| Obituary - Ferelith Somerfield - 1937-2022
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Issue: 03/06/2022
Ferelith Somerfield, one of the towering figures of Britain's dog world, died on May 25 following several years of declining health.
Feffie, as she was always known to her friends, was born on New Year's Day 1937. Her family was already well established in the world of dogs - the Oudenarde affix had been established in 1927, primarily for Cairn Terriers, by the sisters Helen and Margaret Hamilton (the latter later Mrs Montague Temple) and in the 1930s they were joined by Diana Sisterson who was gaining an apprentice-ship in kennel work. Soon after that the Hamiltons' brother George, an officer in the Buffs, returned home on leave and he and Diana were married in 1936, producing a daughter Ferelith and son John.
Inevitably wartime life was somewhat nomadic for an army officer, his wife and young family, but when peace arrived the three ladies immersed themselves in the dog scene and Mrs Hamilton proved herself one of the most versatile breeders of all time. Oudenarde became one of foremost names in Cairns and champions were also bred and owned in Dalmatians, Japanese Chin, English Setters and Beagles. Mrs Temple's special interest was in Irish Terriers and here too a number of champions were crowned.
Young Feffie could therefore not have experienced a better background for a future all-round judge, surrounded by top class dogs of several breeds and fully involved in the practical aspects of looking after and breeding them. In her own name she made up one Cairn champion and bred another in this period, with more to come in later years.
For a dog-mad young lady, opportunity struck at just the right moment. Leo Wilson, the great all-round judge, also editor of Dog World, was looking for a keen youngster, familiar with the dog scene, who would be prepared to join the paper, starting at the bottom. Fellow Cairn enthusiast Walter Bradshaw felt that Feffie would be perfect for the role so at the age of 18 she travelled to Idle in Yorkshire for an interview and was accepted.
Earning six guineas a week and far from home, her life must have been very different from what she had been used to but she stuck it out and quickly learnt every aspect of producing a newspaper, aided by a phenomenal capacity for hard work which we all know was one of her defining characteristics.
Affection
Any leisure time was also devoted to the dog world - in those days there was a network of match meetings and sanction and limited shows, often held in the evenings, throughout Britain and Yorkshire was no exception. This provided the ideal apprenticeship for a potential judge, helped by the fact that the area was a hotbed of talented breeders. For the rest of her life, Feffie always retained a great affection for Yorkshire and its dog people.
Leo Wilson was a legendary judge and a fearless journalist, never afraid to speak out against what he regarded as injustice in the dog world. In the mid '60s, however, he and the paper parted company, putting even more of the responsibility for its week-by-week running onto Feffie, and eventually a new company was set up by some distinguished dog people who took over the paper.
It was necessary, obviously, to find a printer, and the most suitable was far away in Kent. So Dog World moved to Ashford, Feffie became editor and built up a keen young team including such people as Brian Doyle and a Swedish girl name Liz Henricson (now Cartledge), as well as famous judge and author Tom Horner. Bryan Mitchell and Maureen Hayward (later Long) soon joined the team and a decade or so later myself and Kerry Williamson. All of us were inspired by Feffie's work ethic and attention to detail as well as by her sense of fun and her all-encompassing knowledge of every aspect of the dog scene.
Ferelith judging the Toy Group at Crufts 2005
Feffie maintained the paper's reputation of frank, informed and fearless reporting on the dog scene - perhaps best remembered for its exposure of the dreadful mass exporting to Japan in the late '60s. She was also particularly proud of its involvement, along with various sponsors, with the ever-popular Pup of the Year competition.
A few years later Stafford Somerfield, one-time editor of the News of the World, joined the team of writers and no column in the dog press has ever been more eagerly awaited. Feffie became friendly with Stafford and his wife Dibbie, the Boxer expert, and after Dibbie's death Stafford and Feffie were married - legend which I'm sure is true is that they popped down to the Ashford registry office, exchanged vows, bought some fish and chips and then returned to the office where there were breed notes to be sub-edited and columns to be written.
They made a formidable pair and Dog World's coverage of our world became even livelier. Eventually they became the principal shareholders and after Stafford's death Feffie succeeded him as chairman until she retired from and sold the paper in the mid '00s. The company for many years also owned Pet Business World and other magazines and ran an annual trade exhibition, so Feffie was very much aware of the importance of the traders to our show scene.
Establishing their own kennel in Kent, Feffie and Stafford continued the Panfield Boxers and, after Mrs Hamilton's early death, the Oudenarde Cairns, produing further champions in that breed. They bought some outstanding examples of various terrier breeds, such as the Sealyham Ch Roderick of Jenmist and the Wire Ch Louline Lord Fountleroy, allowing some of the younger professional handlers to campaign them.
