The Table Tennis Collector November

2015

77

The Richard Bergmann collection, trophies & medals won during the 1930s to 1950s. Thesewere kindly donated to the ITTF Museum by his relatives, to whom we are grateful for theirthoughtful gesture. See pages 4-9 for additional photos.

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The Table TennisCollector

From the EditorDear Friends,Welcome to issue 77 of the Table Tennis Collector, a specialedition in honor of legendary Richard Bergmann. Our cover storyannounces a fantastic donation to the ITTF Museum, a largegroup of trophies and medals won by the 4-time World SinglesChampion, renowned for his defense & untiring fighting spirit.

Also important news, the discovery of an 1883 English patentwhich mentions playing tennis on a table, thanks to the diligentresearch of Alan Duke (ENG), in another installment in hisfascinating series on Intellectual Property. Alan also presentsfirst-hand news of a Blue Plaque for a former residence of DavidFoster, who produced the first known set of tennis on a table inhis Parlour Table Games (1890).

Fabio Marcotulli (VEN) shares a fine German set he recentlydiscovered, and Jorge Arango (COL) offers an interesting articleabout vision and Ping Pong. Gerald Gurney (ENG) shows somefine reproductions of unusual rackets from early English patents.

Our Philatelic Update features several new stamps andpostmarks, followed by another fine research article by Hans-Peter Trautmann (GER), this one on Hanno red metermarks,dating back as far as 1931!

Our Auction Action shows much of interest on ebay & etsy, aswell as auctions by Graham Budd, and Mullocks. Be careful, asthere are some speculators charging extremely high prices. Andour back cover story unveils the beautiful and impressive newhome of the ITTF Museum in Shanghai, scheduled for opening in2017.

Hope you enjoy the new issue. Feedback always welcomed.

Chuck

Editor and Publisher:Chuck Hoey, Honorary Curator

ITTF Museumwww.ittf.com/museum

New: museum@ittfmail.com

Publishing Schedule:May 1 Submit articles by April 15Nov 1 Submit articles by Oct 15Feb 1 Submit articles by Jan 15

In this issue …

AuctionAction33-41

BackPage 44

JorgeArango

Ping Pongvision14-16

Hans-PeterTrautmannon Hanno

red meters30-32

No. 77November 2015

Alan DukeResearch3, 10-11,

20-24

BergmannMedals

4-9

A rare & important pin has been discoveredfrom the 1931 World Championships, held inBudapest 10-15.02. First time this pin hassurfaced according to TT pin specialists. Greatsurprise in a small but expensive package. Iam donating this to the ITTF Museum in China.

PhilatelicUpdate 25-29

GeraldGurneyReports

18-19

FosterBlue

Plaque3

Fabio’sGerman

PingPong 13

The Early Table Tennis Patentees and Inventors:Update No.2

by Alan Duke

Further to the Update in TTC 70 (page 25), the Selby CivicSociety has now published “Swanning around Selby”. This isa guide to the history of the town, presented in the formatof a number of walks. One of the walks, ‘Footsteps offamous Selebians’, on passing 48 Micklegate describesDavid Foster and the Patent Application that he drew upwhilst living there (numbered 34 Micklegate in his time atthe property). He lived there for at least 10 years, aselectoral records place him at the property in 1885, havingprobably moved in following his marriage in 1884.

As reported in TTC 74 (page 12), asecond Foster set has now been found by our Editor (and therecould be more!) suggesting that it may not have been just anelaborate prototype, but possibly went into production,however limited. Thus it seems appropriate that the Selby CivicSociety has decided that  David  Foster’s  contribution to TableTennis justifies the awarding of a Blue Plaque to the property.The unveiling earlier this year, on Wednesday 15th July,celebrated the 125th anniversary of the receipt of his originalApplication. The ceremony took place at 2pm on a lovely sunnyday in the presence of an invited group of guests, includingmembers of the Civic Society, officials of the Selby League,former Yorkshire players, a couple of distantly-related Fosters, and yours truly. The plaque was

unveiled by the SocietyChairman Michael Dyson,and a brief background tothe story was provided bySociety member DavidLewis. This was followedby a buffet in the Abbey

Café next door, giving allthose present the chance toget together and chat, andfor the local newspaperreporter to gather details forhis story. The resulting

excellent coverage, with an almost full-page report,appeared in the Selby Times the following Thursday.

Finally, and changing the subject, with Probate details now readily available online (www.gov.uk/search-will-probate) rather than requiring a visit to the local Probate Office, it is a straightforward matter to find thedetails of their ‘Effects’ for previous subjects in this series:Charles Witchell (9 March 1907, Gloucester): £1,659 1s 2d.James Gibb (5 June 1930, Nottingham): £156,115 2s 10d. (he has been described as a ‘wealthy merchant’!)James Devonshire KCBE (29 August 1946, London): £75,282 16s 1d.

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The Richard BergmannMedals

I am very pleased to announce that the relatives oflegendary 4-time World Singles Champion RichardBergmann have kindly donated a large group of hiscups and medals, won during 1930s to 1950s. Thefamily also confirmed that after Richard passed awayin 1970, many of his awards were stolen from his flatin London. I sincerely hope that after 45 years the lostmedals can be properly returned, with anonymity.

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Cover Story

Richard’s prizes from the English Open, which was considered a second World Championship - it wasscheduled close to the Worlds, so most all the top players participated.Top row, L-R: 1939 Men’s Doubles Semifinals; 1940 Mixed Doubles SF; 1940 Men’s Doubles winnerMiddle row, L-R: 1953-54 Doubles, Runner-up; 1952 Singles winner; 1953 Doubles winnerBottom: silver trophy engraved: 1947 English Open Men’s Doubles Winner

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Two medals in presentation boxes, from the 1955 World Championship, UtrechtLeft: Men’s Singles Quarterfinalist Right: Swaythling Cup Group W

Austrian International Championship, 1949-50 1�� Prize: Men’s Singles

3 medals from the 1953-54 Austrian International Championship, Vienna.L-R: Men’s Singles Bronze, Men’s Doubles Silver, Mixed Doubles Silver

“JEUNESSE et SPORTS offert par le Ministre”

Internationaux de France 1950

Medal from the 7 a 9 Club in BarcelonaEngraved:

El Club de 7 a 9a Richard Bergmann

19.09.1948Barcelona

6

Internationaux de France 1954 1957 Wembley Open Men’sDoubles runner-up

The Dream Medal, world’s Table Tennis Players Centre, The Table Tennis Report (a Butterfly publication),engraved with Japanese inscription and several signatures

7

1954 International German Championship, Berlin. Two medals won byRichard Bergmann: Men’s doubles, 3�� prize, Mixed doubles, 3�� prize

2 boxed medals fromthe 1950 BudapestChampionships.

