dantodan

Hi All Been receiving new info and pictures for www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk Lots of "New" pre war pictures etc Updated Pre War Part 1 page Updated History of Dirtrack Racing page and two excellent new photos on the "name the Rider" page, If you don't know about this website then you are missing a lot. I spend hours on it every week. Have a look and send me some feedback and better still dig out the memoribilia and share it with us

Hi 2 mins Thanks for the tip. I have researched local press microfilm a couple of times without any luck. Does anyone have a contact email or telephone number for Graham Fraser

Hi 2 mins Thanks for the tip. I have researched local press microfilm a couple of times without any luck. Does anyone have a contact email or telephone number for Graham Fraser

There was a track at Hillheads Whitley Bay in 1929. Has anyone any pictures. I know its a tall order as the track only operated for a couple of months

The son of Harry Huntly has been in touch with me and through the pages of www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk we can share the pictures oh Harry, who at 6ft 6inches tall must have been the tallest ever rider unless you know different?

I agree Jack O, when Chris had his accident we were not told until after the match ended and I remember leaving the stadium along with others in a hushed silence. No hyseteria that I can remember

Hi Frigbo I can help a bit with Newcastle riders or you can have permisiision to take what you need from my history site

I have some Sunderland Pictures etc on my history site, have a look at http://www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk/...al_ventures.htm Cannot see both Sunderland and Newcastle running at the same time but who knows if Newcastle ever close down again

There are more Bobby Duncans than Jason Crumps! At Newcastle we had Ron Henderson who struggled for a while then started riding well only to chuck the towel in and retire Anyone know what Ron is doing now?

Just added a load of new stuff to www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk not just Newcastle covered on the site. Many people have contributed to the site. Ivan Mauger Dave Gifford Ian Hoskins Ian Thomas are names that everyone knows there are others too who regularily send stuff or make suggestions why not have a look and help me make it even bigger and better

I have pictures of a BSA speedway Bike and a couple of HD's on my website www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk The BSA was the poor mans speedway bike. Harley made a single cylinder "peashooter for speedway but Indian v twins were used on speedway can you scan the pictures and email them to me so I can identify them properly

Anyone want to discuss old bikes with me. Douglas Rudge Jap etc for definite but the others too. AJS BSA Scott and all. either on this forum or by email

congratulations Steve on compiling something unique. I know how much time my own site took to put together. You must have spent a lot of time on the listing and it is something we will go back to again.

Wembley ended up with a number of Newcastle riders matey, Gordon, Harry and Norman all are shown on my site www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk I have other pictures not on the site which we can discuss in time

Anders is a piece of the Jigsaw missing from my site www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk Tony Mac and I recently exchanged emails and as a "thank you" to me displaying a Backtrack ad on my site he is gonna send me a couple of pics of Newcastle's only top line Swede for my site. Mr Michanek could have become a BIG BIG named Diamond if only we hadn't done one of our frequent closing down acts. He may have still been ours when he won the title Backtrack is an excellent mag lets hope it is around for many years to come and if you like history and old photos etc come on and have a look at this! www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk Just click on the History of Speedway On Tyneside link at the bottom of this post

Like Backtrack Try a history website where you could be in the thick of it. If you can spare an hour or two get on line at www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk And send me a few items to add to it!

Don't know much about Bob Andrews but the other rider Bill Andrews is included in the Newcastle Speedway History website. A couple of pictures of him are on there if anyone is interested: - vist the page as below http://www.newcastlespeedwayhistory.co.uk/1960s.htm Like Tsunami says he was a 60's newcastle rider and one of many N Z riders we had in them days

1929 was a great year for Dirt Track or speedway. Tracks opening all over the country. Tyneside had four:- Burnhills in the village of Greenside Co Durham. Whitley Bay on the north east coast. Newcastle Gosforth Park. Newcastle Brough Park. Did your dad or grandad ride or watch speedway at these venues in 1929? If so I want to hear from you. Rumour has it George Formby rode at the whitley Bay track. Turned out nice again eh! Heh!!

