RobMcCaffery

Nothing wrong with 'sitting on the fence' if you genuinely cannot decide - it's a sign of honesty, not a sign of weakness. Rob McCaffery.

Rob, we're hearing some very interesting information here so making snap judgements is really secondary. Based on what I've seen here so far I would tend towards High Beech 7/4 at this stage but I'd say it's far too complex and subjective to 'nail colours to masts'. Droylsden seems to have as much claim as any number of race meetings described by Norman in the 1900s. I had hoped that my previous posting would have explained my reasoning. Much as we would like them to be most things really aren't simply 'black and white'. Rob McCaffery.

How do you know? I suspect I've watched speedway on many tracks with no trace of shale or cinders. Hasn't the definition of a speedway track normally included the term "loose surface"? I think what's clear from Norman's article is that speedway's beginnings, like many sports, especially the various forms of football were evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Despite the Webb Ellis story in Rugby that sport struggles to define its first match, likewise association football. Key dates in those histories though were the creation of a universal rule-book and the establishment of formal competitions but nonetheless neither can declare an event as being the first football or rugby match. Now speedway's origins are more recent of course and fall within a period well-recorded by press, photographers and even film-makers. Accordingly there is the temptation to try to establish a certain 'first' which speedway has generally adopted over the years to be at West Maitland for the world as a whole and High Beech for the UK. Both are convenient creations to give the sport a foundation. Norman's piece stressed how this whole debate is uncertain - it depends on selecting criteria let alone finding an event that matches all or enough to qualify, and personal opinion always comes into it. If we disregard Norman's criteria such as an absence of brakes or racing anti-clockwise on a loose surface we might as well go right back before Droylsden to those meetings that Norman described back in the 1900s. My own suggestion of criteria would be: Primary: Motorcycles racing on a small oval with a loose surface anticlockwise without any braking system, using power slides/broadsiding to corner. Secondary: Four or six riders using a clutch start from a starting gate racing four laps (normally) and using helmet colours to identify riders and race jackets or suits to identify the team. The use of a safety fence on the outside of the circuit only (early Arena Essex being an exception of course). One other which I could throw in would be racing under a single set of rules specifically applying to the sport of speedway, issued by a governing body dedicated to the supervisioon of the sport - SCB, whether Board or Bureau. Like I say, it's all a matter of opinion rather than absolute fact. As Norman correctly pointed-out, we can only be certain that we are uncertauin. Rob McCaffery.

I've always thought the use of helmet colours to have been a vital part of speedway and it's interesting to see how early they were introduced. Using a simple colour-coding made speedway races so easy to follow compared to other motor sports - easier to read simple helmet colours than looking for race numbers or race jackets often in poorly-lit stadia. Easiest to say to a newcomer - "We're in red and blue". Rob McCaffery.

Known in some parts down south as a "Croydon facelift". Rob McCaffery.

When the Rockets closed in 1993 it affected me badly and I couldn't raise the enthusiasm to go anywhere else for some time. Being based in London then my other option was Arena Essex but I've never been a fan of the place due to its dreadful lack of facilities and the poor racing so the options were pretty limited at the time. Ironically once we fought to get the Rockets back in 1999 I then had to give them up after thirty years the following season. People really do screw things up for you sometimes. It's still odd - I can't relate to the post 2000 Rockets as my team but I suppose the years of commentating gave me the ability to enjoy meetings as a neutral. There are times when I could just do with having a local team to head to every week, just find a quiet corner and enjoy without all the complications that getting involved bring. When the Rockets were at Rayleigh they were two miles from me - it's been 36 years since I had a truly local track. Maybe Bristol could be an opportunity if it comes off. Rob McCaffery.

I said Easter, not Easter Monday - Saturday was Easter Saturday - deliberate ambiguity... Either way it's a superb piece by Norman. Rob McCaffery.