8

1950 Dunlop Trophy, 45cm high, engraved with names of playersin the South African Series

Group photo of some of the cups awarded to Richard Bergmann, 1930s - 1950s

9

Some examples of the 16country name patches in thecollection. These are large size,that are affixed to the back of ateam player jacket. Typicallythese were a friendly exchangeafter a match.

“Le Sport, Tennis de Table, Bruxelles 1958”

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: UPDATES (Part 5)by Alan Duke

� TRADE MARKS

One more to be added toprevious lists is the Demonname, originally registered bySlazenger & Sons in 1884 andused for tennis rackets, butalso later applied to tabletennis bats and balls.

� PATENTS

Whilst researching the early days of the Slazengercompany, and looking at the earliest of their manyPatent Applications, I quite unexpectedly came across areference to ‘lawn tennis played on a table’ in an 1883Patent (that I was expecting to be just for tennis nets!).This quite clearly is well before the next known Patent(David  Foster’s, the first to describe the game and itsequipment), earlier even than  James  Devonshire’sabandoned 1885 Patent Application, and quite possiblyis now the earliest known reference to a table versionof tennis (and, importantly, accurately dated!).

Date Number Applicant Brief description

26 June 1883 3156Ralph Slazenger Moss(trading as Slazenger

and Sons, Manchester)

Nets for Games (including for a modified game oflawn tennis played indoors on a billiard or dining table).

It is interesting to note that the main focus of the invention is on the mechanics of tensioning the net, withthe mention of the possibility of a table version as an aside. This does not give the impression of arevolutionary new game, but possibly one that has been played before, perhaps only in a makeshift way(e.g. the old story of the dining table and any implements that came to hand), rather than a formalised ormanufactured game. An extract from the actual Patent illustrates this point:

Correction: In the article on ‘Celluloid’ (TTC 72) there is a slight mixing up of two dates in the box listing Patents forcelluloid balls. The date for Patent Application 6940 from Edward Thomas Wood should be 5th May 1890, with a notethat a ‘Foreign’ Application was claimed for 9th November 1889.

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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

� PATENTS - Abandoned Patent Applications

The lists published earlier were as complete as possible for thebusy period during the second half of 1901 and the first half of1902. The list published here extends the period covered fromthe start of 1901 to the end of September 1902.

Date ofApplicn No. Applicant Description

190123 Mar 6142 F H Ayres, T Williamson Apparatus for supporting nets.16 Apr 7752 Ebenezer Skelt * Instrument for picking up balls.4 Jun 11471 Albert Nicklin Extending table clamp.

14 Jun 12196 Thomas C Beakbane Apparatus for playing “Ping Pong”.15 Jun 12261 Herbert E Hughes Net supports.17 Jun 12304 George A Williams Table clamps.1902

23 Jun 14164 W Morris, L Wilkinson Ping pong bun tin.

7 July 15139 Frederick J Prince Table tennis bats.19 July 16101 Frederick Jukes Net bracket.29 July 16760 William G Greville Net pole fittings.30 July 16934 T W Richardson, T Scott Net supports.16 Aug 18036 Walter Crosland Table tennis bats.30 Aug 19054 R Waycott, J Tinckom Folding trestles.2 Sept 19200 James E Parker Brackets.9 Sept 19748 James B Poynter Ball picker-up.

15 Sept 20100 Albert T Marles Surface preparation of bats.20 Sept 20535 George H Tomlinson Open centre table top.* Address given as Laurence Pountney Hill (also home of Slazenger & Sons)

� DESIGNS

A few more examples to be added to earlier lists. Thanks to Steve Grant for thefirst two. The Design for the first (371182) is for the ‘fastener’, A in the diagram,although, as can just be seen in a photo provided by Steve, one use at least wasfor table tennis net posts. The  second  Design  (386342)  was  marketed  as  ‘TheSmart Set’ and described as the ’Tabatabat Unbreakable’.

No. Date ofApplication Description Class Applicant

371182 6/3/1901 Table standard fastener I J R Mally

386342 28/1/1902 Tennis bat (racquet) III E I Samuels

387067 13/2/1902 Belt clasp (set oftable tennis articles) I W E Proctor

392199 10/6/1902 Clamp for table tennis racquetsto prevent their warping I W Dangerfield

& Co Ld

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See Copyright below

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

� COPYRIGHT

The “Celebrities at Play” drawing featured in TTC76 can now be confirmed as entered in theRegisters as No. 7460 (although this was notcross-referenced on the Application Form).

The first of three further Copyright Applications features another fine example of the use of the popularLucien Davis illustration (see TTC 62 and 67).

No. Date of Entry Title Proprietor

21304 12.11.1901 The Great Society Game of Table Tennis. Herbert Bolton, Leeds *

21687 12.1.1902 Thomas' Sparkling Ping=Pong. Emanuel Thomas

40923 25.2.1903 Selection from The Modern Extravaganza -

The Silver Slipper. Francis, Day & Hunter#

The three music items listed in TTC 72 are the only ones that have been found in the Copyright Registers. Althoughnone of the other early titles included  in  ‘The  Music  of  Table  Tennis’  articles  (TTC 29 and 49) have been found,copyright was (rightly) claimed by the publishers of the early printed sheet music. For completion, a list of thosepublishers (often also the copyright holders) follows:

Title Year Composer(s) PublisherPing pong 1901 Edward Lauri Moon & Co

Ping-Pong - A Crazy Song 1901 Joseph Gillott Francis, Day & Hunter

Ping! Pong! A Humorous Song 1901 H Montague James Bath

Ping Pong Polka 1901 Ernest Allan Francis, Day & Hunter

Ping-Pong Polka 1901 Fabian Scott W H Broome

Ping-Pong Quadrille 1901 Ezra Read W Paxton

Ping-Pong Song (‘Silver Slipper’) 1901 Greenbank/Caryl Francis, Day & Hunter

The Ping Pong Valse 1901 P E Braham J B Cramer & Co Ltd

I Wants a Ping Pong Man 1902 Howard Whitney M Witmark & Sons

Ping pong 1902 Marks/Ward/Kelly Whitney Warner Co

Ping Pong Courtship 1902 Sydney P Fane Reynolds & Co

Ping Pong Lancers 1902 Theodore F Morse Howley, Haviland &Dresser

Ping Pong Lancers No.2:Medley Lanciers 1902 Arranged by

Benjamin JeromeHowley, Haviland &

Dresser

Title Year Composer(s) PublisherPing Pong Polly 1902 S Furth / F Abbott Francis, Day & Hunter

