NATIONAL AMATEUR ROWING ASSOCIATION

Minute books, registers, finance records and correspondence

National Amateur Rowing Association

Thames Amateur Rowing Association

Personal papers of Charles Bernard Stanley Tugwell

• <corpname>National Amateur Rowing Association</corpname>
• <corpname>Thames Amateur Rowing Association</corpname>
• <persname>Tugwell, Charles Bernard Stanley, d 1957</persname>

The National Amateur Rowing Association (NARA)

The National Amateur Rowing Association was founded in 1890 to cater for the large number of working class men who were prevented from joining the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA) by virtue of their manual occupations. (According to the interpretation of ARA rules these men were to be considered professionals).

This definition of "amateur" was finally resolved in the 1920s and in 1930 NARA was reconstituted, its objectives being "to foster and encourage amateur rowing and to watch over and generally protect its interests." (Articles of Association 1930). In 1939 NARA was incorporated as a non-profit making company. From about 1929 discussions took place with ARA about the possibility of merging to form one governing body and in 1956 it was proposed to call it the British Amateur Rowing Association. NARA was dissolved in June of that year.

Many regional associations (including the Thames Amateur Rowing Association see A/NAR/50-52) and rowing clubs were affiliated to NARA and around 90 regattas a year followed NARA rules.

Charles Bernard Stanley Tugwell

Charles Tugwell was honorary secretary of NARA for over 25 years and devoted much of his life to rowing. He was appointed National Organiser for rowing during the shortlived National Fitness Campaign (1937-1939). At the outbreak of War the NFC was suspended and Tugwell was left unemployed. The Times (his previous employers) were unable to offer him a job and during the war he worked for the Ministry of Labour, Foreign Office and for a short time, the Red Cross. He died in Spring 1957.