1937-38 Perth, West Australia, Tragedy

[Guest]

I quote from the INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY website this sad event at Claremont Speedway, Perth, West Australia: I would be interested in more career details if possible in regard to Neil Schiller tragic accident at the third meeting of the 1937-38 season. The quote reads:

"the Perth season was ultimately to last just three meetings, at the third of which (on Dec.18) promising young Australian rider Neil Schiller was sadly killed."

 

[Bavarian 767]

_{This here is the preview of the Saturday night, December 18th, 1937, speedway meeting at Claremont:}

 

_{SPEEDWAY RACING.}

_{Tonight's Programme.}

_{A new form of handicapping will be used for the first time at Claremont Speedway tonight when competitors will take up their}

_{positions on their marks behind the electric starting gate. The electric starting gate and barrier will be used as customarily but the}

_{scratch markers will be the only riders at the gate. The other competitors will make a clutch start from allotted marks in the rear.}

_{Handicaps for the All-Star Handicap will be:}

_{On scratch at the starting gate: John Preston, L. Murphy, Neil Schiller.}

_{10 yards behind: Arthur Hopkins, Ron Clarke, Jack Clementson.}

_{20 yards behind: Cecil Walker, Jock Sweet, Charlie Lish.}

_{30 yards behind: Jack Sharp, "Mick Murphy", "Tiger" Lewis, Wal Morton, Ted Bravery and Don Hemingway.}

_{The handicap race for the internationals should be most spectacular because there will be five riders in each heat and in the finaL}

_{In the novice handicap, there also will be five riders.}

_{The first match for the speedway "Ashes" should provide the best riding of the night. There will be nine heats with four riders in}

_{each heat. Picked Australian and English teams will be in action.}

_{There will be a full programme of events, including a special challenge match race between Wal Morton, the English captain and Jack Sharp. the Australian leader.}

_{Gates will open at 7 o'clock tonight and the programme is scheduled to start at 8 o'clock.}

_{And the next day's newspaper report of Neil Schiller's fatal crash read as follows:}

_{SPEEDWAY FATALITY}

_{Youth Killed After Winning Event}

_{Perth, Dec. 19.}

_{After passing the line, winner in the final event at the Claremont dirt track meeting last night, Neil Schiller (20), of Leederville, lost con-}

_{trol of his motor cycle, which went into a skid, and received fatal injuries when another cycle ran into him. He was admitted to hospital}

_{suffering from a possible dislocated spine, possible fractured pelvis, and internal injuries, and died at about 4 a.m. to-day.}

_{Schiller won his race by 20 yards from H. Lewis, with T. Bravery about the same distance away, third. Schiller's machine skidded and}

_{came to the ground a short distance beyond the finishing line, with Schiller lying beside it. Lewis, who had checked his machine when}

_{he saw he could not win, was travelling comparatively slowly, and could avoid Schiller. Bravery was travelling very fast in third place,}

_{and did not see Schiller until he was a few yards from him. He slewed the machine around, but its momentum was too great, and it}

_{crashed, side-on, into the other cycle, jamming Schiller between the two machines. Bravery was unhurt.}

Report of Neil Schiller's funeral on Monday, December 20th, 1937

 

 

Motorcycles Have Requiem To Dead Rider

Their slowly-running engines sounding a requiem, motor cyclists today paid an impressive tribute at the funeral

of Neil Schiller, the speedway rider.

This 20-year-old rider, for whom a brilliant future had been predicted, was injured at Claremont Speedway

last Saturday night, just after he had won one of the most important events on the programme.

Early yesterday morning he succumbed to his injuries.

He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Karl Schiller, of Tate-street, West Leederville. Himself a noted competition rider,

and former prominent competitor at Claremont Speedway, Mr. Schiller had proudly watched his son develop noted

proficiency as a dirt-track rider.

Members of the Harley-Davidson Club, of which Neil Schiller had been a member, and of the Indian Club (of which Mr. Karl Schiller

was founder and life-member), followed the cortege from Tate-street to Karrakatta. At the graveside those present included members

and officials of the W.A. Motor Cycling Association, speedway executives and representatives of the various motor cycling clubs.

 

 

From a Perth newspaper report of January 10th, 1938

 

SPEEDWAY RIDER'S DEATH ACCIDENTAL, CORONER SAYS

A finding of accidental death was given by the Acting Coroner (Mr. Hugh MacLean, J.P.) at the conclusion of the inquest today

into the death of Neil Alexander Schiller.

Schiller was killed in an accident at the Claremont Speedway on the night of December 18.

The evidence of Edwin Thomas Bravery, the English rider, who was also concerned in the accident, was taken on December 31,

as he wished to leave the State.

Schiller was riding in the final race of the evening when the accident occurred. He had won the race, and was some distance over

the finishing line, when his machine went into a skid.

A witness today was unable to say why Schiller's motor cycle should have broadsided when there was, as far as he could see,

no need for him to stop quickly.

In his evidence Bravery, who collided with Schiller and his cycle after broadsiding in an attempt to stop, said his view of the fallen

man was obscured by Harry ("Tiger") Lewis. He said he saw an object on the track when he was about 40ft. away.

It was estimated by Lewis that Bravery was travelling at 57 to 58 miles an hour when he attempted to swerve or stop.

Lewis said he was about 15 yards behind Schiller when, for no apparent reason, he went into a skid. Lewis swerved and Schiller

and his machine were still sliding along the track when he passed on the inside. Lewis did not see the impact.

OBSCURED VIEW

To Lewis, Sergeant Lynes (who examined the witnesses), said: Would you have obstructed Bravery's view?

Lewis: Yes. That is the impression I gained. I must have been between the two of them.

Raymond Bryan Pemberton, of Colinstreet, West Perth, who was a spectator at the Speedway, said he saw the accident.

"I saw Schiller's machine go into a skid, and it fell about 30 Yards past the finishing line. Schiller appeared to be still in a

riding position on the machine up to the moment he stopped," he said.

"Bravery was still travelling at a high speed when he crossed the line, and then (Lewis had swerved to the inside of the track)

he appeared to see Schiller for the first time. He threw his machine over."

Dr. H. Kendall Pawsey, of the Perth Hospital, said that Schiller was admitted to the hospital at 11.30 p.m. on December 18.

He died at 4 a.m. the following morning.

Death was due to shock and haemorrhage. He was suffering from a fractured pelvis and fractured ribs.

Edited February 25, 2017 by Bavarian