Ping Pong Waltz 1902 Stanislaus Wurm E Ascherberg & Co

Ping Pong 1902 Eugene Walter McKinley Music Co

Ping-Pong 1902 Herbert Botting J Curwen & Sons Ltd

Ping-Pong Barn Dance 1902 Frank Brockett Hawkes & Son

Ping Pong March & Two-Step 1902 Maud Robertson The Robertson Music Co

Ping-Pong on the Brain 1902 Will Fieldhouse Francis, Day & Hunter

Ping-Pong Polka 1902 James B Smart Edwin Ashdown Ltd

Ping-Pong Waltz 1902 Paul de Launay Moore Smith & Co

Ping-Pong, Schottische 1902 Ida Hampden London Music Pub. Stores

Society’s Latest, or Ping-Pong 1902 F Broxholm, W Elwes Joseph Williams Ltd

Society's Craze (Ping Pong) 1902 W G and L E Milburn The Vincent Music Co Ltd

Table Tennis Tournament 1902 Edmund Forman Francis, Day & Hunter

The Ping-Pong Girl 1902 Sanford, Woodward Shapiro, Bernstein, v Tilzer

* At about the same time (5.10.01) Herbert Bolton also submitted a Patent Application(19894), later abandoned (see above, and TTC 70, page 4).# The ‘Selection’ of six songs from The Silver Slipper (40923), first published on 6 August1901, did not include the Ping-Pong song.

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New DiscoveriesOld Treasures

13

Fabio Marcotulli (VEN) sends this photo of an early Ping Pong set in beautiful condition.This set was made in Germany, c. 1902. It includes three rare bonuses: a ball pick-up, ascoring device and pair of round ball holders. Truly a new discovery, old treasure!

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WAS TABLE TENNIS BANNED IN RUSSIA?By Jorge Arango

Intrigued by several references in table tennisarticles about an early Russian ban on tabletennis, I asked Mr. Chuck Hoey if he knewsomething about that and when the ban was lifted.Mr. Hoey responded me the information was inWikipedia, but it was not stated when the banended.

I went to Wikipedia, and I found two references:

“During the early 1900s, the game was banned inRussia because the rulers at the time believedthat playing the game had an adverse effect onplayers' eyesight.” and

“Table tennis was banned in the Soviet Unionfrom ca 1930 to 1950. The sport was believed tobe harmful to the eyes.”, Connors, Dupois, &Morgan (1992). The Olympics Factbook: ASpectator's Guide to the Summer Games (p.451).Washington, DC: Visible Ink Press.

As the Table Tennis Federation of Russia wasfounded in 1951, it would coincide with the liftingof the ban.

Also, recently in the Steve  Grant’s  book  “PingPong Fever, The Madness that Swept 1902America,” and in an article from a 1902 USAnewspaper “how harmful ping pong was to theeyes of the players” are described.

I though those articles were the cause table tenniswas banned in Russia, and I have written to theRussian Federation asking details of such a banand when it was lifted.

Mr. Alex Lomaev, Press Secretary of the TableTennis Federation of Russia denied emphaticallysuch ban ever occurred!: ”Regarding yourinformation, I can say that this is absolutelyuntrue.”

The information were the Wikipedia references. Ithink Mr. Lomaev’s response terminates the case!

This is the article about the eye, which appeared in the San Francisco call., June 01, 1902:

THE PING-PONG STRAIN ON THE EYE MUSCLES

DISEASES with strange names have followed inthe wake of ping-pong. But the real pong is not afanciful one, for the watching of the celluloidsphere really strains the eyes. Let Londonsurgeons talk as they will about tendosynovitisand ping-pong ankles: all these are as nothingcompared with the strained muscles of the eye ofthe ping-pong player.

All ping-pong devotees even experts suffer fromthe ping-pong eye more or less. Other musclesemployed in playing the game are speedily co-ordinated. To develop a proper technique in ping-pong is no easy matter, and in the endeavor theeye suffers the most.

There is a ping-pong wrist, of course, and a ping-pong back, but the player who can return a ball ahundred times or so suffers comparatively littlefrom these. The tyro who bends often to pick up

the balls which bound upon the carpet is the onewho is most likely to complain of tendosynovitis.In time he learns, however, to make the opticalnerves save the exertions of the muscles. Thenhe requires a ping-pong eye lass. Not muchstrength is required in the game. A little morevigorous than billiard and not quite so arduous astennis, of which it is a cousin german, ping-pongappeals to those who have the quick eye.

The skillful player can keep his body almost rigid,and standing on front of the table send the ballbackward and forward with scarcely a movementof a muscle except those of the wrist. Many of theplayers are able to sit on one of the chairs suchas used by the spectators in billiard games, andstill keep the ball going rapidly.

Physicians say that many ping-pong playerssuffer from an inflammation of the eye, andchampion players add their testimony. Theconstant watching of the ball is liable to causeheadaches, or in other words, to cause irritationto spread from the overworked optical muscles.

The ping-pong eye is often bloodshot. The onlyway to cure it is to stop playing and to give theoverworked eye a chance to rest. This the ping-

pong devotee objects to doing. When hebecomes absorbed in the game he persists inplaying it in the season and out of season.

There are many ping-pong tables which servedoriginally in dining-rooms. The man who playsupon them is prone to contract the ping-pong eye.The ideal table should be dark green. This coloris easy on the eye. A retired billiard or pool tableis well adapted to the game, as far as the effect

15

upon the eye is concerned. The ball is dazzlingwhite. It would be better if it were gray butexperience has taught that white is the bestadapted for the use of the expert players.

“There can be no doubt,” said an expert the otherday, “that the constant watching of the ball whichis required in the game tends to aggravate aweakness of the eyes. The moving of themuscles which control the eyes wearies then afteran ordinary game. The control of the eyes isreally the most essential part, for the game callsinto requisition comparatively few muscles.

