Police got a break from Torbay, “Copper Top”

Both Copper Top Codner of Torbay and the West End Police rowing crew are remembered in Regatta history, but not so well known is that Copper Top had an influence on the Police crew becoming one of Regatta history’s outstanding crews.

This episode of Regatta history took place in 1935. That year, expectations were high iover Torbay’s chances of breaking the 9:13 record. In the previous year, the Torbay Crew had won the Fishermen’s Race in the time of 9:31 3/5, and recorded a 9:29, the fastest time of the day, in the All Comer’s Race which was the fourth-best recorded time since 1901 when Outer Cove recorded 9:13 4/5. The Torbay Crew did record a 9:29 2/5 in 1900 when they won the championship.

The second-best time to the 9:13 up to the year 1981, when it was broken by Smith Stockley, was 9:21 4/5, recorded by a crew from the small community of Blackhead in the Fishermen’s Race of 1904. In the same year, Blackhead recorded 9:24 in winning the championship. That time remained the third best time up to 1981.

Out of a program of 10 races in 1934, only three races recorded times below the 10-minute mark. Two of these were made by Copper Top Codner’s Torbay crew, and the third by the Portugal Cove crew rowing in the Labourer’s Race with the time of 9:54 2/5. The 9:29 time came in the last race of the day, and the response of the crowd was the most boisterous in decades.

The crowd followed Copper Top

On Regatta Day 1935, Bob ‘Copper Top’ Codner boarded a truck supplied by Dick Voisey for the trip to pondside, followed by a large crowd of Torbay supporters hoping for a record-breaking day.

The Fishermen’s Race was historically the most popular and best- contested race in the annual Regatta, but by 1935, all this had changed. Its popularity had waxed and waned in the 30s partly due to the depression which made the cost of travelling to the city difficult for those in the fishing communities. Because of the depression, fishermen had to work longer and harder to make a living, a fact which dampened their enthusiasm. Besides Torbay, these things were evident in Portugal Cove, St. Phillip’s and Outer Cove.

The Regatta Committee tried to alleviate this problem by appointing George Summers to arrange for transportation for those fishermen who needed it. As an added incentive, the Imperial Oil Co. offered a case of lubricating oil to the winning team in the Fishermen’s Race.

Despite the spirit of the Torbay rowers and their supporters, the Fishermen’s Race had to be cancelled when a rower named Houston from Outer Cove sprained his arm and no substitute was available. Torbay was allowed to row for time. They covered the course in 9:52 in the Nellie R. The time qualified them to row in the All-Comer’s Race at the end of the day. Although one-boat competitions had been permitted in early Regattas, the Regatta Committee was criticized in 1988 for allowing the RNC to row alone for the championship race when other crews refused to compete.

Here, we need to separate fact from fiction in the 1935 Regatta. Oral tradition of that Regatta Day claims that the Torbay crew gallantly stepped aside from the Championship Race to permit the West End Police, who were competing for the first time on the pond, to race in the final competition for the day.

But there was anything but gallantry involved.

Opens door for Police

What really happened was that Torbay was willing and ready to row, but demanded the use of the Nellie R. in the race.

Their request was refused and true to their threat, they withdrew from the competition. This opened the door for the West End Police crew which came second in the Police race to compete in the final race.

The four fastest times of the day were: 1. East End Police — 9:49 4/5. 2. Torbay — 9:52 3. Bowring Brothers — 9:54 1/5 4. Feildians — 10:14 The championship race was a thriller with the underdogs, the West End Police, replacing Torbay and winning the race with the best time of the day 9:47. That crew was cox Levi ‘Shotty’ Rogers, Jim Carter, stroke T. Gibbons, J. Grouchy, W. Warfield, B. Martin and A. Lake. This race marked the beginning of five straight championships, marking five quickest times of each year from 1935-1939.

In the eight victories recorded at those regattas, the West End Police recorded seven wins that were under the 10-minute mark. Other members of the crew to row in that period were Rex Kelland, J. “Dolph” Nash, J. Baird, and J. Squires.