An excellent piece Norbold. The first meeting really comes down to interpretation. I agree with your suggestion that the Easter meeting at the rebuilt High Beech should be seen as the first true speedway meeting in Britain. Either way that was a very interesting read, well-written. The core elements to define a speedway meeting that you identified as machines with no brakes racing on a small oval with loose surface permitting broadsiding are very sound. Were you able to establish the first meeting at which races consisted of four riders racing over four laps? I know clutch starts at a starting gate came a fair bit later but when did we first see helmet colours? Rob McCaffery

I mainly only use it for popular culture such as music or sport where the information isn't that important and the usually obvious garbage can often be quite amusing (cf. Bob Holness' alleged playing of the sax solo on Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street). While the system is obviously open to abuse references are usually quoted to support points made and where they are absent the site usually carries a comment or warning. Despite the drawbacks it has its uses, as I say just extra caution is required. By the way dictionaries and etymologies cannot be totally relied upon either, nor can encyclopaedias. The core of any search for knowledge is to take information from as many sources as possible, ideally primary and then to attempt to filter out bias and reconcile the various 'facts' that are so presented, always using the maxim "history is written by the winners". However when it comes to discussing the use of a dated piece of popular culture on a speedway race jacket and since I don't have a subscription to an online encyclopedia service life really is too short to do more than refer to Wikipedia, to be quite honest. Rob McCaffery.

Any source of information should always be viewed critically, particularly when opinion is involved. However it would be downright stupid to take the opposite view and blindly ignore Wikipedia. A few years back when researching that part of Kent as part of my Sittingbourne work I happened upon a website called 'sheppeyisscum' which listed the education system for the island as something like 6 primary schools, two secondary and a prison and also listed the best pubs to find a fight in. To get back to the point, this then developed into 'chavscum' as the organisers decided to focus on the youth market Rob McCaffery.

Wikipedia has an article on the subject of Chad/Kilroy. Yes I KNOW how reliable it is but it's a start ;-) I believe the character was called Mister Chad by the way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad_(graffiti) There was also a theory that the cartoon was a corruption of a sine wave which loops up above a line, under then back over symmetrically. The chad nose was the central 'dip' and the hands the left and right curves. Either way it was perhaps one of the more unfortunate uses of a very short-lived piece of fashionable culture that was soon very outdated. Knowing Liverpool I can imagine that anything silly that took the mickey out of wartime austerity would strike a chord locally though. I think the "What no speedway" angle is tenuous though. Rob McCaffery

It's interesting to see that I wasn't the only one to see this piece - a letter in this week's Speedway Star refers and shows a clip of the article including picture. Rob McCaffery

I preferred the other version where the vowel in the first name was changed - but this IS a family forum... Rob McCaffery

Wasn't Flash Gordon number one for the Rebels? (Ooops - it's a Rayleigh v Eastbourne thing.....even after nearly 40 years - I blame that guy Lanning....) Rob McCaffery.

I was in Essex over the weekend on family business and to my surprise found a story about former Hackney Hawk Jimmy Gooch in the Maldon Standard. Unfortunately there's no on-line version so I can't give a link but here's the gist of the story: "Daredevil Goochie 'appreciates life' " (by Adam Cornell) " A former speedway star is still racing around, jumping from planes and helping his community - despite turning 82 this year. Jimmy "Goochie" Gooch cycles 20 miles a day from his home in Bradwell to get supplies for all his elderly neighbours and to keep himself "upright" - having been told more than 30 years ago he would never walk again. Last year he completed a charity parachute jump to raise money for the Essex Air Ambulance - with another now planned for this year..." It's obviously a 'local human interest' piece rather than news but it goes on to mention that Jimmy's life included 'the Army, circus, international speedway, foster children, microlights, scuba diving, paragliding, boat building and a host of other adventures'. He goes on to pay tribute to his wife of 50 years, Everil and the piece then tells how he joined the Royal Army Service Corps and became the British Army of the Rhine Combined Services speedway champion in 1949 before going on to sign for Wembley Lions 60 years ago before eventually reaching the World Speedway final in 1965. The piece also claims that he was once temporarily sacked for knocking out team mate Ove Fundin. Since retiring from Hackney in 1970, just before reaching 42 he began work as a maintenance engineer at a local caravan park where he built a landing strip for a microlight. In 1973 he reportedly broke both ankles in a paragliding accident and was told he would never walk again but recovered to cycle more than 200,000 miles since. He's also built a 47 foot yacht that he sails on the River Blackwater and uses for diving expeditions. Well, it's good to hear one of our former heroes having a full life after the sport. I hope this was of interest. Rob McCaffery.