“I have heard much of the ping-pong ankle, but asthe ankle is used comparatively little in playing, Ido not think that the malady is one which the

player need count. Some players find that thedorsal muscles are easily tired, and the man whostoops a great deal in his effort to find the ballswhich have been knocked to the carpet is likely tosuffer from soreness and inflammation of themuscles about the shins. There is in my opiniona ping-pong ankle, although I deny that there is aping-pong face.

“It has been said that the muscles of the legs andarms are often wearles by the game. This is truein a sense but I think that the eye and the brainwill be exhausted in ping-pong long before themuscles used in sending and returning balls canbe affected to any appreciable extent.”

In Steve Grant’s book it is shown a different illustration, with the same positions of the eye but withoutexplanations. Although the text excerpts are earlier than that of the San Francisco’s newspaper, I thinkthis last is older, and the article was a copy of an earlier one. At that time credits to articles were veryscarse!

In Mr. Grant’s book there are several texts regarding the problems Ping-Pong causes to the eyes.

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New Website FeatureYour editor has installed a new research tool on the museum home page, Player BioStats. Click on the player picture at bottom right of ittf.com/museum to enter the site.Then with just one click on any of the players shown returns a summary of the player,with birth/death, major titles, world rankings, some brief text, list of World Champion-ship medals won, further references and ITTF Statistics. Below is the info for RichardBergmann. This is a prototype version, from 1920s to 1950; more players are beingadded as time permits. My goal is to create a single repository for player info & stats.Difficult to find some of the photos - please help! Thanks.

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Chuck

Some years ago - 31 to be precise - I came across photocopies of 3 patent specifications, alldated 1902, for Ping Pong bats and all of an unusual, or unique, design. I found them fascinatingand I decided to have them reproduced.

I soon heard of a local craftsman who certainly had the right skills; he had become tired ofworking in a bank, had recently retired and was now enjoying full-time his hobby as a craftsman.He was well guided by the diagrams and descriptions which I give (in part) below. And I lent hima ball so that he could drill out the hollow for the ball-retriever; this he did to perfection so thatonly the slightest touch is needed.

I feel that - like most patent applications - none of these reached the market, but let me knowif you can prove otherwise! Only the ball-retriever bat is practical; it could be used for play andfor picking up balls but the other two are impractical and eccentric - and I have of course triedthem.

Gerald GurneyUnusual Early Rackets

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19

RICHARD BERGMANNby Alan Duke

Richard Bergmann’s application for naturalizationas  a  British  subject  didn’t  take quite as long toprogress through all its stages as that from VictorBarna, mainly because by 1946 the wartimesuspension on dealing with applications had beenremoved. As “an Alien still serving in His Majesty’sForces”  a  different  set  of  Forms  applied,  but  theprocess was still put in motion by completing theApplication Form (FORM S in this case, althoughamended to R) on Monday 8th April 1946 (HomeOffice Application No. B.143901).

Personal particulars were provided by Bergmann inPart I of his Application Form:

Name: Richard Bergmann.Nationality at birth: Polish.Father’s name: Jacob Bergmann, now dead.Mother’s name: Sofia Camil (Polish),

now living at 94, Prestbury Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire.Marital status: Single.Residence in the United Kingdom before joining HisMajesty’s Forces: From the date of arrival in Great Britain, Ihad no fixed abode. I used to give table-tennis exhibitionsthroughout the country. My former certificate of registrationis included to illustrate my point.

Part II provided details regarding his Serviceparticulars:Service: Royal Air Force.Service No.: 1762092.Rank or rating: Sgt. Signals / Linguist.Service details:

Unit Rank From ToPadgate R.C. 2 AC/2 3/4/42 2/5/42

Skegness R.C. 3 AC/2 3/5/42 14/6/42Arbroath D.I. Course AC/2 15/6/42 18/7/42

St. Athan P.T.I. Course 4 AC/2 19/7/42 9/9/42Gosport P.T.I. Cpl. 21/9/42 ?/5/43

382, W.U. 5 S/L Sgt. 21/6/43 23/2/46

Air Ministry Unit Sgt. 25/2/46 still servingthere

Total service: 4 years, of which 2 years 2 months was inthe United Kingdom and 1 year 10 months overseas in thefollowing countries: France, Belgium, Holland, Germany.Decorations6: 1939/45 Star. France and Germany Star.

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RICHARD BERGMANN

Part III (Additional PersonalParticulars) contained norelevant questions, andBergmann followed the correctprocedure by crossing out eachquestion, and initialling:

On 6th May, he completed his part of theform (Part IV) at the Headquarters of the AirMinistry Unit, London, W.1, by signing theDeclaration in the presence of the Station AdminOfficer:

Part V of the Form had been completed on 30th

April by his Commanding Officer:

Length of applicant’s service under his command:2 years 6 months.

Rating of applicant’s service: Satisfactory.Assimilated to the British way of life: Yes.Of good character and likely to make a good citizen: Yes.Special skills: As holder of the Worlds Singles Table Tennischampionship, and his past efforts for the British Red Cross hehas contributed to the welfare of the community and could doso in the future.Do you recommend him unreservedly for earlynaturalization?: Yes.

And finally, Part VI was signed on 7th February 1947by the Chairman of the R.A.F. Branch of the Inter-Services Naturalisation Board:Born. 10/4/18 at ViennaReleased 19/7/46Recommended Grading. B.2This man is the present world’s table-tennis championship (sic).

There was also an attachment to the Form,providing the following information:

Name: Bergmann RichardAddress: Flat 3, York Mansions. 46, Chichele Road,

London, N.W.2Date and Place of Birth: 10/4/1918 in ViennaPresent Employer: No occupationTrade or Profession: Sports - InstructorPre-Service Civilian Experience:Coaching, Demonstrations, Exhibitions at Table-Tennis from1935 onwards

Full details of activities sincerelease from H.M.Forces:From the 19/8/46 to 7/9/46 exhibition tour of Table-Tennisfor Butlins Holiday Camps.From the 9/9/46 to 24/10/46 Table-Tennis exhibition tour forCombined Services Entertainments in B.A.O.R. (Germany)From the 25/11/46 to 24/1/47 T.T. exhibition tour for C.S.E. inC.M.F. (Italy and Austria).

