Vintage speedway mag, film evening, 8/11/03

[Sean 3]

wasn't sure where to put this topic, so i decided this as being the best place.

 

Last night i attended a very good film evening, held at the Kings Oak Pub in High Beach, Essex, the spiritual home of speedway. In attendance, and answering questions about his career, was Wales's only speedway champion, Freddie Williams, Gp referee Tony Steele, and Stan Stevens.

The evening opened with an interview with Freddie by John Chaplin, about his World Championship wins and other stories from long ago.

Then we watched some footage that had been found and painstakingly remastered by Tony Steele, that included film from a very early meeting at Hackney, called Flying Cinders, followed by a meeting highlights colour cine film of Ashfield(Glasgow) V Norwich from 28th June 1949. The Giants won by the way, 50-34! :x

Next we watched a world championship qualifying round from Ashfield, dated 5th July 1949 and another World Championship qualifier, from the next day from Glasgow White City.

folowing a short interval, where Tony Steele, changed the film reel, we carried on with a really weird short programme called "heres how to in sport" depicting what it was like in those days to learn speedway. Another helping of Glasgow White City first V Newcastle from June 29th 1949, and Glasgow White City V Edinburgh 21st June 1948, which i won't talk about the score for fear of reprise from the Monarchs fans!

Then it was off to Brough Park for a Northumberland Charity Cup meeting in the presence of The Duchess of Northumberland from 5th July 1948.

The second reel finished with a stroy from Tommy Price, using some film from his private family collection, and billled as

"a rare insight to the life of an inetrnational speedway rider before air travel and roll on roll off ferries were the norm, told through Tommys own family footage." Very interesting piece of footage showing Tommy on swedish tracks, with no amenities or stadium, just tracks in fields in the middle of nowhere.

During the next interval, John Chaplin interviewed Stan Stevens. for those who don't remember the name, he was one of only four survivors(another of which was Colin Pratt) of the Lokerim Road disaster, which took the lives of 6 of our sportsmen late in the 60's on a trip back from a meeting in Holland. Stan spoke very uneasily about the incident, and descibing to us all, what happened that fateful night. Stories about the Doctor that operated on the riders, and how he spent 14 hours constant in surgery trying to save them. A very moving story.

The final reel was a film about the diversity of Wembley Stadium, and all the sports that graced it , and took us to Rye house where the Lions had training sessions. wow, the place hasn't changed since 1949!!! the Refs box is still there!

The final piece of film was a day in the life kind of thing with Split Waterman taking his first steps into the Wembley team, and having try outs for the most prestigous club in the world. A part of this film was given over to Splits first meeting for Wembley, against Odsal, where a crowd of 60,000 graced the terraces!!! it also showed the workshops at Wembley where the fully trained Mechanics looked after the bikes, and an office in the stadium that stored the names,address's and details of the biggest speedway supporters club in the world, the 100,000 strong Wembley Lions Speedway Supporters Club.

 

all in all, a very good evening, watching film of the likes of Ken Lebreton, Jack and Norman Parker, Phil Clarke, Ken McKinley, Freddie Williams and Tommy Price, riders that i never saw in there day, but have been lucky to see on film.

[Guest cheetahhawk]

Glad you enjoyed the evening Sean.Are there any plans for any more of these film evenings :?: as I couldn't get over to High Beach yesterday.

I would love to be able to take my Aunt and Uncle along to something like this as they did see most of those riders when they first started going to New Cross.I think the only one I remember seeing ride was Ken McKinlay.

Of course I did see Jack Parker at the 1978 meeting at Hackney but I never really saw him racing when he was in his prime.

 

By the way the Lokeren disaster was in July 1970,but I remember it happening as though it were yesterday. Not something I like remembering of course but it was all over the Evening News and Standard papers that day and that evening's West Ham home meeting (against Wembley I think) was postponed as a mark of respect for those that lost their lives.

[norbold 7,101]

Thanks for the report Sean. I'm glad it was a good evening. Were there many there? I was supposed to be there, but I caught Son of Norbold's viral infection and wasn't really well enough to go. Did you see my empty table? :-(

[Sean 3]

ah...i did wonder where you was!!

