The History of The Hash House Harriers Hashing….

It’s a mixture of athleticism and sociability, hedonism and hard work; a refreshing break from the nine-to-five routine. Hashing is an exhilaratingly fun combination of running, orienteering and partying, where bands of harriers and harriettes chase hares on eight-to-ten kilometre-long trails through town, country, jungle and desert, all in search of exercise, camaraderie and good times.
Hashing, as we know it today, began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a group of restive British company men started a hare & hounds running group. They named the group after their meeting place, the Selangor Club, aka the “Hash House”. Hash House Harrier runs were patterned after the traditional British public school paper chase. A “hare” would be given a short head start to blaze a trail, marking his devious way with shreds of paper, soon to be pursued by a shouting pack of “harriers.” Only the hare knew where he was going… the harriers followed his marks to stay on trail. Apart from the excitement of chasing down the wily hare, solving the hare’s marks and reaching the end was its own reward, for there, thirsty harriers would find a tub of iced-down beer.
Hashing died during World War II (Japanese occupying forces being notoriously opposed to civilian fun), but came back to life in the post-war years (1946), spreading slowly through Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, then exploding in popularity in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Today there are thousands of Hash House Harrier clubs in all parts of the world, with newsletters, directories and regional and world hashing conventions.
Despite its growth, hashing hasn’t strayed far from its British and Malaysian roots. A typical hash today is a loosely-organized group of 40-60 men and women who meet weekly or biweekly to chase the hares course. We follow chalk, flour, or paper and the trails are never boring. When forced to , we’ll run the occasional street or alley, but in general we prefer shiggy… fields, forests, jungles, swamps, streams, fences, storm drains and cliffs. And although some of today’s health-conscious hashers may shun a cold beer in favour of water or a diet soda, trail’s end is still a party. Perhaps that’s why they call us the “drinking club with a running problem!”
So… if you’d like to spice up your running program with fun, good company, new surroundings and a physical challenge, try hashing. Just remember one thing… Never wear new shoes to the hash!

The Hash House

The “Hash House” was the mildly derogatory nickname given (for its unimaginative, monotonous food) to the Royal Selangor Club Chambers in Kuala Lumpur by the British civil servants and the business men who lived and dined there between the two World Wars, when it had become something of a social centre of the times. Situated close to and behind the present Selangor Club, its function changed after independence and it became an office for the Water Board. Sadly the “Hash House” was demolished around 1964 to make way for a new highway, Jalan Kuching, although the buildings housing the original stables and servants quarters are still in existence.

The facade of the proposed Hash house will adhere as closely as practical to the original, after allowing for site differences, possible architectural constraints or desirable user preferences. The site is within the limits of Kuala Lumpur city, a mere 20 minutes taxi ride from the central train station. Although no internal accommodation is planned, the open ground could be used by campers. The building will include facilities for hosting hash assemblies, with ample ablution and changing space, food and beverage services. It will include a permanent, partly open and partly sheltered space for hash circles. It will house an extensive museum collection of hash memorabilia, a library of hash literature, and a collection of hash haberdashery. It will also have a permanent genealogical display of world hash chapters, as well as an archival collection of hash files and other artefacts.

The Hash House Harriers

The idea of harriers chasing paper was not new to Malaya in 1938, as there had been such clubs before in Kuala Lumpur and Johore bahru, and there were clubs in existence in Malacca and Ipoh (the Kinta Harriers) at the time. Note: the early harrier groups in Malaya were based on English public school “paper chase” or “hare & hounds” runs, which date back as far as the 18th century. “Horse” Thomson (one of the Kuala Lumpur Hash House Harriers’ founding fathers) recalled being invited on a run shortly after his arrival in Johore Bahru in 1932, which chased a paper trail and followed basic hash rules every week, but was so magically organized that it had no name. The club flourished in the early 1930’s but is believed to have died out around 1935. The other branch of our ancestry comes from Malacca, where A.S. (”G”) Gispert was posted in 1937 and joined a club called the Sringgit Harriers, who also operated weekly under Hash rules and are believed to have been formed in 1935. Some months later, “Torch” Bennett visited him and came as a guest on a few runs.
By 1938, “G” Gispert, “Horse” Thompson and “Torch” Bennett had all moved to Kuala Lumpar and, joined by Cecil Lee, Eric Galvin and H. M. Doig, they founded their own club, following the rules they had learnt elsewhere. Gispert is credited with proposing the name “Hash House Harriers” when the Registrar of Societies required the gathering to be legally registered. Other early members included Frank Woodward, Philip Wickens, Lew Davidson, John Wyatt-Smith and M.C. Hay. After 117 runs KLHHH as forced into temporary hibernation by the arrival of the Japanese. Sadly Gispert did not live to see his extraordinary creation revive, being killed in the fighting on Singapore Island on February 11th, 1942.

Postwar Rebirth

It took nearly 12 months after the war for the survivors of the Kuala Lumpur HHH to reassemble. Bennett put in a claim for the lost hash mugs, a tin bath and two old bags from Government funds, and post war Run No. 1 was a trot around a racecourse in August 1946.

The Hash Spreads Out

Strangely, it took another 16 years for the second HHH chapter to be founded, in Singapore in 1962, followed by Kuching in 1963, Brunei, Kota Kinabalu and Ipoh in 1964, Penang and Malacca in 1965. Circles may be led by the hash Grandmaster, the Religious Advisor, or by a committee of mismanagement. Traditions (and the degree of rowdiness) vary from hash to hash, but in general the circle consists of awarding “Down-Downs” for misdemeanours real, imagined, or blatantly made up, and the recipients will most likely have been set up by their fellow hashers. Visitors are always given a Visitors Down-Down as are Virgins (first-time hash runners) and anyone else who comes to the attention of the circle. The circle can last a couple of minutes or half the night depending on the level of religious fervour of the hash or the amount of alcohol left in the coolers. With changing times drinking has lost some of its importance and most clubs now modify their ceremonies to cater to non-drinkers and those stupid enough to think that hashing can improve their health.

The On-On

(aka On-On-On, On-Afters, or Après)

Some hashes suspend ceremonies for a while to consume food provided by the hare(s). Other hashes, at the conclusion of the circle, move on to a restaurant or pub. This is the social part of the hash, and the party usually breaks up afterwards. In some hashes, however, religion may continue during or after On-Ons, with the telling of jokes and singing of songs, and all members, visitors, and virgins should come armed with at least one joke or song should they be called upon.

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