DST Hash House Harriers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hash History

Home

 

 

History of the Hash House Harriers in Germany

 

A question was posed to me about the first hash club in Germany. After a bit of research, the records led me to Richard "Mountain Rescue" McAllister, founder of FIVE hash clubs in Asia and Europe, specific clubs are:

  • Kluang H3 in Malayasia in 1966

  • Longmoor H3 - the first Hash club in the United Kingdom in 1969

  • Lübbecke H3 - the first Hash club in Germany in 1971

  • Dharan H3 in East Nepal in 1983, and the

  • Buller & Aldershot H3 also in the UK in 1985

Below is his account of his founding of the Lübbecke H3.

On-On,
Hazukashii

Sadly, I have no record of the precise start date for the first Hash in Germany but it was in the summer of 1971 and was made up of members of the staff of Headquarters 2nd Division in Lübbecke, near Minden.

The photograph shows that first group of fourteen who formed on the lawn outside the delightful Officers Mess, a building previously used by Hitler for his Youth Leader trainers.

We met every week in all weathers. The Mess was set in the midst of the Teutebergerwald surrounded by trees and was ideal Hash country.


View Larger Map

Trails were laid in sawdust (even then, German law would not allow us to use the paper trails we were used to in the Far East) that was readily available at no cost to the Hash from local woodcutters. We became experts in recognizing the age of sawdust as the concentration of deposits increased around the close area of the Mess. Beer was always at hand in the bar...

Numbers grew and enthusiasm flourished. Occasionally we would motor further afield for a change of venue. We didn't have official Hash T shirts, nor did we have names, although I was called 'Wheeze' (despite being a non-smoker and non-asthmatic, I used to puff a bit on the many hills round and about). It was still a men's non-athletic running club although the institution of the Hash Pash provided the ladies the chance to catch up with their menfolk and the parties would go on well into the early hours.

I was posted out in 1973 but the Hash continued. As happens all to often in military circles, the records disappeared when the Headquarters was moved back to the UK sometime in the 80s.

On-On,
Richard "Mountain Rescue" McAllister
North Hants H3
21 Feb 2011


 
 

Home