
Our History

In the beginning ...
The Crusaders Sword Club was formed in 1964 by three members of the Hull Georgian Fencing Club, who were unhappy with how things were being operated. The three fencers were Brian Uscroft, Sheila Tuck and Peter Green.
Premises were secured for the new club in a church hall on Sculcoates Lane, Hull. Initially, the club met twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays, when the cost to fence was 50p and half-price for juniors. There was no increase in price until 1980 when the price went up to 60p! Oh, there was only one electric scoring box then!
In the 1980's, Peter secured a Sports Grant and at the same time, the club became the resident fencing club at the Costello Sports Centre. When the centre closed the club had several homes - The Grammar School; Grimston Street; Endeavour School and Hull Collegiate - before moving to its current home at St Mary's in 2020.
Unfortunately, none of the founder members are still with us: Sheila left to take up a teaching post abroad in 1971; Brian passed away in 1990 and Peter in March, 2016.
The photograph, taken at a training camp in the mid-1960s, has Peter on the back row, far left; Brain is stood next to him and Sheila is sat on the floor, second from the left.
Of those from the early years of the club – and still giving the younger members the run around and the benefit of their experience – there is Carol Selwyn-Jones and Pete Featherstone, who both joined in 1968 after the demise of the Tudor Fencing Club, and Derek Brown (85 and still going strong!) who joined after the demise of the Hull Sword Club.
(Huge thanks to Pete Featherstone for sharing his anecdotes/history/pictures of the club).