ASSAULT AT ARMS

Otago Witness, Issue 3619, 24 July 1923, Page 41

ASSAULT AT ARMS

WORLD'S FINEST FENCERS. GATHERING IN LONDON. In an atmosphere redolent with the oldtime romance and courtesy of swordsmanship, many of the world’s finest fencers, amateur and professional, gathered together in the Grand Banqueting Hall of tne H°tei Cecil, London, recently, for an assault-at-arms, in aid of the benevolent fund °f British Legion (Field Marshal Earl Haig s appeal for ex-service men of all ranks) ana of the British League of Help for the Devastated Areas of France (says an English correspondent of the Christian Science Monitor). His Royal Highness the Prince ot AVales. ever to the fore where charity or sport is concerned, headed the list of patrons, hut, to the disappointment of a numerous and distinguished company, he was unable .. to put in an appearance. l Bearing in memory even the grand assau.t d'armes, given before King Edward 7 II in Ihe Empress Rooms, London, in 1902, one would say that England has never before been the setting for such a wondrous array of champions, past and present, with foil, epee, and sabre. As an artisticaily-designed programme disclosed, nearly every man who mounted the raised “piste” bore a name famous in the fencing world of to-day. Lord Desboiough, well known to sportsmen the world over, presided, and the director of assaults was Sir Theodore Cook, Oxford, rowing Blue in the unsuccessful boat of 1889, and now editor of a famous weekly journal, The Field. Sir Theodore has a not inconsiderable reputation, too, as a fencer, sines in 1903 lie captained the first team ever to represent England in an international epee competition. Sir Godfrey Thomas was present on behalf of the Prince of Wales, and others who attended included the French Ambassador in England, the Duchess of Somerset, the Duchess of Queensberry, Briga-dier-general 11. J. Kentish, secretary of the British Olympic Council, and Rene Lacroix, representing the Federation International d'Escrime. The “piece de resistance" was the appearance of Lucien Gaudin, described on the programme as “amateur champion of the world” (Hors Classe fleuret et epee). Thi3 is a comprehensive description of one of the most remarkable personalities ever to draw eword. As amplification, one may state that Oaudin is president of "La Salle d'Armcs de I'Automobile Club de France,” and the recent winner of a high French honour—the Grand Prix de l’Aoademie des Sports. And this has a sequel, indicative of the nature of the man, for he devoted his prize of 10,000 francs in its entirety to the interest of 6port—a “beau geste” noted with considerable pleasure throughout France. Gautfin, it may Ire remembered, earned his ‘world” title in 1922 by defeating the leading exponent of the Italian school, Aldo Nadi, in Paris. The famous Frenchman did not appear until the second half of the programme. The orchestra struck up “La Marseillaise,” and, so soon as iis strains had faded away, the debonair swordsman, smiling and bowing, ascended to the “piste.” His opponent was the well-known maitre d’armes to the London Fencing Club, Professor J. B. Mimiague, and the pair gave an unforgettable exhibition of foil play. The rapidity o £ Gaudin's footwork, the marvellous speed of his attack and riposte, can scarcely be described. Later, in the last assault on the programme, he opposed, with the epee, Edgar Seligman, captain of Britain's Olympic teams of 1912 und 1920. Seligman is no mean exponent with the weapon, but he was made to look astonishingly inferior. Truly Gaudin lived up to his great reputation. A left-handed fencer, he is a picture of agile grace-—the rapid-thinking French swordsman of tradition. Prior to the assaults, Profcssois Alibert and M Pherson, of France and Britain respectively, went through the graceful intricacies of the salute. Then began the encounters. It being an “assault de gala,” the fencers acknowledged hits as they were made, and thereby obviated the tendious discussions which invariably tend to spoil (lie continuity of serious fencing matches. To describe the assaults ill detail is hardiv possible, but mention must be made of a pretty bout with the epee between A. Mascara, Olympic champion and president of the French Federation Nationalaie d’Escrime, and R. C. Montgomerie, an oft-honoured British amateur champion and international, who was with Sir Teodore Cook in the 1903 teiWi referred to above. Massard revealed bewildering quickness of wrist, and had nearly all the honours of the assault. Another interesting combat was that between A. H. Corbie, the present British amateur sabres champion and Leon Bertrand, a eon of the doyen ot Maitres d’Armcs in Britain, Captain Felix Bertrand. The young professional gave a dazzling diejilay. Con" eiderable interest was roused, too, by the eight of C. A. Kershaw's name on the programme. England’s scrum-half has met with considerable success outside the province of Rugby football, being amateur sabres champion in 1920 and present champion of tho Royal Navy with sabre, foil, and epee. He i 3 also an Olympic and international

fencer. Unfortunately he was prevented fiorn attending. The international aspect of the meeting was brought out strongly by the appearance of Count Lavradio, described as “one of Portugal’s best fencers, ” and Professor l r . Delzi, of Italy. Altogether it was a memorable afternoon, and one destined, so it was thought, to have a beneficial influence on the sport of fencing, w T hich is not indigenous to England, as it is to the Continent.