Some years before her death Mrs Hamilton had successfully revived the kennel's involvement in Irish Terriers and Feffie and Stafford, along with their kennel manager Angela Smith (Tubereasa) and handler Peter Bell, carried this on. Their striking American import Ch Trackways Booger Red may not have been everyone's cup of tea but certainly contributed to the breed through his descendants.
During all this time Feffie's judging career was developing from those small local shows. She first awarded CCs in Cairns in 1963 and gradually her portfolio increased, encouraged by those who could see not only her talent for spotting good dogs but also her calm, friendly but decisive ring manner.
By the time she decided to retire she was passed to award CCs for the vast majority of breeds. She was I think the first person, and certainly one of the very few, to judge all the groups at Crufts and in 1990 became one of the younger BIS judges there, choosing the West Highland White Terrier Ch Olac Moon Pilot.
Many breeds beyond those she was associated with regarded her as 'one of their own' - for example she had a special affection for Cockers and Eng-lish Springers and their enthusiasts and she was one of the few non-specialists welcomed by the Bull Terrier crowd. The Deerhound ladies were among the earli-est to promote her as a judge, and she supported the Bichon breed from its ear-liest days in the UK.
Always decisive in the ring, she was nevertheless anything but arrogant about her decisions and would often analyse them in depth - indeed many a Monday morning at work was spent listening to Feffie discuss her weekend's appointment and whether she got it right.
She enjoyed her many overseas appointments and was always a welcome visitor. She had a special bond with the Scandinavian enthusiasts, appreciating their dedication, their top class dogs and their superbly run shows, and among her many memorable trips were those to judge BIS at Montgomery County in the US and Sydney Royal in Australia. Her Australian visis were also a chance to meet up with her sister-in-law Robin and niece Caroline, who had emigrated there after Feffie's brother John had died tragically young.
As if all this were not enough her remarkable energy spread into administrative work, notably for the Ladies' Kennel Association, of which she succeeded Norah Hartley as chairman, always keen to maintain its traditions and to run a no-frills exhibitor-friendly show. She was the association's president at the time of her death, as she also was for UK Toy and the British Boxer Club. In latter days she was heavily involved with the Southern Cairn Terrier Club and one of her last journalistic tasks was proof-reading its centenary year book.
She joined the Kennel Club Ladies Branch in 1970 and later in that decade was one of Florence Nagle's most loyal supporters in the eventually successful battle to get women accepted as full members. Dog World campaigned hard for this and Feffie also supported a much more open membership process for the KC - sad that this wasn't achieved in her lifetime.
Many felt it a pity that she never served on what was then known as the General Committee, not feeling it appropriate to do so while still involved with the paper. However she had a long stint on the Judges Sub-Committee and, always remembering her grass-roots beginnings in the dog world, served as chairman of the Breeds Liaison Council.
Indeed she had time for everyone, at whatever level they were involved in the show scene, and even after she retired from judging would enjoy sitting ringside and chatting to friends old and new. I recall her telling me that at one show friends ensured she had the chance to take a good look at the new Cocker sensation 'Vinnie' and I'm sure that the resulting 'thumbs up' from someone with such a long-standing view of the breed would have been much appreciated.
One of my abiding memories is of when you travelled to a show with her, the great difficulty you had in getting her to leave the event! You could quite easily spend an hour getting her back to the car park while she stopped to chat to people from all sorts of breeds on the way out.
She had no qualms at driving the thousands of miles which her showing demanded, and for some years she and Stafford were among the early motorhomers, with friends always at the ready to help put up their awning. Being so busy she would usually leave her journeys to the last minute and being aware of her own tendency for unpunctuality would set her car clock exactly seven minutes early! Fond of sensible tweed suits and similar clothes, she had the endearing habit of keeping a record of exactly how many times she had worn each ensemble, to ensure she got her full money's worth from them.
HUMOUR
Those who saw only the distinguished, businesslike figure in the ring may not have appreciated her considerable sense of humour, especially evident among friends. I suspect that some may well have been surprised when she developed her comedy routine which became very popular at judges training sessions - 'How Not To Judge', demonstrating graphically everything a judge should avoid doing. It was hilarious and endeared her to a whole new generation of dog people.
I always thought she was a superb writer, clear and concise, and perhaps it was a pity that with all her other commitments she didn't do more beyond the weekly paper. She did compile an authoritative encyclopaedia of dog breeds, and Mrs Nagle asked her to compile her biography, a commitment Feffie fulfilled with great respect and distinction. How we wish we had printed more copies - it is a superb tribute to an astonishing woman. Her last regular task with Dog World was putting together the review of the year in the Annual and I well remember my trepidation when I was eventually asked to succeed her in this.
She enjoyed watching all sport but her great passion was cricket about which she would have long discussions with any dog people who shared this interest - she was an associate member of the MCC.
After she retired from she moved to the Malvern area where she was joined by her former DW colleague Bryan Mitchell in 2004 when he returned from two decades in Australia. She enjoyed spending time with local 'dog' friends such as Margaret Everton and Anne Roslin-Williams.
