Albert Stephen Ignatius Gisbert

Thanks to Mr Dick for this snippet of information

Hash House Harriers
(An excerpt from the Hash Bible)

The Hash House Harriers received its humble beginnings in 1938 from a Britisher named Albert Stephen Ignatius Gisbert, in what is now Malaysia. Having a fondness for the “paper chase”, he gathered together some expatriates to form a group in Kuala Lumpur that would later become a world-wide legacy. The fraternity received its name from the Selangor Club Chambers, which due to it’s lacklustre food was commonly referred to as the “Hash House”.

Known as “G”, Mr. Gisbert originally took on duties as the On-Sec, convincing Cecil H. Lee and Frederick “Horse” Thompson to become the first Joint Masters. The first runs averaged a dozen, although attendance could sometimes be counted on one hand.

Hare and Hounds or Fox and Hounds style chases have been around for centuries in one form or another. Of course the original concept was to mimic the original hunting sport during times or in locations where sporting games was sparse. Some “gentlemen” substituted men for the game in an effort toad something different to the sport. There is evidence of this in Colonial America as well as England. It was a normal transition, then, to substitute the hounds as well with runners. Men, not as well endowed with the sense of smell, required a trail of paper to their quarry. This sport was well entranced long before sportsmen became known as “hashers” and the sport was referred to as Hounds and Hares or the Paper Chase.

ON ON