Just the same as it was from 1972-85. Attitudes have changed though. Rob McCaffery.

Both were there when it ran speedway but times change. Thanks for confirming the situation though. Ironically I passed through the town on Saturday but I didn't get the chance to take a look. I think the football club moved out a long time back. It wasn't running at a very high level. Vauxhall Motors play in Ellesmere Port but at a different ground. Rob McCaffery.

Despite what you may think after sampling some town centres at weekends many many people consume alcohol without taking it to excess and causing severe social problems. Only few become addicted. Can you say the same about heroin and cocaine? The 'less harmful than alcohol' argument is trotted out by many people, usually to justify the use of cannabis. Unfortunately the real drug problem is not someone getting off their face with 'waccy baccy'. Personally, my dislike of cannabis is down to the fact that it is a very personal inward pleasure whereas alcohol tends to be a social matter. There is a heck of a difference between smoking hash and injecting heroin. Addiction is everywhere though - just listen to people going on about how desperately they need to 'put the kettle on' or 'need a coffee to get started'. Ultimately though Andy committed a crime - fact. It's awful that he felt forced to do so but there are plenty of people short on cash who don't turn to crime to sort the problem out. Rob McCaffery

Also Andy's crime related to supply which is treated far more seriously in law than use which is Doherty's usual crime. Rob McCaffery.

Ah I so miss going to London Road for the automatic two points, waving goodnight to Bryn in the supporters' hut as he cheerily wished us safe journey back under the river - and the chance to see if those stuffed budgies on plinths had learned to talk yet (For those who didn't experience the 'birdcage' one of the souvenirs there was a plinth-mounted red & yellow kestrel) Those were the days. Rob McCaffery.

It was The Magnificent Seven. At Rye House in Len Silver's two spells in charge they've used "Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines", as they did when the Rockets raced at Rayleigh. During my few years as announcer at Hoddesdon working for Ron Russell that tune was strictly off-limits so, looking for a march with a more up-to-date feel I used a sequence from "Hooked on Sousa" - basically a jazzed-up version of traditional marches that was part of the "Hooked On Classics" project. That was 1989-93. I also ended each meeting with Elton John's Rocket Man over the same period and in the comeback year in 1999. Mind you - the very last tune I played as a Rockets' announcer was Meat Loaf's ballad "Lost Boys and Golden Girls" - I think I knew I wasn't going back ;-) I had to edit the Sousa sequence since it started with "The Liberty Bell" and I wasn't having the Rockets march out to the Monty Python theme... Rob McCaffery.

I wouldn't know - I can only comment on video from 1982 onwards I'm afraid. Rob McCaffery.

Thanks Ken for confirming the worst. I got the information from the guy who made the Screen Sport programmes for him (owned the truck & equipment, directed and credited them) . I'm not surprised he ditched the archive. As for those world finals they will be of limited quality. I voiced a couple of finals for him and it was just one camera on the terracing. Looks like you're our best hope Ken. Hmm - got much Rayleigh footage by the way? Rob McCaffery.

That's good to hear. Sadly, attempts to track down the KM Video/Screen Sport archive have drawn a blank Rob McCaffery.

My only defence was the lateness of the hour - and perhaps it was a subconscious desire to wish a plaque on these shopping centres, er plague? Rob McCaffery