I would like to hear from any ex- Newcastle Riders, you are invited to the Jubilee Meeting at Brough Park. Yes Newcastle Ex-riders means Brian Craven, Brian Brett, Peter Kelly, Ivan, Ole, Anders, The Owen Brothers, Jesper Olsen, both Pedersens and Kenneth Bjerre as well as the great team men we have had like Mike Watkin, Russ Dent, Robbie Blackadder, David Bargh, Rod Hunter, Alan Emerson, Bobby Beaton et al. The invitation is out, so come on guys get talking to us. Brough park is going to have the Jubilee event that other tracks will envy. I also want to hear from any supporter who was at any of the 4 Tyneside tracks Brough Park, Gosforth, Whitley Bay and Greenside, from 1929 through to the outbreak of WW2 so if your dad or Grandad is old enough and they would like to be at Brough as guests of honour please get in touch.

Hi Halifax, why not get a group of your fans together and come up to Brough for the Diamond Jubilee, past riders galore will be there, this will be the highlight of the season at Brough come and join us and drag Dave Younghusband along

Arghhhhhhh he's back or did he just change names again?? Thanks double J, Get ya dad to dig out his old foties and I will fill in a couple of empty picture frames.

Just put a great photo of Brian Craven on my History website. Its a real Gem of an action shot

I have the JAP lowdown now thanks to Carrick Watson and Who's Who. so i have changed my reference to JAP. It is John Alfred Prestwich Heres a history lesson for anyone who aint got a life!!!! (1874-1952) John Alfred Prestwich British engineer Founder member of the Prestwich Manufacturing Company, established in 1895, Prestwich was an engineer of outstanding ability, who constructed some of the finest cinematographic apparatus of cinema's first decade. He is best remembered today, outside of film circles, for the 'JAP' motorcycle engine, so named from his initials. John Alfred Prestwich was born in Kensington, London, and was educated at the City and Guilds School and the City of London School. Aged sixteen, he started work with S.Z. de Ferranti, maker of electrical apparatus and scientific instruments. After two years he was articled to a firm of engineers and left aged twenty to start his own business, making electrical fittings and scientific instruments in a glasshouse in his father's garden. He was associated with the firm of W.H. Prestwich, London photographers; possibly W.H. was his father. In 1896 John Alfred Prestwich teamed up with William Friese Greene to patent and construct a projector with twin lenses (arranged vertically) to provide projection from one lens while the film was being pulled down ready for the other, one of many early film devices intended to ensure that there was always an image on the screen, thereby eliminating flicker. It was promoted in 1898 but as with all machines requiring specially-printed films, it had no influence on the development of cine technology; the solution to the flicker problem was resolved in other ways. In November 1897 Prestwich was selling the Moto-Photograph apparatus - which W.C. Hughes had previously sold as the Moto Bijou Living Picture camera, but which had been designed by one of the Prestwich family; probably John Alfred, since it shares the same mechanism as his Duplex machine produced with Friese Greene. It was awarded a silver medal at the Glasgow International Photographic Exhibition. Another member of the company was E.P. Prestwich, who seems to have undertaken most of the firm's limited motion picture production, including Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee procession (1897), views of the launch of the Albion (1898) on both 35 mm, and 60 mm for the Duplex machine; W.G. Grace's Jubilee Procession at Lord's Cricket ground in July 1898, and one of their few fiction films, The Artist's Model (1898). From 1897 the firm also sold three models of projector, with a superior fast-pulldown mechanism, and in 1898/1900 produced the 'Junior' amateur outfit for 17.5 mm film, also sold by Hughes as 'La Petite', and a reversing projector for showing films backwards for comic effect. Under J.A. Prestwich's guidance the firm rapidly expanded and was soon engaged in a wide range of engineering products, most notably connected with the motorcycle industry. For nearly two decades he invented, designed and manufactured cinematographic equipment including cameras, printers, mutoscopes, cutting and perforating machines, and projectors, including the Bioscope projectors for the Warwick Trading Company and Charles Urban. The firm later became known as J.A. Prestwich Industries Ltd, and was absorbed in 1964 by the Villiers Engineering Company. So mr JAP was really a big noise in the picture industry.

Do you know for sure wot date it is? I have been chasing the promoters and Kenny Smith for weeks but so far they haven't got back to me with the date etc. I will publicise it when they decide to tell me.

Arghhhh! SCB you want me to "lose" the site!!!! I am gutted, or was that a trypo or even a typo he he!