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RICHARD BERGMANN

On the 13th May 1947, a Form was sent from theNationality Division to M.I.5 enqiring whether anyrecord was held about him:

The answer came back on 17th May in the negative(or  positive  as  far  as  the  progress  of  Richard’sapplication was concerned!):

A similar letter was sent to the Special Branch on3rd June, and an equally satisfactory reply receivedten days later:

On 10th October Richard completed Form N.42 withthe  particulars  required  for  insertion  “in  theCertificate of Naturalisation”:

Before signing the printed details, Richard hadamended his address to 24 St Johns Road, N.W.11,and added  “Table  Tennis  Exhibitionist.  ProductionManager  for  Sports  Equipment” to  ‘SportsInstructor’ as his trade or occupation.

At around this time Richardstarted to get into a littletrouble regarding a delay inreplying to letters andsending his Fee, and alsowith the changes shownon the Form above! Hewas busy on 11th Octobersending a cheque for £10to the Finance Branch of theHome office, and replying to letters of 9th July from

the Nationality Division. Heapologised for the delay,which was “due to mychanges  of  address”,  andalso provided assurances asrequested; that the Fee hadbeen paid, and that ifgranted naturalisation he“will  not  take  any  steps  toretain or recover my Polish

nationality …”.

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RICHARD BERGMANN

With regard to the changes to Form N.42, a letterwas sent from the Nationality Division on 29th

October,  observing  that  he  had  “failed  to  complywith the instructions to notify any changes to thedetails shown on your application form”. The nameof his employer and details of his preciseoccupation at present were requested. It was alsostated that the amended description of his tradewas not suitable, suggesting the more concise formof wording “Manager and table-tennis exponent”.

Richard replied on 30th October, apologising for his“oversight” and accepting the amendeddescription, and provided the information that hewas  “now  working  for  P.A.S.  Dobbs,  Director“Dobbycraft” 7 (sic), 34/36 St. Pancras Way,Manufacturers”. Richard added a note to N.42 on5th November with the instruction to “See letter of30/10/47” with regard to the above wording.

Form N.43 was then completed with particularsrequired for insertion in the Certificate, from theinformation supplied on N.42, plus the lateramendments. But strangely the actual Certificatereverted to the earlier wording regarding hisoccupation!

The Certificate was signed by the Under Secretaryof State on 14th November 1947, with Bergmannswearing the Oath of Allegiance before aCommissioner for Oaths at 1 Lombard Street,Belfast 8 on Tuesday 6th December.

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RICHARD BERGMANN

Also on the 6th (a busy day for Bergmann) hereturned the signed copy ofthe Oath to the HomeOffice for registration. Thedates of the Certificate’sissue, its return after thesigning of the Oath, and itsregistration were allrecorded:

Notes

1. File HO 405/3060 for the Application Form andassociated paperwork; File HO 334/194/34490 for theCertificate (National Archives, Kew).

2. National training centre at Warrington providing basictraining for RAF recruits.

3. Thousands completed their initial training at Skegness.

4. Technical Training School (Glamorgan).

5. 382 Wireless Unit was a self-contained mobile RAFIntelligence Unit. It was formed in the UK and moved toNormandy in June 1944, then on to Belgium,Netherlands and Germany. It took part in the conquestof Northern Germany, including the Ardennes Offensiveand the Rhine crossings, mainly aiding Allied airmovements.

6. The 1939/45 Star (left) was awarded  for  6  months’service in specified operational commands overseas; theFrance and Germany Star (right) for operational servicein France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlandsbetween 6/6/44 and 8/5/45.

7. Dobbykraft Ltd (Games Manufacturers) were listed at34-36 St Pancras Way, London, NW1 in 1948.

8. Between 3rd and 6th December 1947 Richard wascompeting  in  the  Ulster  Open  at  St  Mary’s  Hall,  BankStreet (demolished in 1990), just around the corner fromLombard Street. In the Men’s  Singles Final on theSaturday, he defeated Belfast’s Victor Mercer (winner in1945-46 and 1950-51) 21-15, 21-15, 23-21.

Abbreviations: In typical Services fashion, abbreviationsare widely used in the Application Forms and associatedpaperwork. Some are very common and familiar to most,but others are not; all are included in this list:AC/2: Aircraftman 2nd Class (equivalent to a Private).BAOR: British Army of the Rhine.CMF: Central Mediterranean Forces.Cpl: Corporal.CSE: Combined Services Entertainments.DI: Drill Instructor.PTI: Physical Training Instructor.RAF: Royal Air Force.RC: Recruit Centre.Sgt: Sergeant.S/L: Signals / Linguist.WU: Wireless Unit.

Epilogue: Richard married Eileen (or Ellen)  O’Flynn  inLondon in 1948, but the marriage didn’t last very long. Inlate 1969, he was taken ill during an exhibition inSouthport, and died at 419 Lilian Penson Hall, TalbotSquare, London on 5th April 1970, leaving effects to thevalue of £1252.

With thanks to Arnold Morgan (Table Tennis Ulster) andDarren Coombes (Irish Table Tennis).

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Philatelic UpdateOur Philatelic Update has much to report, including new stamps, moreitems from the 2015 World Championships in Suzhou, postmarks, bluemeters (one is an error). Also a very scarce French postmark from 2006that has not been reported in the TTC. Master collector Hans-PeterTrautmann (GER) has prepared another fine report on red meters, somedating back to 1931! Special thanks to all those who sent news & updates.

Special thanks to Hans-Peter Trautmann, Winfried Engelbrecht,Tang Ganxian, Marc Templereau,Ortwin Schiessel, Rob van Tuyl and Gao Yibin for their helpful reports of philatelic items.

Brazil August 6, 2015 for Olympic Games in Rio 2016 TT 2x in 4�� row

German Open 2016 blue metermarks. The top example has the wrongdate, corrected in the second metermark

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Jersey 2015 Island Games XVI, June 27, 2015, issued in several formats: single stamp froma set of 28 values; booklet with sheets and one sheet with 2 values TT; a sheet with 10times Table Tennis; a sheet with 20 values + tabs Table Tennis and a Table Tennis-bat inthe margin of the sheet; FDC Postcards.

Azerbaijan 2015.4.23 First Europe Games, Baku

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Bonsecours, France September 2006, Salle J-P Gatien, signed by Gatien.

Suzhou China, 26.4.2015, forpublication of TT philateliccatalog

Verona, Italy TTInter-Cup, EuropeanFinal 6.6.2015France February/March 2015,

personalized stamp printed insheets of 30, for the FrenchNational Championships in Orchies

Beijing, China 26.4.2015,World TT Championshipsin Suzhou

Suzhou China, for ITTF Museumexhibition at the WorldChampionships, 26.4 - 3.5.2015

Suzhou China 28.4.2015Donation of Philateliccatalog to ITTF Museum

Taicang, China 26.4.2015Enjoy Table Tennis

Suzhou, China PhilatelicExhibition, World Ch.