We are all grateful to Bryan for his care of Feffie as her health declined, both at home and in visiting her at a nearby care home where she spent the last 18 months. We remember the good times and if I've achieved anything in this brief résumé I hope it's to remind us all of what Feffie put into the making the world of dogs a better and more interesting place.
Simon Parsons
It was with sadness that we heard of the death last week of Ferelith (Feffie) Somerfield, but that sadness was tinged with a feeling of some relief that Feffie was now released from the horrible Alzheimer's disease that has plagued her final years. We prefer to remember her as she was during most of her life - a very bright and caring person who was conscientious in everything that she did. The word that keeps coming into my head about her is 'integrity', for as a person and as a judge that was a virtue that she had in spades.
Ferelith Somerfield came from a family of dog breeders and when I first knew her it was as Ferelith Hamilton, Assistant Editor of Dog World and daughter of Diana Hamilton of the famous Oudenarde Cairn Terrier kennel. Oudenarde had been founded in the 1920s by Feffie's aunts who were eventually joined by Diana their sister-in-law. I am not sure of the entire complement of breeds in the kennel, but I know that at one time or another it included, as well as Cairn Terriers, English Setters, Dalmatians, Border Terriers and Irish Terriers.
Latterly Feffie concentrated on the Cairns and the Irish Terriers and eventually when she married Stafford Somerfield she was involved in Boxers as well. I was initially involved with Feffie when I first wrote the Border Terrier breed notes in Dog World in 1965. She was then the Assistant Editor to Leo Wilson, and she took over from him as Editor of the paper some two years later. That was the beginning of a long association that I, and later Kate, had with her, first as a colleague and then as a friend.
There is no doubt that during her period at the helm of Dog World both as its Editor and then as its Chairman, it made huge progress and, eventually helped by Stafford Somerfield who had been Editor of the News of the World, its reputation for strong and sometimes campaigning canine journalism made it a force to be reckoned with.
Meantime it was as a judge too that Feffie became best known to the average dog show exhibitor, and not just in the UK but internationally as well. Feffie's brother lived in Australia so there was always an incentive for her to judge there and she awarded BIS at most of the Australian 'Royals'. But it was in the various breed rings that Feffie had the greatest respect. That was primarily because of her diligence as a judge. She was always careful to study the breed standard in detail before judging a breed and she never, like some so-called 'expert' judges, left the ring afterwards confident that she was right and everyone else was wrong. Quite often when I stewarded for her or was travelling with her abroad, she would come out of the ring at the end of judging saying – 'I'm not sure if I got that right there'. She worried about her judging and for that I admired her.
On the administrative side of dog showing too, she played several major roles. Some of these were in breed clubs but perhaps her major contribution in the administrative sphere was as Chair of the Ladies Kennel Association, a position she held for several years.
Feffie became a member of the Ladies Branch of the KC in 1970 and of the Club itself in 1979 and at the time of her death she was an Honorary Life Member of the KC. She was a member of the KC Judges Sub Committee as the Utility Group representative for about 20 years until 2010.
She was firmly of the view that the training and development of judges was an important issue, and she played a major role in that at both breed level and at a more general group level as well. Indeed, it was in conversation with her that we together thought up the fundamentals of the Judges Development Programme which we started for the Terrier Group. It then operated for several years in all groups until it was ditched by the KC more recently. Feffie was always an extremely diligent supporter of the scheme.
I think anyone reading this tribute would have to agree that Ferelith Somerfield was a true 'all-rounder' as far as the world of dogs is concerned. But, to every aspect of our hobby that she was involved in, she brought her great integrity and diligence whether as a journalist, a judge, an exhibitor, an administrator, a colleague, a mentor or most importantly of all – a friend.
It is sadly the case that in many ways we lost Feffie several years ago due to her illness, but during most of that time Bryan Mitchell was her carer. For that, all of us who knew her must thank Bryan for doing what at times must have been a very difficult job.
In losing Ferelith Somerfield we have lost one of the undoubted stalwarts of the world of dogs.
Ronnie Irving
In 1981, the Greater London OES Club was honoured when Ferelith Somerfield, the well-known all breed judge and former Editor of Dog World, agreed to be Patron of the newly formed club.
Ferelith had supported and encouraged the original officers and committee of the Greater London OES Club in their aim to consider the welfare of the dogs as paramount. She was pleased that the club put emphasis on care, grooming, obedience, ringcraft and pet ownership as well as show dogs.
In 1981 Ferelith thanked the club for choosing her to be their Patron and she came along to celebrate with us at our 30th Anniversary Show in 2012 (left). Now, over 40 years on, we thank her for being our supportive Patron and figurehead for so many years.
Ferelith will be remembered with much fondness by all the past and present officers and committees of the Greater London Old English Sheepdog Club. Our sincere condolences go to Ferelith's family and her many friends at this very sad time.
The Officers & Committee
