After meeting for some months, the men were informed by the Registrar of Societies that as a “group,” they would require a constitution and an official name. They were billeted at the Royal Selangor Club, nicknamed the “Hash House” due to its notoriously bland food, so naturally the name was adopted for the club name. The original members included Cecil Lee, Frederick “Horse” Thomson, Ronald “Torch” Bennett, Albert Stephen (A.S.) Ignatius “G” Gispert and John Woodrow. (Taken from the UK Hash House Harriers and The Hash on Wikipedia).
The Constitution of the Hash House Harriers is recorded on a club registration card dated 1950:
- To promote physical fitness among our members
- To get rid of weekend hangovers
- To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
- To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel
During World War 2, British and Australian troops carried the fun of the hash posted round the world carried the hash through the world. Following is a brief chronology (also taken from the UK Hash House Harriers website).
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1938 | Kuala Lumpur H3 (Mother Hash) founded |
| 1947 | Royal Bordighera H3 founded – first known offshoot, ceased early 1960s |
| 1962 | Singapore H3 founded |
| 1967 | Dhekelia H3 – second hash in Europe, after RBH3 above. |
| 1967 | Sydney H3 – first Hash in Australia |
| 1971 | Fort Eustis H3 – first Hash in the North America |
| 1969 | Commando Forces H3 founded – first Hash in UK |
| 1971 | Westcombe Park H3 founded – oldest monthly running Hash in UK |
| 1973 | KL H3 1500th run – 35 other Hashes “known” to exist |
| 1974 | Bicester H3 founded – oldest weekly running Hash in UK |
| 1975 | Surrey H3 founded |
| 1976 | London H3 founded |
| 1977 | 90 Hashes known in 35 countries |
| 1984 | Harrier International founded |
| 1986 | 555 Hashes known in 85 countries |
| 1988 | 700 Hashes known in 125 countries |
| 2000 | 1570 Active Hashes known in 184 countries with 200,000 hashers |
