consigned to watch the wrestling on ITV on a black a white TV, or to go shopping with good lady, a stark choice indeed!!
What of Eddie Elderfield the athlete and the man. Long distance road races such as the London to Brighton were a great love. He regularly ran from his home in Hounslow to his work in Fulham, and back, thus gaining a high mileage and a saving in fares. He was a most likeable, personable and fair man. Always honest in his approach, and approachable. He had the happy knack of dealing with all emotional baggage that all athletes burden themselves with, listened with great patience to their pleadings and almost invariably got his own way…
For myself, I will always be grateful for the help he gave me and the privilege of knowing him.
Geoff Goodman