norbold

Added some more Wimbledon, iris...

Thanks cyclone. That's a great site.

Just put some Wimbledon photos on. More to come...

Currently on eBay: TV Stars v. Speedway Riders' X1 "Programme from the Charity match played at Hornchurch Stadium,Upminster on 22/3/64. T.V Stars include;Jess Conrad,Mike and Bernie Winters and Bernard Bresslaw.I wouldn't know where to start with the Speedway Stars,so I won't bother!!" The seller is obviously not a fan. If someone buys it we can find out who the speedway team was. Any offers?

Yes. You've found me out!

The problem is I can't see a book on the horizon where they might be used. I have a few ideas for books. I shall be talking to the sports editor at Tempus in a couple of weeks to get a programme worked out. One of the books I hope to get a date for is the "Classic Matches" book I mentioned a few months ago. So keep thinking everyone. Hmmmm....I wonder if the match on 9 April 1928 at High Beech was a classic...

No-one said he was the last apprentice hangman at Tyburn. But it certainly was said at the time that he was the last apprentice hangman in Britain. Well said by him anyway! I believe we've been through all this before and we didn't come to any conclusion one way or the other.... Ah yes, just found these from a previous thread: 'Just another little contribution to the Tyburn Gallows debate and whether he really was an assistant hangman or not. I came across this information on another web site: "In 1964 the last two men in Britain were hanged for murder. The following year, parliament voted to abolish capital punishment, with overwhelming public support. The most famous public hangman, Albert Pierrepoint, had already retired with nearly 700 executions to his name. The passage of time has since seen the demise of every executioner and their assistants (Pierrepoint died in 1982). By 1994 Syd Dernley was the only former hangman alive in the UK." If Tyburn Gallows died after 1994 it would suggest that he never really was an assistant hangman (or, of course, that the article on the web is wrong!). Have we established when Tyburn went to the great scaffold in the sky yet?' And 'Found this on a site about the english hangmen Assistant executioners. There were many more names on the Home Office list of approved executioners over the period covered but they only acted as assistants and are, thus, not always recorded. Amongst the better known of these was Sid Dernley who assisted at 25 executions between 1949 and 1954 and also wrote a book called "The Hangman's Tale" detailing his experiences. Sid Dernley died in 1996.' The first contribution was from me; the second from kiwi.

If you're very good, I might put them on my Webshots page, when I get them.

As you will now if you have read my thread, "I used to go to speedway", on Speedway General Discussions I had a bit of a depressing day at the Essex History Fair yesterday talking to all those people who used to go to speedway but don't any more. Anyway, the good news is that there was one man who came up to me and said he thought he had some old negatives showing speedway at High Beech somewhere. He thought they were a bit blurry. He'd got them from a friend and put them away somewhere but thought he might be able to lay his hands on them if I was interested. Naturally I said I was very interested and he said he would see what he could do. This morning I received an e-mail from him saying he had found the negatives and they weren't as bad as he'd remembered; in fact they were quite sharp. They were in an envelope dated High Beech 9 April 1928. He asked if I still wanted copies. Do I!? The meeting on 9 April was the second meeting held at High Beech. Well, it makes yesterday worth while after all. Every cloud....

So I see now! Thanks for sending my back numbers so quickly Tony.

I agree with iris. It's not real. You need a real team to get the crowds in for a local derby. And if "Hackney" won, you couldn't really add them to the list of London Cup winners.

Hopefully, but where in London could a new track come from to race Wimbledon? Walthamstow's about the only place that's still got a suitable stadium and there's not much chance of a revival there I wouldn't have thought. It's all very sad...

Fred Leavis - Arthur Reynolds Jack Sharp - Jack Smythe Allen Kilfoyle - Jack Williams Jack Newlands - Speedy Jack Bert Gerrish - Herb Peters There was also Johnny Bull who may have been Eric Spencer, but may not... All of them rode at Norwich in the early 1930s. The reason they rode under assumed names was because they were contracted to ride for other clubs (Leavis and Sharp for Wimbledon for example) and Norwich was an unlicensed track.

Yes, they had to move quickly as the original plan was to run at Rochester but they were unable to obtain planning permission. Rochester Council itself had granted permission, but this was overturned by Kent County Council. By the time this happened the season had already started. In fact, the Bombers had already raced two away matches as Rochester. That was why the promotion team of Wally Mawdsley and Pete Lansdale with Maurice Morley as manager had to move quickly.

I had the pleasure of visiting Brooklands. Yes, indeed, very close to the action if you stood just behind the wall. Des Lukehurst. What a star!

Yes. 1963. It was Hackney's colours in the first year of their revival.

Ooops. Yes. Quite right. I'm off to change it now...

Stan Stevens. Now you're talking! Brilliant.

I think you might be underestimating Hoskins role at West Maitland. As far as I know, it was his idea to organise motor bike racing as part of the entertainment. It's just that it wasn't the first time it had happened.

The start of speedway is a minefield! Johnnie Hoskins, of course, always claimed he started it at West Maitland in December 1923, but the Americans had a similar sport just after the first world war - 1919 and early 20s - only it was on longer half mile and mile tracks. There is a report of a similar sport in South Africa in 1909. The earliest reference to motor cycles racing round an oval track comes from Ipswich, where a meeting took place on the Portman Road ground on 2 July 1904 on grass. Although Hoskins claimed he invented it there is evidence to suggest that, even in Australia, motor bikes were racing round oval circuits before 1923. As I said above, the Americans, in the shape of Maldwyn Jones and Eddie Brinck, are credited with inventing broadsiding well before the West Maitland meeting. Curiously though, in an article in a 1933 American motor cycle magazine, Sprouts Elder, an American, said that he visited Australia in the mid 20s and that was where he learnt the art of broadsiding. When brakes came off the bikes is still the subject of research and is uncertain. Like all these things, the sport evolved over a number of years from different beginnings. It is not as simple as saying Johnnie Hoskins invented it at West Maitland in 1923.

As a former New Cross and West Ham supporter, it pains me to say that I would have to go along with Hackney as the track that produced the best racing! It always semed to be well prepared and there was lots of passing. Mind you, all tracks seemed to be better prepared in the 60s...or is that the old rose tinted nostalgia spectacles again?

Frank Arthur and Sprouts Elder were at their best in the mid to late 20s. Maldwyn Jones is the man who is said to have invented broadsiding in America in the early 20s, so I suppose, at the time, there could have been no doubt that he was the greatest speedway rider in the world as he was probably the only one!

Yes, I'm so sorry. It is Vic Harding. I don't know how Barney Kennett got his name on the caption! I've just changed it.

For all you Hackney afficianados out there, I have just added a Hackney Album to my Webshots page. 37 photos in all ranging from the 30s to the 80s. Something for everyone! Even Uncle Ted for Shazzy... http://community.webshots.com/user/norbold

Exactly. Where are Frank Arthur and Sprouts Elder, not to mention Maldwyn Jones...