St Edmund Hall Boat Club (commonly abbreviated to SEHBC) is a rowing club for members of St Edmund Hall, Oxford. It is based in its own boathouse on the Isis.
History
The early days
According to one of the many blades in the boathouse, SEHBC was established in 1861. There is also a crew photograph dating from 1863.
SEHBC first entered a crew in Summer Eights in 1861, starting the bottom of the then 16 boat single Division, and getting one bump. SEHBC first finished ahead of the University Summer Eights statistical rankings in 1869 with seven bumps over the then eight days of racing (though finishing 14th on the River in the then single 21 boat Division), its best position for a number of years thereafter. For the remainder of the Nineteenth Century SEHBC put a crew out most years, but with only limited success, generally finishing at or near the bottom of the River (1874 had seen the introduction of a Second Division).
SEHBC maintained its place at or near the bottom of the River through the pre-World War I years, with the exceptions of 1913 (finishing fifth in the bottom 3rd Division with three bumps) and 1914 (when it held its position in the 3rd Division).
SEH put no boat out in Torpids for the first 40 years of its existence. Its first appearance in Torpids was not until 1901 when its boat started the second bottom of the bottom 3rd Division, was bumped on Day 1 by New College III, then rowed over for the remaining five days of Torpids to finish bottom of the River. Perhaps chastened by this, it put no boat out again until 1907, where starting bottom it bumped Keble II. No further boat was entered until 1910 when the boat made five bumps to finish in the middle of the bottom 3rd Division. Thereafter it performed respectably until World War I, maintaining its place in the 3rd Division, getting four bumps in 1911, but being bumped four times in 1914.
Between the wars
Summer Eights
This pattern held in the 1920s, with SEH being perhaps handicapped by being one of the smaller Colleges at the time, although the boat achieved four bumps over six days of racing in 1925. However, in 1930 SEHBC again finished ahead of the University Summer Eights statistical rankings, for the first time since 1869, with its only VIII achieving seven bumps over the then six days of racing.
The Summer Eights of 1934 was perhaps the most successful in SEHBC's history until that point and were the first Summer Eights in which SEHBC entered two crews. The 1st VIII first won promotion to the 1st Division, with seven bumps over the six days of racing, and the 2nd VIII started at the bottom of the bottom 5th Division and won promotion to the 4th Division also with seven bumps. Overall, this ensured that SEHBC finished a head of the 1934 University Summer Eights statistical rankings.
The Times of Thursday 24 May 1934 reported that -
"The racing in the Summer Eights was concluded at Oxford yesterday when Oriel retained the Headship of the River. ... St. Edmund Hall continued their victorious career with a bump over St. John's in Iffley Reach and this completed a record in gaining seven bumps in the six days' racing. St. Edmund Hall has been steadily gaining a reputation in other branches of sport although they only number 120, this is the first occasion on which they have ever made their way into the First Division. Not satisfied with this their second crew, which started bottom but one in the Fifth Division, also made seven bumps, which put them well into the Fourth Division. ... This remarkable achievement was equalled also by Queen's II, who, starting fourth in the Fourth Division, finished ninth in the Third."
The Summer Eights of 1935 saw the first appearance of an SEH 3rd VIII, with SEHBC repeating its success in finishing head of the University Summer Eights statistical rankings.
The remainder of the 1930s saw the 1st VIII maintain its position in the upper half of the 1st Division, finishing fourth on the River in 1938, and second on the River in 1939 (its highest ever Summer Eights place at that point). The 2nd VIII steadily made its way up the rankings, making three bumps in Summer Eights 1936, making another record-equalling seven bumps over the six days of Summer Eights 1937, making four bumps in 1938, and finishing top of the 3rd Division in 1939 with three bumps.
Summer Eights continued to be held on a much-reduced basis during World War II, with many colleges combining to form crews. SEH paired with Queen's College, fielding three combined crews for most of 1940–45.