MRV hosts the queen: family history, memory and hockey’s proud heritage

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mary Russell Vick OBE (1922–2012) first came to fame as a prolific goalscorer for the England women's hockey team after selection in 1947, and later an indomitable sports leader. Methodologically, this article incorporates oral history sources from her daughters Christabel, Susan and Rosemary, combined with written sources left by Mary Russell Vick (MRV) at Bath University and at The Hockey Museum (THM) Woking. These mixed sources provide family insights into her life as a well-travelled pioneer administrator and family-oriented careerist. After World War Two MRV was a significant figure in the evolution of women's hockey, not least due to her initiation of annual internationals at Wembley, which ran from 1951 until 1991. One of Russell Vick's proudest moments was hosting the Queen at the 1981 Wembley international. As President of the AEWHA for ten years MRV guided women's hockey during a period of rapidly evolving change away from its amateur roots. At the same time, she served on the inaugural Olympic Hockey Board, having persuaded the home countries to form the Great Britain and Ireland Committee in 1977 to send teams to future Olympic Games. This article will show how Mary's life, career, and leadership in hockey were groundbreaking.