Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, The capital city of Malaysia in 1938. A group of ex Patriots decided to get fit and have a bit of fun too. They each took it in turns to lay a paper trail around the countryside for others to follow. They then thought that if it was non competitive then it would be more fun and maybe more people would get involved. They would then run in a group with the challenge being to find the trail. After their runs the group would return to the Selangor club in Kuala Lumpur for a meal and a drink.

It was A S Gispert, known as G, who thought up the name of Hash House Harriers. It has been said that it was this memorable name which more than anything helped turn the paper chase into the new sport..
A Hash house was a slang name for a cheap eating house. The harrier name was given to the English cross country runner. Other prominent members of the group were "Horse" Thomson who was so called because he looked like one, and "Torch" Bennett who had red hair, so began the tradition of apparently awarding hash names (Hash Handles).

Kuala Lumpur, being the original Hashing club, was known throughout the world as the Mother Hash. Since those early days hashing has spread throughout the world, and in 1997 there were 1470 hash chapters in existence in 187 countries. The numbers are rising all the time.

It could be said that the sport of Hashing has come on in leaps and bounds and it has now become truly international. Little could those few ex-pats back in 1938 guess what a monster they were creating, but it is them we have to thank for creating a truly magnificent pastime