 

There was around 100 people there, a good turn out, and as this was the first one they had tried, i guess CH, that its best to ask Peter Lipscomb or John Chaplin if they plan anymore!

as for the "Lokeran disaster" (thanks for the spelling!), i have never read anything about it before, and being around a month old when it happened, i can only go by what was said last night by Stan. this is the first time i have heard about the tragic incident, and was amazed that i hadn't read about it any where. i did ask Peter Lipscomb after the show, if there was a possibility of the story appearing in VSM in the coming issues, and he has said it could well do!

 

any idea where i can find any archive material about it? i know its sounds morbib to think i want to read about it, but as i say, i was young, and never knew until last night, what happened.

[Custom House Kid 45]

West Ham Held a Memorial Meeting on Sunday 20th Sept 1970 still have the Programme!

 

Line up!

 

G Hay 6pts, M Ashby (Hackney) 13pts,R Trigg (Cradley Heath) 4pts, O Nygren 6pts, C Lofqvist 14 pts, I Mauger(Belle Vue) 15 pts, D Gifford (Newcastle) 1pt, B Harkins (Wembly) 5pts, R Wilson (Leicester) 8pts, M Simmons (Kings Lynn) 9pts, T Clarke 8pts, Barry Briggs (Swindon) 12pts, A Casper 2pts, K Mckinlay (Coventry) 1Pt, T Betts (Kings Lynn) 10pts, R France (coventry) 2pts

 

Reserve S Harrfeldt 1Pt, D Piddock DNR

 

Not a bad line up :!:

[miro 9]

What became known as the the Lokeren Disaster was a minibus accident on the road between Antwerp and Ghent in Belgium on July 14th 1970, taking a West Ham selet home from Holland - one of the dead, former rider Phil Bishop - the 'India Rubber Man' and 'King of Crash' mentioned on here before - often organised meetings abroad, at that time in particular the Dutch Gold Helmet in Amsterdam (see the Speedway Image Bank site for photos).

 

Riders killed were Martyn Piddock, a brilliant young English prospect, at West Ham after starting at Canturbury, Gary Everitt former Hackney rider than at Wimbledon, and Australians Peter Bradshaw and Malcolm Carmichael. Injured were Stan Stevens, Gary Hay, mechanic Rory Sullivan and Colin Pratt - the same one.

 

It was national news at the time and certainly cast a shadow over the sport. £8508 was raised in donations and a memorial meeting at West Ham drew 7500. Those details and photos are found in the Champions Book of Speedway no2.

 

Regards

[Sean 3]

thanks for that Miro, thats the first time i have seen any reference to the unfortunate incident and the riders who was lost. i do recall Stan mentioning Peter Bradshaw, and Colin Pratt, but they were the only two he spoke about.

[Guest cheetahhawk]

Sean, I still have the newspaper cuttings somewhere referring to Lokeren.If I can find them I will copy them onto the forum for you to read.It may be a little while before I find them as I have moved several times since then and most of my speedway things are in boxes in my loft but I will do my best to see if I can find them. I don't think for one minute that you are being morbid,we should all know a bit of history of our sport be it good or in this case bad.

[Sean 3]

i'd be very interested in reading them .

thanks CH

[Custom House Kid 45]

Program Notes buy Paul Parish. Editor: Speedway Star & News . Remembers those who failed to return from lokeren 20th Sept 1970 Lokeren Memorial Trophy!

 

Everyone knew Phil Bishop. He was that sort of man. Anywhere speedway has been staged the name of Phil Bishop was famous.

Typical of the universal popularity was the inclusion of an action picture of Phil in this year’s (1970)World Final program from Poland.

But looking back on a career of 42yrs in speedway it was little wonder that he became so famous-more famous than men that have become World Champion!

Phil rode nearly everywhere speedway was staged and was disappointed by the fact that he never had the chance to appear in Japan of the Soviet Union. His Speedway racing life started at High Beech in 1928 when he took part in the meeting that is popularly favored as Britains first look at dirt track racing. Phil would recall he fell off!

In the ensuing years Phil became aquatinted with as many hospitals as he had countries. He broke every bone in his body at some stage of his racing career.

When the time came for him to retire from riding Phil a wheelwright by trade, became a keen administrator. He linked with West Ham as team manager where his experience and fatherly guidance were invaluable to the young men at his command.

He retained a link with Holland where his track deeds had made him a hero. It was from one of his trips to Holland-the last for speedway, he had said- that this most horrible tragedy occurred.

