| The
United Retriever Club was founded in 1946 by a group of retriever enthusiasts
in the Midlands, brought together as a result of the enthusiasm and
determination of Mrs Lindy White, later to become Mrs Lindy Anderson.
They felt that training and working retrievers should be available
to anyone who was interested, it should not depend on having money
and land. They set up training classes and encouraged members to enter
Field Trials. |
| In
1947, what later became the Midland Area of the Club held the first
ever working test. This was to allow members to assess the progress
of their young dogs. They then applied to the Kennel Club for recognition
of Gundog Working Tests; so the United Retriever Club was responsible
for starting the Working Tests which now are organised by clubs all
over the country every weekend throughout the summer. |
| Also
in 1947 the first show took place, a Special Limited Show in the name
of the British Retriever Club. This name was later disallowed by the Kennel
Club and so was changed to the United Retriever Club. It was not until
nearly ten years later in 1956 that a second show was organised, this
was our first Open Show, but it made a loss, so was dropped until 1959,
when due to the generosity of Jack and Lucy Bacon, the Open Show became
an annual event. The first Championship Show followed in 1963 replacing
the Open Show for the first few years, but gradually evolving to the pattern
we have today of two Open Shows, one in the spring in the Midlands, the
other in the autumn in the south with the Championship Show in August. |
| The
first field trial was held in October 1949 at Ingestre, an Open All-Age
Stake as it was called and was followed by a Non-Winner Stake in December
at Beechwood Park, Herts. By 1951 field trials were growing so quickly
in popularity it was decided to appoint the first Field Trial Secretary.
Within just five years in 1954, the Kennel Club recognised the high
standard of our trials by announcing that the winner of our Open Stake
would qualify for the Retriever Championship. Today the nine Areas
of the Club take it in turn to find grounds, ensuring that our Novice
Stakes are held all over the country, while the Field Trial Secretary
has the responsibility for finding grounds for the two day Open Qualifying
Stake and the All-Aged Stake. |
| By
the early 1950s it was obvious that the new club was a success and
that there was a demand for local training classes in other parts of
the country so the Southern Area was formed followed by the Bucks Area,
Essex Area and a North West Area. The last mentioned subsequently disappeared,
but only recently has been reborn with the new Northern Area. |
| Growth
continued rapidly in the 1960s with the formation of the Hampshire
Area and the North Midlands Area, to be joined in the 1970s by the
Border Counties and Cotswold Area and the Lincolnshire Area. |
| To
keep the members of the ever growing club in touch with each other,
it was agreed back in the 1950s to publish newsletters on a regular
basis. Today members receive a Yearbook in the Spring and a Newsletter
in the Autumn to complement the information obtainable on this site. |
| Although
most Working Tests have always been organised at a local level by the
Areas, in 1947 the first national working test was held. This became
an annual event and from 1959 the emphasis changed from individual
to a team competition. The Area Finals, as they are known, has earned
the reputation of being a top quality event, copied by other societies
and is keenly contested by the teams from each Area. It is the only
event on the calendar where it is guaranteed that you will find representatives
from all the Areas, so it has become very much a social occasion as
well. |
