Jump to content
British Speedway Forum

Split Waterman 94 Years Young Today


norbold

Recommended Posts

21 minutes ago, OveFundinFan said:

Pathetic posts from both Iris123 and WalterPlinge who seem to have their own agenda.

Tell me what is pathetic about my post?4 people did turn up to protest.That is the truth.The number of fans turning up might be considered pathetic I guess,but making a comment that is fact isn’t.If anyone’s post is pathetic then it is yours

Edited by iris123
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, OveFundinFan said:

Pathetic in your case because it seems no matter what Gustix posts your more then willing to have a pop at him. If you dont like what Gustix posts then just ignore him, and stop being childish.

No you are being pathetic.I helped him with some info on the whereabouts of the DHL base for instance

What might be considered pathetic is calling Split Waterman a ‘colorful character’ even though he was improsoned for smuggling gold bullion and a couple of machine guns,but seem to think Tai Woffinden is the devil incarnate for the heinous crime of having a couple of tattoos!!!

This is a forum for debate and posts are there to be be questioned and gain a reaction both positive and negative.Why should anyone just ignore things?If someone don’t want a debate then I guess there are other places for that like a personal website

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a bit from an online site that mentions Split a few times

Cooper confirmed in court during the Kray trial that he’d made a living from gold smuggling, something to which Kapur was also connected. Two months before he was busted for manufacturing LSD, Kapur acted as a crown witness at Bow Street where he testified against former speedway champion Squire Francis ‘Split’ Waterman and three others who were charged with ‘attempted illegal export of gold, receiving gold bars, and possessing firearms and counterfeiting equipment’. This was reported in The Times of 23 September 1967. The case against Waterman ran in part that he’d been cutting and smelting gold from a bullion robbery in Clerkenwell, and that he’d enlisted Kapur’s aid in choosing and purchasing a furnace with which to do it. Likewise The Times of 19 July 1968 reported that in court testifying against the Krays, Cooper confirmed he was acquainted with Split Waterman who he knew to be both a gold smuggler and an arms dealer.

Under the headline ‘Four-Year Term For Split Waterman’, The Times of 20 March 1968 had already reported that the police believed Waterman to be a gun-runner as well as a gold smuggler. Reporting on the Kray trial on 20 July 1968, The Times records the claim that Waterman had fitted up an attaché case with a hypodermic syringe loaded with hydrogen cyanide, so that Cooper could furnish it to a third party who was to carry out an assassination for the Kray brothers. At the time this seemed an utterly fantastic escapade, but such methods of assassination were later taken up by eastern bloc security agencies. It is impossible for me to say exactly what Waterman, Cooper and Kapur, were doing; but it is reasonable to conclude that they were known to each other and collaborated on what were either criminal or intelligence enterprises, and possibly both

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Split Waterman was a colourful character and one of those that brought relief to the gloomy days post WW2, when even the then government maintained gloom and doom by imposing an entertainment tax

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, wealdstone said:

Split Waterman was a colourful character and one of those that brought relief to the gloomy days post WW2, when even the then government maintained gloom and doom by imposing an entertainment tax

Depends where you draw the line between colorful character and hardened criminal,i guess.A couple of machine guns and other weapons plus all the rest to make 4 years porridge tends to put him in the hardened criminal category.But of course he gets special dispensation being a speedway rider:rolleyes:

What makes it even more ridiculous,as I mentioned is gustix seems ok with the prison sentence for those crimes,but has an issue with Tai Woffinden appearance and behavior!!!What sort of morals are they?

Edited by iris123
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, iris123 said:

Depends where you draw the line between colorful character and hardened criminal,i guess.A couple of machine guns and other weapons plus all the rest to make 4 years porridge tends to put him in the hardened criminal category.But of course he gets special dispensation being a speedway rider:rolleyes:

What makes it even more ridiculous,as I mentioned is gustix seems ok with the prison sentence for those crimes,but has an issue with Tai Woffinden appearance and behavior!!!What sort of morals are they?

Sorry that you bring these things up all of which are true but came to light long after his heyday. I prefer to remember those  times when Split Waterman and his contemporaries  brought some enjoyment to otherwise drab lives. However I agree with you re Brexit

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I said it is a counter to the rather strange morals of one of the posters on here.And no idea if he wrote the article on this museum site,but it does seem to be a Hyamism to try and wash over his criminal life sort of pretend to be not sure if he spent time doing porridge or not!!

What he did after his speedway career can in no way denigrate his achievements,but does his character.And I am surprised that at the height of his fame and when 18,000 are turning up for a meeting only 4!!! fans turn up to protest for him.

And after all Hyam has in a number of articles mentioned speedway riders careers after speedway running motorbike shops or inventing devices etc.Their off- track escapades are deemed interesting,but someone gun running machine guns is all a bit fuzzy...,

Edited by iris123
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Privacy Policy