Phil Bishop pioneer, sportsman and gentleman, will be remembered whenever the sound of a speedway engine can be herd.

Instant successes are rare in speedway. But in its own way, Peter Bradshaw’s 1st appearance in Britain was one of those occasions.

It was for Kings Lynn’s second team in 1969 and Peter did well enough to show that Lynn that he was Division One material. After that he stayed in the top flight and earned his international colours. At the beginning of 1970 season the good looking man from Melbourne switched to West Ham. It was a move that delighted him.

With a wife and son he settled down in Britain, living near Harlow.

His Stay at west Ham was all too brief. During that time he broke a collar bone and it was not long after he had been declared fit to race again that the tragedy of Lokeren befell him.

It takes courage to come half way round the world to try your luck in speedway. But Malcolm Carmichael., another young man from Melbourne , did that without very little warning.

He palled up with Roy Trigg in Australia and in fact was living with Triggy in South London at the time of the Lokeren tragedy. It was Trigg who suggested that Mal should try his luck in Britain.

A Number of tracks gave the young Aussie a chance in their second halves, Including West Ham. It seemed that a team place in either Division 0ne or Two wouldn’t be too long coming.

Phil Bishop invited Mal on the trip to Holland and he accepted any chance of a ride, any chance to broaden his experience.

It is Ironic that Carmicheal’s story should run on a similar lines to that of Dave wills (another tragedy), a young Australian who tried his luck with West Ham six years earlier, only to die to a track crash at Custom House.

Charichael was keen to succeed. He was never given the chance.

Popular wherever he traveled. That was Gary Evertt, the Wimbledon rider who made a fateful guest appearance in West Hams colours on the trip to Lokeren.

Everyone liked Gary and his loss came at a time when he was establishing himself as a vital part of Wimbledon’s league and cup double bid.

His first association with motorcycles was on the scramble circuits but he moved on to speedway where he first made a name for at Hackney before deciding that it might be better for his future if he had a change of track.

It was then that Gary, Married for only a year before his death, made the move across London to Wimbledon.

He quickly fitted into the way of life at Plough Lane and his friendly personality endeared him to Dons fans

Surprisingly ||Gary had been riding league speedway for no more than two and a half seasons. Who will ever weather he would become a leading figure in the sport he loved?

England had already honored Martyn Piddock at full international level. That after just two years of racing experience.

Piddock was one of the new brigade. A product of division Two a young man set for great things in speedway life.

In Kent he was a grass tracker of no mean ability and when Canterbury opened at the beginning of 1968 Martyn was immediately put in their team.

All the time he was being kept on West Ham’s short list for future stardom and after two years of Division Two grooming he moved into custom house.

The miserable luck that haunted West Ham even before Lokeren an extra burden on this young man and it said much of his ability that he became a valuable point scoring member of the hammers septet.

The way was clear for Martyn to reach the speedway heights. Alas, we shall never know weather he was one Englishman who could have challenged the world.

[Guest e16]

I was at the Lokeren meeting as a young lad and the only things I remember was the size of the stadium and Ivan Mauger being there so all the gap filling has been brilliant and if anyone could put copies of the story,newspaper cuttings or even programme even better.

 

I recently walked around the Old Custom House site and it was good to see some of the roads Wilkinson,Atkinson,Young, Baxter, Croombs,Hoskins & Lawson named after our heroes gone but not entirely forgotten !!

[norbold 7,101]

ah...i did wonder where you was!!

 

As for the "Lokeran disaster" (thanks for the spelling!), i have never read anything about it before, and being around a month old when it happened, i can only go by what was said last night by Stan. this is the first time i have heard about the tragic incident, and was amazed that i hadn't read about it any where.

 

Now, if only I'd been there and sold you a copy of Speedway in London, you could have read about it in there.

 

By the way it's Lokeren! ;-)

[Sean 3]

i have a copy upstairs somewhere, so i will look it up..cheers Norbold

[Merlin 0]

Is this the same Stan Stevens I refer to in my post "Blast from the Past". If so, bit of a coincidence!

[Custom House Kid 45]

Is this the same Stan Stevens I refer to in my post "Blast from the Past". If so, bit of a coincidence!

 

Stan the man one in the same!

Had a long career, started in East Anglia I believe I’m shore Norbold can fill you in (or can recommend a book )