When the crew was first organized in 1935, they lived in and operated from the West End Police barracks on New Gower Street, near Hutchings Street. All crewmen stood above 5-foot-11 and all weighed about 180 pounds. In addition to their police duties and living in a barracks, they were on the pond for daily practice at 6 a.m., even after a night on the beat. Although in the middle of a depression, they followed a diet of juices, eggnogs and oranges.

In 1936, they lost to the East End Police crew who, rowing in high winds, recorded a time of 10:57. Once more, Torbay had earned a place in the All-Comer’s Race (Championship) but was forced to withdraw due to an injury suffered by one of their rowers thereby opening a position for the West End Police.

Fans rescued from drowning

A potentially dangerous incident took place during the Fishermen’s Race that year when Torbay and Outer Cove were neck and neck nearing the finish line.

An enthusiastic but inebriated Outer Cove supporter attempted to swim out to the boat. Not to be outdone, a drunken Torbay fan ran in close behind to support his crew, but he couldn’t swim. A Blackhead fan rushed out into the water to help the Torbay fan, and as he did, he knocked the Torbay fan into the water. The Blackhead man was wearing long rubbers, and all three were floundering around in the water.

Fans nearby came to their rescue, and in doing so avoided a tragedy.

In the championship race, West End Police, underdogs again rowing in the Star of the Sea, beat out Jackie O’Neill’s Labourers and the East End Police in the time of 10:12. The winners celebrated at the end of Regatta Day at Bennett’s Hotel in Holyrood.

The year 1937 marked a special occasion because the Dominion Broadcasting Company made its first broadcast of the Regatta, enabling thousands of people at home to listen to the races on their crystal radio sets. The West End Police dominated the races and won their third successive championship with a time of 9:41. Nineteen-year-old Rex Kelland joined the crew that year as they recorded a 9:43 4/5 win in the Police Race followed by their third championship.

1938 was a highlight year for Police crew

The winning of the Regatta championship in 1938 was a highlight for Jim Carter, the stroke oar of the crew. He later recalled:

“It was a tight race with four strong crews hauling as hard as the devil. When we reached the buoys, Jack Tobin’s crew, the Central Labourers, were within inches of us. As we finished the turn, we could hear the coxswain of the Labourer’s crew yelling, ‘ We got ‘ em boys, we got ’em!’ Shotty Rogers, our cox, never opened his mouth and we were waiting for Shotty to say something. Tim Gibbons couldn’t stand the tension any longer, and actually came off his seat with a bull of a stroke and yelled, ‘ C’mon, Give it to her!’ That was it. That was what we needed to hear. We all put our backs to the oars and beat the Labourers to the finish line.”

Although the crew didn’t wait for Shotty’s orders, they never criticized him and were always quick to praise him.

Jim Grouchy, at five-foot-11 the smallest crewmember, said, “Shotty was one of the shrewdest coxswains on the pond. Shotty rarely spoke in the boat and when he did, it was hardly above a whisper. He was a dead shot at the buoy and could see sideways and behind him at the same time.”

The police their wins to coxs.

In 1939, the West End Police entered the history books after winning five straight championships. They won the Police Race in the time of 9:50 3/5 and the All Comers Race in 9:46 4/5.

The 1940 Regatta was cancelled due to the Second World War, but the Regatta resumed in 1941. But because of the demands placed on the RNC by the war, the rowers were unable to continue their participation in the Regatta. They had the honour of retiring as “undefeated champions.”

I had the honour of submitting the crew’s nomination to the Regatta Hall of Fame to which they were deservedly inducted in 1998.

It is interesting to note that Jim Carter, stroke of the famous police crew, was instrumental in bringing the Police back to the Regatta in later years.

I had also researched and submitted the nomination of Jim Carter in 1993 and he too was deservedly inducted into the Regatta Hall of Fame. attributed many of Shotty’s abilities as