Stamford Bridge

[dantodan]

I often get questions from visitors to my www.defunctspeedway.co.uk website like thye following: -

 

Would you know the names of any speedway drivers killed at Stamford Bridge?

 

My grandmother never revealed the name of my mother's father.

 

When pressed all she would say is that he was a speedway rider who had killed in a crash at Stamford Bridge.

 

I have no way of knowing if the story was try, but given the limited period racing took place there, it is a possibility.

 

So can you help?

[iris123]

19 year old Charlie Biddle was killed a few weeks after the first meeting in 1928

[dantodan]

Thanks Iris

 

Sad as it is your comment may help my website visitor. You may like to visit the Defunct Speedway site and check out the Stamford Bridge page

[Guest compost]

Remembered that the Researcher website used to have an 'In Memorandum' page. It's been moved to

 

http://speedwayinmemoriam.yolasite.com/

 

and lists pretty much everyone killed on a British track.

 

The chap Iris mentions appears to be the only one listed for Stamford Bridge though.

 

Hope this helps.

[chunky]

http://speedwayinmem...m.yolasite.com/

 

and lists pretty much everyone killed on a British track.

It's not just British tracks, but anywhere in the world.

 

The chap Iris mentions appears to be the only one listed for Stamford Bridge though.

Charlie Biddle is the only one I've found so far. Although the track had a relatively short speedway history, it was during a period when fatalities were not uncommon, so it wouldn't surprise me if there were more. Having said that, I would have thought they would have surfaced by now.

 

Steve

[speedyguy]

On a deviation about fatalities at Stamford Bridge, it's sad to think that the track was dormant from the end of 1932, with a variety of excuses as towhy it couldn't be used for speedway, then briefly reopened in early 1948 when an American midget car team was based there.

[Guest]

I doubt there is anyone living who saw speedway racing at Stamford Bridge which closed at the end of 1932. But there may be a few who saw the American midget car team that was based there for a month in 1948.

[iris123]

Split Waterman is old enough to have!!!

When I first went to the Bridge the track was still there I seem to remember,but never saw anything but football and fisticuffs 

Edited December 31, 2018 by iris123

[Guest]

A trip down the Stamford Bridge Memory Lane;

http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/Stamford Bridge.htm

[iris123]

On ‎12‎/‎31‎/‎2018 at 11:22 AM, gustix said:

I doubt there is anyone living who saw speedway racing at Stamford Bridge which closed at the end of 1932. But there may be a few who saw the American midget car team that was based there for a month in 1948.

There is a bit of film of the racing at the Bridge.Seems the cars didn't use the original speedway track bends,but ran inside.Quite a decent crowd.Looks like the sport has dwindled a bit from those days.Is there any footage of speedway at the track,i wonder?

 

[Guest]

59 minutes ago, iris123 said:

There is a bit of film of the racing at the Bridge.Seems the cars didn't use the original speedway track bends,but ran inside.Quite a decent crowd.Looks like the sport has dwindled a bit from those days.Is there any footage of speedway at the track,i wonder?

 

This was May 1948, A staggering 50,000 crowd fans packed Stamford Bridge for the opening meeting, mainly because film star Lana Turner put in a celebrity appearance. The meetings featured American drivers.

[25yearfan]

I wonder why speedway never returned to Stamford Bridge in the immediate years after the war, given how popular the sport was then, the track still existed and the midget car meetings were well attended?

[Guest]

Stamford Bridge speedway on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamford_Bridge_Pensioners

[25yearfan]

Thanks for the Wikipedia information. It looks like it would have been possible to have accommodated speedway after the 2nd World War as is proved by the car racing!

[iris123]

16 hours ago, 25yearfan said:

I wonder why speedway never returned to Stamford Bridge in the immediate years after the war, given how popular the sport was then, the track still existed and the midget car meetings were well attended?

Not sure speedway was a great success there.Accordingbto ‘Homes Of British Speedway’,the promoter changed annually and it seems at least the first two years only 3 riders could compete in scratch races with no flying starts,just push starts as the track was too narrow and dangerous.In 1930 the straights were widened though,but the bends were very square because of the football pitch.Maybe it just wasn’t suited to the sport and no subsequent promoter wanted to take the risk?And after the war maybe Wimbledon was just too close?

Would have been great to have seen a meeting there though