Jinan, China. PhilatelicExhibition, World Ch.

World Championships,Suzhou China, 2015.4.19

World Championships,Suzhou,China 2015.5.3

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Personalized stamps from the World Championships in Suzhou,China, featuring our friend the popular collector Tang Ganxian

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Universiade 2015.7.6 - 7.13 Gwangju

HANNO TABLE TENNIS – Franz Krebsby Hans-Peter Trautmann

HANNO TABLE TENNIS – Franz Krebs was a Table Tennis equipment factory in Germany. The firmproduced and sold table tennis balls and rackets.The Franz Krebs Hanno factory was based in Hannover-Linden until 1957, and a short time in Gehrden. In1957 the business was sold to Hagedorn AG, producers of the COMET Table Tennis ball, in the city ofOsnabrück. Hagedorn continued to use the name HANNO Tischtennis Franz Krebs GmbH until 1995.

Cutting from a folder showing an amazing variety of HANNO rackets offered in 1935.

HANNO two-starTable Tennis Ball

Box for one-star HANNO Table Tennis BallHANNO three-starTable Tennis Ball

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Hand drawn Christmas Greeting Postcard from the Hannover Table Tennis Club 1955with “COMET” Table Tennis Balls. This Postcard was send to the Hagedorn Firm inOsnabrück.H.T.T.C. Jugendabt. = Youth Section of the Hannover Table Tennis Club.

Catalogue of the red meter postmarks from HANNO Table Tennis(Thanks to the collector friends Rudolf Müller and Winfried Engelbrecht for their help).

HANNO Franz Krebs used the first known red meter postmarks in the world since 1931!

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Auction Action

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Quite a good variety of items went up for bids, includingrackets, balls, sets, cards, pins - most at reasonableprices, but as always, some exceptions. The big surprisecame in a small package: 1931 World Ch pin, at $250.

Table Tennis figure by Herendof Hungary. No interest at anoptimistic $1399

Superb pair of drum rackets with oil paintings, c.1902. Whatmakes these extra special are the handles, covered in celluloidfaux tortoise shell. The back side has a split in the vellum, notnoticeable on display.

Rare boxed set, The New Table Tennis, c.1902, in wood box with fine colorlithograph by Sala of Berlin, light stain. From Mulloch’s auction, ending 5 Nov.

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Pair of strung rackets, 22.75 inches height(58cm), sold for $403, advertised asSphairistike rackets, a name briefly used inthe 1870s for Lawn Tennis. The racket onthe right has a goat skin wrapped handle.

Bergmann publicity card, autographed and dated31.8.1946. Auctioned for £46. Bergmann, likeBarna, was a prolific autograph signer.

Beautiful Spalding set, 1902, in wood box with 4 pristine single vellum cane rackets $550

French Ping-Pong set in wooden box with sliding lid, pair of strung rackets, free-standing net, andoriginal rules.. From a Graham Budd auction, Oct. 26, 2015. Estimate was £180-£220.

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Exquisite brooch with 2 rackets, Mother-of-Pearl inlay, net & balls. 9 caratgold, in original case. Priced rather too high at £695

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Stiga Ehrlich perforated slantcut grip, 118 Euros

Well preserved Cor duBuy sandwich blade,Dusan Tigerman decal,£67

Jaques Brian Wright racket,unsold at £135.

Well worn SlazengerBergmann racket withdecal, missing rubberstrip on grip. £151

Spalding Ian Harrison bat,over-priced at$1585, Yetanother speculator

Butterfly Korpa Junior,Deservedly unsold at£902.50

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New book on Werner Schlager, 2003World Singles Champion, compiled fromWikipedia articles. Rather pricey at $57

Japan 1954 postmark, unsold at $20

Horsman early boxed set, with 4 drum rackets, $599. Another set with 2 rackets was unsold at anoptimistic $1100.

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Inscribed Victor Barna photo dated 1950.This sold for £29, then was listed on ebayfor a staggering £1000,. Be careful ofspeculators.

Dunlop Barna racket with red teardroplogo. £15

Victor Barna autographed page dated 1943, with picture affixed.£26 after 15 bids. The world record holder (40 WorldChampionship medals, 22 gold, 5 World Singles titles) was aprolific autograph signer.

Pair of Dunlop Original hardbats, £71

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1959 World Championship,Dortmund $50. Rong Guotuan!

1936 World Championships, PragueReasonably priced at $50

1969 World Championship,Munich Press badge, $60

1931 World Championship, Budapest.Szabados defeated Barna in the final.$250. Very rare pin -1�� time I’ve seen it.I will donate it to the ITTF Museum.

1963 world Championships,Prague. Left: Official badge,$70; Above pin: $14Right: 1967 World Champ.Stockholm, Captain badge $70

2015 World Championships,Suzhou, China $15

Pin

Page

s

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2015 European Championship $10

1976 European Championships Umpire badge. $70

£25

£52

$23$56

£19

£24

£36

£37

$75

1982 Polish Championship, Donald Duck $9

1971 Czechoslovakia Open Ch. $7

Pin from the 1�� EuropeanChampionships, Budapest $60

Table Tennis medal from the World UniversityGames 1982, $25

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ETTA Referee pin,unsold at £10

Athens 2004 Paralympics TT pin, $29

1�� place pin, S.L.C. Ping PongChampionship, 1914-15. $50 Thispin proves that even before therevival of the game in the 1920sthere were pockets of activity.

