speedyguy

The sad thing is, once a myth is created it's perpetuated by always being the last source of reference. Corrcetions if made to errors are often weeks later in regard to written works and sadly never picked up by researchers. The assumption is that the FIRST writing is correct even if it's not.

FRANCE - INTERNATIONAL MATCH RACES - All at Buffalo Stadium, Paris, 1932 season:: May 20: England three wins by Jack Parker; USA one win by Ray Tauser; France 0 - starter Charles Bellisent. June 17: Germany four wins - Hans Wunder two wins, Alfred Rumwich and Herbert Drews one each; France two wins both by Charles Bellisent; no wins by Andre Bourgeois, no wins by Fernand Meynier. June 19: England five wins - Arthur Westswood two wins, Jack Parker one win, *Art Warren one win, *Frank Arthur one win; France one win by Charles Bellisent, Jean Roger no wins, Fernand Meynier no wins, Vorgnes no wins. *Warren and Arthur actually Australians.

In July 1947. promoter Victor Boston organised a series of match races between French and Italian riders at the Buffalo Stadium, Paris, as support to a visit by a British midget car team. The French riders were Fernand Meynier, Leon Boulard, Charles Bellisent and Paulo Mugnier. The Italians tracked two riders Francesco Gandi and Francois Peraldi. I do not have any race results.

The French star Charles Bellisent competed in a series of London meetings in 1928 and again in 1929. Is there any record of him riding at Stamford Bridge. His last UK outing was at Tamworth in August 1948 where he defeated the home team's captain Steve Langton (Australia) in a match race.

In the late 1950-1960 French meetings, veteran Jean Landru was still competing, while another French rider active at this time was Pierre Bellisent, the son of Charles. Claude Boston was another French rider, and there was also a Spanish rider Alberto Sirvan. English riders included George Bason, Stan Tebby (Jim's dad), Pete Rogers and Bill Pittingale.

The origins of French speedway are extremely interesting but it was virtually on the way out by 1938. After the war ended, a few meetings were held at the Buffalo Stadium, Paris, in 1946 and 1947, but no major activity. In the 1950s and 1960s meetings took place on a on-eoff basis at various stadiums in Northern France. I think there is now only one speedway in France, staging an annual meeting - but there may be more meetings than that at the track? A French Championship still takes place.

I am certain that the French rider Fernand Meynier rode for a team in the 1929 Northern League, while Charles Bellisent had some sort of links with West Ham and/or Wimbledon that season.

At one time in the late 1920s - 1930s, there were about 12 tracks running in France. They even staged their version of the world championship in those years - the last was in 1937.

French rider Ives de Lathe had trials for Crystal Palace in 1929 but was handicapped by using a Triumph motorcycle and frequently fell after a couple of laps.

Ah yes, P1928. The great days the late 1920a and early 1930s with top French riders like Jean Landru, Fernand Meynier and Charles Bellisent - and others. They were all class riders in speedway's pioneer days. I could name more but there's a lamp post blocking my view at the moment!

You may wonder what my agenda is but I have done a google search and Stamford Bridge originally opened as an athletics track in the 1880s and was promoted by the London Athletics club. Football arrived in 1905, but the athletics track remained, so some motorcycle demos in 1927 MIGHT have taken place. Obviously the start of speedway in 1928 would have been on the base of the old athletics track. "This is a great topic but why is it still called 'Footage of West Ham'?

I'll be very surprised (mind the lamp post!) if there was any sort of motorcycle action at Stamford Bridge in 1927. If there was I wonder why news of it has taken 83 years to surface? I think there was an athletics track there at the time, so I suppose it's feasible.

Well that's pretty conclusive evidence!

Besides his great knowledge of Yarmouth, Keith Farnam was also an expert on the early 1930s largely unlicenced grass-speedway tracks of East Anglia. The competitors included 'Johnny Bull' and Wimbledon's Fred Leavis (or was that the same person, Fred under an alias?) and also the 'mystery man' Alvin 'Spike' Rhiando who, some suspect, was the unknown American rider AJ Franchetti who turned up at Stamford Bridge in 1932.

Renowned speedway researcher Keith Farman, best known for his work on behalf of Yarmouth and the sport in East Anglia, died yesterday (Friday December 4 2009) at 3am. Condolences to his family. He will be missed not only by his family but many who only knew him through speedway. Keith's funeral has been arranged for 12.40pm Thursday December 17 at Gorleston Crematorium.

Another interesting note - in 1939 Palace had two Canadians in their squad - Charlie Appleby (who died after a track accdient when with Birmingham in 1946) and Eddie 'Flash' Barker. The latter was an all-in-wrestler who turned to speedway at West Ham in 1938 (alongside fellow countrymen Eric Chitty and Jimmy Gibb). Barker was back in England iin 1947 - again as wrestler and linked with the London promoters Dale Martin Promoters. Mind the lamp post!

A major debate now on http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/oldtimespeedway is debating when the 19in rear wheel was introduced in preference to the old 22in rear wheel." Learned debate' has varied from 1956 to 1959 - with 1956 seemingly the favourite year. Any views on when it was OFFICIALLY introduced? WITW!! Er, mind the lamp post. WITW!

Jerzy Szackiel was the best rider on the day he won the world championship. It was no fluke - he had an excellent international standing - take a look at various competitions. He was ridiculed in the UK because that's the way most journalists liek to do things - just study reports on any sport where England'Englishmen are beaten.

From what I remember in my dealings with speedway management at Wimbledon Stadium that's very much how the 1991 demise. Another great backer of the sport in those days was the general manager Jimmy James, very much John Cearns right-hand man.

On the Crystal Palace rider database on the http://londonspeedways.proboards.com/index.cgi these riders are named for the team: Les Trim, Keith Harvey, Bob Lovell, Charlie Challis, Vic Weir, Mick Mitchell, George Gower, Ron Clarke, Charlie Appleby, George Liddle, George Dykes, Eddie Barker, Ernie Pawson, Andy Markham, Bronco Slade, Charlie Page, Austin Humphries Has any other club had so many riders with the same first name: The Palace had three Charlies (with respect!) Challis, Appleby, Page: there were also three Georges - Gower, Liddle, Dykes. And, er! Mind the lamp post!

There was also a problem - I think - that part of the site was in a different municipal area to that where some sort of tentative approval had been given.

The http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/oldtimespeedway has identified two Arthur Manns for the early 1930s. One Australian - seemingly the West Ham and Australia rider in the early England v Overseas series. The other was Scottish riding mainly at White City Glasgow. Mind the lamp post!

Besides Blos Bromfield, the debate on http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/oldtimespeedway has now found another 'Unknown' in the Overseas team for the match - Arthur Mann. However, it would appear from the latest research on the topic that Bromfield was a West Ham jnior - again nothing known about his nationality - at the moment.

There has been a correction in the spelling of the rider's name. It is Blos Bromfield. It seems he was third in heat two behind George Greenwood and Norman Evans, ahead of his team mate Ron Johnson (Australia). Third in heat six behind Jim Kempster, his team mate Charlie Spinks (Overseas), but ahead of Roger Frogley. In heat eight he was second to George Greenwood. ahead of Evans and Charlie Datson (Overseas).

Didn't the 'Cisco Kid' ride for Eastbourne in 1954 and later have a successful career in stock cars, mainly at West Ham? 'Cisco Kid' aka Johnny Fry - also second halfs West Ham, Oxford, Yarmouth and Rayleigh. A bit of a character off-track...!