Numbers On Back Of Racejackets

[dantodan 314]

 

Looking at my old photos I notice that most riders had the club logo on the back of the racejacket, numbers appeared much later on. Does anyone know when the number became the norm on the back

[BOBBATH 467]

Interesting dantodan-I don't recall that -I am sure post war the numbers were always on the back

[star ghost 7]

I seem to recall a notice in a 1938 programme saying riders would be numbered at a Test Match, I suppose England v Australia, one team 1 to 8 and the other 9 to 16. If not then it would have been the Second Division series between England and Dominions, where England picked from Div 2 and Dominions were allowed a couple of Div ! men.

There was a post-war season when Harringay dispensed with numbers and used riders initials on the backs of team colours. One rider refused to have his initials on his back - Vic Duggan, who had Vic on his colours. For obvious reasons.

At one time Norwich had a Star both back & front also post-war. I suppose other tracks also varied these arrangements.

[norbold 7,110]

There is a photograph of the 1933 Sheffield team in Robert Bamford's "Speedway - The Prewar Years", which shows the numbers on the front.

 

One of the problems with investigating this is that most photographs of riders and teams are taken from the front or side! Photographs of the backs of riders are not very common.

[iris123 20,987]

Looking at Speedway in Scotland by Henry and Moultray,i wonder if there is evidence that numbers were worn on the riders backs right back in 28/29?There is a photo at Marine Gardens in 1928 of riders wearing a sort of white strapped bib.Similar bibs worn at the opening of Glasgow White City by Buster Frogley and Billy Galloway.In another of the Marine Gardens photos(but undated,although it looks like it could be the same meeting in 1928)it shows rider wearing bibs with numbers on.Plus at the White City meeting the bikes have numbers on the front as well.

Also an interesting thing in a book by Norman Jacobs(who he?) about pre war Wembley,showing the 1929 Wembley team,(also featuring Buster Frogley)and some of the riders appear to be wearing numbers on their shoulders.Strange extra bit to the body-colour.Never really noticed it before

Also a photo in the Crystal Palace book of riders with numbers on their backs,pre-starting gate period(1932)

Edited April 28, 2008 by iris123

[oddfossengen 1]

i ve photos of southampton in the 1929 season with numbers on the front then in the early 30s nothing but a jumper with hoops on it the in 1938/39 red and blue horizontal striped race jackets with numbers on the back

[iris123 20,987]

Would seem Wembley done a similar thing.One of the photo's of the riders wearing the jumpers shows a bit of one of the riders backs and he just has the red/white Lion emblem on the back as well as they had on the front.

[norbold 7,110]

Also an interesting thing in a book by Norman Jacobs(who he?) about pre war Wembley,showing the 1929 Wembley team,(also featuring Buster Frogley)and some of the riders appear to be wearing numbers on their shoulders.Strange extra bit to the body-colour.Never really noticed it before

You can't take any notice of anything in his books!

 

The strange thing about that photo is that only three of the riders have numbers on their shoulders.

 

In 1929 the top riders were excluded from the new leagues and continued to ride for individual trophies. They were all given an individual number which they wore throughout the season. There was no no. 1 to avoid any jealousy. Art Pechar was no 2, Jack Parker, 3, Sprouts Elder, 4, Roger Frogley, 6, Frank Arthur, 8, Vic Huxley, 11, and so on.

[dantodan 314]

Looks likely that each promoter would issue a set of racejackets, jumpers or football shirts and that legislation played no part in what the riders wore. Hah! a bit like today!

 

Thanks for some interesting views and I hope your respective teams do well over the bank holiday weekend. Up at newcastle we will settle for the weather being kind

Edited April 28, 2008 by dantodan