Rio 2016 Table Tennis pin, $12

Medal from 1950 Zagreb - Turin match, $18

Günther Angenendt ebayLangacker 10a 44869 Bochum, Germany+49-2327-77117 ttanpp@gmx.dePre-war World Ch Programs; all TtitemsGerman boxed sets & bats; TT pins

Jorge Arango jharango@une.net.coCl. 10 No. 25-103 Ap.116 Medellin ColumbiaPhilatelic & general TT items

Michael L. Babuin, PhD USAPO Box 3401 Cary N,c. 27519mikebabuin@aol.comPre-1905 books, old film copies, programs

Oliver Born Germanyborn4TT@freenet.de www.old-butterfly.deOld Butterfly rackets, especially Korpa

Keith Bowler In Memoriam

Fabrice Chantriaux France10 Rue des Chevrefeuilles F-45130 Saint-Ay02.38.88.82.11 Fax: 02.38.45.94.29F.chantriaux@wanadoo.fr Stamps, cancels,Postcards, posters, old papers on TT

Colin Clemett colin.clemett.@Gmail.com7 Brookmead Way, Havant PO9 1RT UKHistorical documents

Fabio Colombo Italy drfabioc@gmail.comhttp://drfabiocolombo.ilbello.com/Table Tennis books, World Rankings. AuthorSeeking STIGA Stipancic rackets

Ron Crayden (ENG) in Memoriam

Andre Demeure (BEL) in Memoriam

Jean Devys Residence La petite vigne,20 rue Edgar Quinet, A16 F-59100 RoubaixFrance 33.320828444 Fax: 33.320650849 TTphilately, cycling jean.devys@orange.fr

Axel Dickhaus GermanyAtzienbacherf Str. 88 D-51381 Leverkusen+49 (0)2171 32108 Fax: 49 (0)2171.731478axel.dickhaus@freenet.de TT balls, phone cards

Alan Duke alan-duke2@talktalk.net2 Shapwick Close, Swindon WILTS. EnglandSN3 3RQ UK +44 (0) 1793 531234History, music & photo record of TT items

Sergio Durazzano durazzano@aruba.itVia Girardini 8, 33100 Udine, Italy0432.21105 Stamps & historical books

Winfried Engelbrecht GermanyVirgiliastr.21 D-45131 Essen 49.201.78.6795winfried.engelbrecht@imail.de Philately:Stamps, FDCs, Sheets, Postmarks, books,phonecards, tickets, stickers, W.C. Programs

Romualdas Franckaitis LithuaniaRfanckaitis@gmail.com

Gao Yi-bin gaoyibin2008@hotmail.com2-202 Lakeside Apartment, Jiangning,Nanjing, P.R.China 211100+8625 5212 3334 TT stamps, FDC, postcardsphonecards, coins, medals, pins, cancels

Roman Gelman rgpinman@aol.com24 Taverngreen Court, Baltimore, MD. USA21209 410 602 0267 Pins,,badges,medals

David Good dgood42@yahoo.com710 N.Waverly, Dearborn, MI 48128 USA+1 313 278 5271 c.1900 sets, equipment,ephemera, memorabilia

Scott Gordon USA sgordon@hardbat.com5340 Shelato Way, Carmichael, CA 95608+1 916 978 0117 www.hardbat.com filmsHistoric films,classic era hardbats, old books

Gordon Gotal mim-borovo@zg.htnet.hrMeduliceva 23 Zagreb 10000 Croatia+3851 4848 687 Exch: TT pins, medals, post-cards Acquire: WC & EC official badges(Guest, organizer, player, press, etc)

Steve Grant NY, NY USA authorNyman455@yahoo.comPing Pong Diplomacy, Early 1900s TT

Esko Heikkinen esko.heikkinen@diacor.fiVainamoisenkatu 9 B 17 Helsinki 00100Finland +358 50 62532 TT history, Stiga bats

Gerald Gurney +44.1206.230330Guildhall Orchard, Great Bromley ColchesterESSEX CO7 7TU England. All racket games, Allequipment, ephemera. Historian, author.Worldwide exhibitions. Swimming items.Exch: boxed sets, postcards, books, rackets

Rex Haggett rex.haggett@ntworld.com27 Meadow Close, Stratford-upon-AvonWarwickshire, CV37 9PJ England+44 (0) 1789 269352 Philately

Russ Hamilton Arkansas, USAJ.russ.hamilton@gmail.com 214-673-6164C.1890-1902 vintage sets, books & unusualitems

Barry Hayward UK19 Little Hardwick Road, StreetlyWest Midlands WS9 0SDbarry_hayward@LHRstreetly.freeserve.co.uk

Chuck Hoey Curator, ITTF MuseumChemin de la Roche 11, RENENS 1020Switzerland museum@ittfmail.comArt bats, unusual bats, historic photos,Important medals, museum quality items

Martin Holland mjh44now@yahoo.co.uk44 Victoria Road, Barrow-in-Furness, CumbriaEngland BA14 5JU TT postcards & trade cards

Rolf Jaeger USA Tennisheritage@aol.comTennis and Table Tennis itemsCustom jewelry: www.tennisboutique.com

Dean Johnson USA3404 Holly Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23451(757) 478 3605 djab2b@aol.com

Jean-Francois Kahn France49 rue Leonardo da Vinci, 77330 Ozoir laFerriere jean-francois.kahn@upmc.fr+33 1 40779762 TT philately: imperf stamps,sheets, color proofs, minister/artist sheets,errors, postmarks, meters, FDCs, specimens

Christian Klaus Möllersdorf, Austriachristianklaus59@gmail.comTT stamps, cancels, postcards, autographcards, FDCs, historic photos, magazines,Newspapers, score-lists, books, posters …

Jan Kleeven sjangkleeven@planet.nlMargrietstraat 63 6373 NN LandgraafNetherlands Pins, flags, pennants, stamps,Phonecards, stickers

Matti Kolppanen FinlandKollekannaksent 12E, FI-02720 Espco matti.kolppanen@kolumbus.fiTT history, TT postcards

Randy Koo NetherlandsTorenwacht 37, 2353 DB Leiderkorp+31 071 5417413 rkoo@planet.nlStamps mint, postmarks, red meters, FDC

Hans Kreischer +34965698195Avenue les Comargues 21, Busot-Allicante03111 Spain hanskreischer@hotmail.comwww.ttmuseum.nl

Kevin Lau USA kevintennis@yahoo.com7544 N.Claremont Ave, Chicago, IL 60645773-719-0860 Philatelic, pins, coins,memorabilia, souvenir & decorative items

Collector Directory

42

Francis Leibenguth France1 résidence des Hauts de Villebon 91140 Villebon-sur-Yvette +33951966614stanfl54-hardbat@yahoo.frVintage bats (esp hardbats), vintage setshttp://raquettes-collection.blog4ever.com

Jorgen Lindh joli@mbox303.swipnet.seEgnahemsgatan 13D S-43242 VarbergSWEDEN

Steve Luck, 12 Liskey Hill, Perranporth,Cornwall TR6 0ET Phone: 07860 446209steve@stevelucktennis.com racket sports,rowing, billiards, croquet, archery ...

