Photograph - Babs Filer

Babs was a legendary figure in the history of the club, as this extract from 1930/31 in Danny Davies' history explains: 'This is the season about which to refer to Miss B. C. Filer, known to this day as Babs, in her own right of service to the club established for herself, a part of its history. Our club’s first bar was created from an oblong slice of the lofty gymnasium which joined the rear of our fine old pavilion and changing quarters of the Rugby and Cricket clubs. A space beyond it was utilised by the caterers, marshalls, for providing after match meals for players, it was large enough for a piano and to hold sing-songs. In its initial period, the bar had experienced four or five staff changes, until, in November 1930, “ Babs" was appointed stewardess at the princely salary of £2 weekly. Quite a very young woman, her teens in fact, tall, good-looking, with a decorative taste and many other good attributes. She was to serve the Cardiff Athletic Club continuously until 1973 when, following a period in hospital and home with a nasty varicose ulcer, she retired from full service on a very well earned pension from the Cardiff Athletic Club. During her service in the very first bar, its extensions, the old club house under the former north stand, and in the more palatial new clubhouse of ours opened in 1956, she established an unflappable control over her domain and staff. All sections of the club were well truly catered for, but it was the Rugby club and its players and officials, naturally, which claimed most of her attention down the years. Consequently she became known to all Rugby football, and kindred sportsmen, at home and abroad. Her mail became greater than that of the greatest players of international reputation. During World War II with bombs and land mines dropping on the Cardiff Arms Park, Babs, in modern parlance, kept her cool “, when, owing to various war services, few officials were at hand in emergencies. Calmness and courage were needed then, she was surely worth a decoration some sort....Throughout my long history with the Cardiff Club, I could always count on her immediate co-operation, we have been associated very many happy occasions, our friendship is mutual. 'Babs' Filer made our club a happy rendezvous for many thousands, she well merits the space I have given her in my effort to write the history of the Cardiff Rugby Club.