R.G.Giddens was born in Ottawa, Ontario on March 15th, 1906 and was to become the first Canadian ever to captain the hockey team of Harvard University.
After graduation from Harvard in 1931, Giddens, affectionately known as “Bobby” first came to Europe for the 1933/34 season to play for Stade Francais in Paris. The following season, he joined Streatham as player/coach and the year after that, he moved across London to join the Kensington Corinthians. Together with his duties as player/coach at Empress Hall, Giddens worked in the ‘front office’ as publicity manager for the club.
In October 1935, Giddens founded “Ice Hockey World,” a weekly newspaper and quickly gave up playing in order to concentrate on the full-time editing and publishing of what was an excellent journal. Between 1938 and the mid-1950’s, the circulation of “Ice Hockey World” rose from 8,000 to a staggering 35,000. Over five hundred editions were published and Giddens other works included nine “Ice Hockey World” annuals from 47/48 to 55/56 inclusive, and “Ice Hockey,” published in the Foyles’ Handbooks series in 1950.
R.G.Giddens was a tireless worker and evangelist for British ice hockey, but was forced to cease publication of the weekly newspaper when Harringay became the second of the three big London rinks to close its doors in 1958.
Probably the biggest memorial to R.G.“Bobby” Giddens, who died in October 17th, 1963 in London, is the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame, as he founded it in 1948.
Compiled with research, provided by Martin C.Harris - April 1987.
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