Fabio Marcotulli Venezuelalailagalvez@yahoo.comBarna rackets, TT items from all eras

Hubert Menandhubert.menand@laposte.netPresident, AFCTT (French TT Collectors)

Eldon Mohler eam2@ix.netcom.com1820 E.Warm springs Rd.Suite 112 Las Vegas. NV 89119 USAFax: +1-702-453-8472

Erik Kenneth Muhr England UK2 Highgate Hill, Hawkhurst KENT TN18 4LB01580 752676 History of Table Tenniskenmuhr@btopenworld.com

Rudolf Mueller GermanyBahnhofstr. 58 D-57250 Netphen 02738-1461 Stamps, cancels, letter, error, redmeters r-mueller-netphen@t-online.de

Jan Nusteleyn NetherlandsWeserstraat 21, 9406 VP Assen 0592-356050 e-mail: nleyn@hotmail.comStamps, mint perforated FDCs red meters,cancels WC, EC, EC-Youth, Top-12

Robert Op de Beeck +03/455.41.59J.F.Willemstraat 66 2530 Boechout BELGIUM

Florian Pagel Germany flo.p@gmx.netOlder Banda, Stiga, Joola, Butterfly, Imperial

Park Jeong Kye fifaball@hanmail.comPO Box 555 Busan 600-605 KOREA SouthPostmarks, stamps, postcards

Gregory PinkhusovichApt.10, h.2 Sheshet Ha-Yamim StrAriel 40700 ISRAEL +972-54-3394739gpinkhusovich@yahoo.com TTpins, badges, medals, coins

Alberto Prieto USAalberto@valortabletennis.com

Robin Radford rjradford@xtra.co.nz16 St Edmund Cr TAWA, Wellington, NZ+64 04 232 5672TT cartoons, comic strips, clip art

Jose Ransome”Conifers” Church Lane ORMESBYMiddleborough TS7 9AU ENGLAND01642 322223 ajransome@aol.com

Geoff Reed21 Beaulieu Park, St Helier.Jersey JE24RN reedgeojtta@gmail.com44.01534.730132 Table Tennis history

Helmut ReinhardtFriedrich-Voss-Platz 19,D-24768 Rendsburg, GERMANYH.Reinhardt-Stral@kabelmail.de

Ortwin Schiessl AustriaLascygasse 14-16, A-1170 WIENortwin.schiessl@aon.at table tennisphilately: Stamps, sheets, FDC, postmarks

Lutz Schoenfeld Germanyselling Table Tennis items on ebay: pongistee-mail: rulusch@t-online.de

Martin Senn St. Gallen, Switzerlande-mail: keys@swissonline.chSeeks old Stiga blades & catalogues

Luigi Simeoni luigi_simeoni@libero.itVia Ponte S.Pancrazio 2/a 37133 VeronaItaly 0039 045 532033 TT Balls, catalog

Harry Sintemaartensdijk NetherlandsJulianastraat 8,2651 DP Berkel en Rodenrijs0031 105114621 harry.smd@kpnmail.nlTischtennis Aufklebers/stickers

Tang Gan Xian P.R.Chinatangganxian2013@163.comQin Hu 4-35-104, ChangShu 215500+86-512-52722359 TT stamps, FDC, pinspostmarks, postcards, phonecards,tickets,

Marc Templereau France tpam@free.fr16 Hameau des cerisiers 38150 RoussillonSecretary, AFCTT (French TT CollectorsAssoc) http://afctt.over-blog.comCollections : stamps, FDC, players postcards,autographs, programs

Michael Thomson1 Kinnoull Terrace, PERTHPH2 7DJ SCOTLAND UK 01738 622052thomsonmfamily@blueyonder.co.ukJaques and history of Table Tennis

Solazzi Tonino solton66@virgilio.itVia Millefonti 6 / 5 10126 Torino, Italy00393391870279 Table Tennis pins

Hans-Peter Trautmann GermanySiegfriedstr. 17 64385 Reichelsheimhpt@hptrautmann.deStamps mint, perf + imperf, sheets, colorproofs, minister/artist sheets, postmarks,errors, red/blue meters

Graham Trimming 44(0)1628 529609Rosemount Juniper LaneWooburn Green, Bucks HP10 0DE England graham.trimming@virgin.net pre-1939 TTitems, esp c.1900s. Acquire: Gossima 1891;early unusual items; early World Ch items.

Nikola Turk nikola.turk@zg.t-com.hrUlica Pavla Hatza 26, Zagreb 10000 CroatiaSport historian, Sport-recreation activist,journalist Professor of Kinesiology. Philatelic

Damir Uzorinac CroatiaPrilaz Gjure Dezelica 20 10000 ZagrebDamir.Uzorinac@pliva.hr 38598474982Books, pins, stamps, cancellations

Russ Walker e-mail = ?4316 Irving Ave N, MPLS MN 55412 USA+1-612-522-7905Early 1900s equipment & boxed sets

Diane & Harvey Webb EnglandDianek1414@hotmail.co.uk+44 (0)1424 216342English related photographs, programmes,books, post cards. General - pin badges

Yao ZhenxuRoom 401 Unit 1 Building 2No. 4 Dongsikuaiyu South StreetChongwen District, Beijing 100061, China+86-13911990508 cttayao@china.comTT stamps, FDC, postcards, coins, pins,phonecards, postal material, tickets etc

Jos Zinkstok NetherlandsNeckarstraat 8 NL9406 VN ASSEN+31 592 350486 Fax: 0031 592 355861j.zinkstok@poveia.nl www.poveia.nlTT cancellations, stamps, vignettes, on realused, letters/covers/cards, FDC

Anton Zwiebel In Memoriam

43

Collector Directory

Copyright © ITTF Museum 2015 Published by the ITTF Museum: Chemin de la Roche 11, CH-1020 RENENS,SWITZERLAND e-mail: museum@ittfmail.com website: ittf.com/museum

No part of this journal may be reproduced without prior consent of the publisher

The stunning new home of the ITTF Museum, scheduled to open in 2017.Over 10,000 m2 (110,000 ft2) of exhibit space, plus a library and archive,museum shop and more. The project is managed by the ShanghaiUniversity of Sports. I am grateful to the Chinese for their vision andcommitment to creating such a fabulous Table Tennis museum.

The roof top access enables a spectacular panorama of the famous Shanghai city skyline.