Birthday: A Moveable Feast

Article by Brian Sutherland

Note: an erratum to this article has since been published, confirming the date of the inaugural meeting of the Club was indeed 17 October 1973.

In working on the Preamble to the Constitution, I did quite a bit of searching in the records I still have of the early years of the Club. Most particularly how 17 October became the accepted birthday of the club. Some of what follows is therefore documented and some is conjecture. I have not consulted the records in the Bishopsgate Institute  archive.  I feel that if some future historian of the Club wishes to go further he will find not only that my ramblings show the way but they are not far from what happened. To begin with some documented facts.

Tony Small, the founder of the Club, returned to England in the Spring of 1973 from a visit to Motor Sport Club Köln, where he was a member. It was one of the first motor sport clubs to form on the Continent. According to Tony, at that time there were only three such clubs: MS Amsterdam, MSC Köln and MSC Frankfurt – the Netherlanders writing MotorSportclub as one word. He sounded out some friends about forming a Motor Sport (no ‘s’) Club London.

They agreed and a Planning Committee was set up composed of Tony Small 001A, Trevor Law 002A, Gerry Southgate 003A, Bob Watson 005A. In the summer Chris Brown 004A was invited to join the Planning Committee. Between them and others they began to sound out friends and drinkers at the Coleherne (now The Pembroke) in Old Brompton Road to see if they would be interested in forming a leather, denim, uniform club.

There was clearly a great deal of interest and on Monday 8 October 1973 the committee decided to call a Sunday meeting of interested people in the upstairs bar of the Coleherne. Unfortunately, I cannot recall nor can I find a reference to the actual Sunday in October when the meeting took place. Also, because at that time I spent most of my weekends in the country, I missed the meeting. About 70 to 100 people however did attend and most of them signed up to join straightaway.

Shortly after my return I met Tony and he told me that the meeting had gone well and invited me to join the club which I did as number 078A.

Motor Sport Club London

For the first years up to 1979, the weekend nearest 8 October was celebrated as the club’s international birthday weekend. 

So many clubs had formed by 1974 in the UK and on the continent and almost all wished to hold an international event each year. With the Sixty-nine Club, MSC London called a meeting in London of representatives of all the clubs to set up an international organisation with the sole purpose of allocating a date to each club. The organisation was to be called the European Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs. The original intention was to call it the Federation and getting them to agree it was just a confederation was my only contribution to the debate. A later proposal by MSC London to change ‘Motorcycle’ to ‘Motor Sport’ was lost.

8 October or 17 October

The first reference to 17 October I recall was in a very brief history of the club prepared for the club’s first website. Although the author of that history is still with us, I have not consulted him. It had the inaugural meeting being held at the Villiers (now a Five Guys burger bar) in Villiers Street on 17 October 1973.

Two things were wrong with that date. Documents confirm the meeting took place on a Sunday, but 17 October 1973 was a Wednesday. And there is no doubt that the meeting took place at the Coleherne.

When a new website was set up for the club the brief history now recorded that the meeting took place in the upstairs bar of the Coleherne on 17 October 1973 – not possible.

MSC London’s International Weekend

By 1983 it seems clear that the weekend being celebrated was that nearest to 17 October. How might that have come about, and this is where I speculate.

In 1980, 17 October fell on a Saturday. Given the difficulties we had had about clubs holding AGMs in October, it seems to me that we had decided to hold our international weekend on that weekend. In 1981 on Sunday, and 1982 on Monday.

It would not be surprising, therefore, if 17 October came to be seen as our official birthday. And by 1983 it certainly was, as further records show.

My irritation at the two mistakes in that first brief history made me determined to always give dates, times and venues for meetings in full!

Brian Sutherland
Club member 078A

#LeatherHistory

@Safewordpress press Joins us to Discuss the challenges of bringing a classic Leatherbook back to mainstream print, and the importance of keeping our communities history alive, warts and all.

WEB: https://kinkyboyspodcast.com/a/1Dy

APPS: https://episodes.fm/1014077562/episode/aHR0cHM6Ly9raW5reWJveXNwb2RjYXN0LmNvbS8_cD00NDM4

#queerHistory #leatherHistory #leathermen

97: The Leatherman’s Handbook with Safeword Press

Jeremy of No safeword press Joins us to Discuss the challenges of bringing classic Leatherbooks back to mainstream print, and the importance of keeping our communities history alive, warts and all.

https://kinkyboyspodcast.com/a/1Dy

#QueerHistory #leatherCommunity #LeatherHistory

101 Café for Spring 2025: Second Chances

101 Café is back for a second year of events!

Our theme for the Spring edition is Second Chances – Which gone-by trends and behaviors deserve a comeback? What is better left in the past? Join us for great conversation and great company by signing up at:

https://forms.gle/LdK8m47qBaHkJC9X6

#101Cafe #LeatherHistory #QueerHistory

Last Wednesday, when a group of International Mr Leather “insiders” passed by a window exhibition titled “Leather Legacies” on display at Columbia College. Discovering this unexpected “leather territory,” Gayle Rubin, the legendary theorist and leather historian, excitedly exchanged comments with others.

Kudos to the brilliant curators who timed the show with the opening of IML.

#leatherhistory #iml46 #iml2024 #queerhistory #queerchicago

Video recording of Mr Leather London's acceptance speech.

https://londonleathermen.co.uk/article/mr-leather-london-2024-acceptance-speech-recording/

#Leathertitles #LeatherHistory #LeatherCulture #leathermen #LondonLeathermen #MrLondonLeather

Mr Leather London 2024 acceptance speech Recording

One month ago, we Had the first passing of the title of Mr Leather London – Current Mr Leather Europe and former Mr Leather London, Tom, has passed the title down to the new Mr, Stephane. Please enjoy this recording of the announcement, and Stephane’s wonderful acceptance speech.

Stephane’s title year project, Cafe 101, is quickly taking shape – look out for the full details very soon!”

#Leathertitles #LeatherHistory #LeatherCulture #leathermen #LondonLeathermen #MrLondonLeather

https://londonleathermen.co.uk/article/mr-leather-london-2024-acceptance-speech-recording/

Prof. Lucas Hilderbrand reads his new book on the history of American gay bars at the Leather Archives and Museum’s holiday fair.

Book link: https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-bars-are-ours

#lgbtq #lgbtqhistory #queerhistory #leatherhistory

#LeatherHistory #BDSM #Cuir #Drummer #IML it’s amazing what you can find tucked into the corners of the Internet these days. I came across this article about the history of gay leather (US and Europe) from a Dutch point of view. Included are a video from NYC’s Eagle’s Nest when it was still standing. It was very cool to see the banners of leather clubs of the past and present. There are lots and lots of sources listed that I’ve never seen.

http://www.cuirmale.nl/index.htm