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Personalities Of Our Sport And Industry.


laird387
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Hi,

From time to time I intend to use some of the archive images to introduce you to some of the people engaged in our sport over the years, spotted during moments of relaxation - just enjoying a day out.

The first in the list I photographed at the 1991 British Bike Bonanza. It shows Clive Bennett, the engineer from the Selly Oak factory personally responsible for designing the Ariel HT trials and HS scrambles models, laughing with, L to R, Johnny Giles, Gordon Jackson and with his back to the camera, Ron Langston.

The laughter was because someone had spent a fortune restoring the HS scrambler - then used the wrong tank transfer!

Enjoy.

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Hi,

Here's a different side of some of our trials riders, Each year the Trials Cymru club, organisers of the Tour of Islwyn classic trial round the valleys, give young disadvantaged children a day out to remember, with a free barbecue and as much 'pop' as they can drink plus gentle rides around specially prepared forest tracks on the pillions of trail bikes, in trials sidecars and for the disabled in wheelchairs, wheelchair and all in the back of farm vehicles, the children thoroughly enjoy themselves and their helpers/carers bet a break from the daily routine.

Arthur Dovey brought his 5-wheeled John Deere ‘workhorse’ from the small holding and spent the afternoon carting delicate young plants around the forest!

Enjoy.

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Hi,

Meeting up again at the 1991 British Bike Bonanza, on the left, John Avery, ex-works BSA rider and Ted Ogden, legendary Lancastrian, ex-works Norton rider and all-rounder and brilliant worker for the North-Western centre,

Enjoy.

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Hi,

Two more personalities who made their mark on our sport, Hugh Viney interviewed by Bernal Osborne at Bad Aussee in Austria for the 1952 ISDT.

Bernal was a Midlands-based journalist who knew how to ask the right questions, who, in the major factories, where he was well respected because of his knowledge and sporting ability, was welcomed without formal requests to visit - if he had a query he could just drop in and usually knew exactly where to go to get the right answer.

So different from the modern crop of university trained journalists who have never ridden a bike in their life - let alone competed in their own right.

Enjoy.

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Hi,

At a 'Perce Simon Memorial Walk' near Ringwood, L to R, George Greenland, Gordon Francis, Harry Shutler and Tony Cook, with Gordon drawing attention to the best magazine there was! This is a Bernard Tyrer photograph.

Many of the photographs in the Archive came from Gordon Francis. Enjoy.

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Edited by laird387
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Hi,

Pete Edmundson (left) chatting to Dave Bickers at a show.

Pete was a rider in his own right, who opened a shop, then was persuaded down the route of manufacturing various 'useful' bits and pieces, culminating in a production unit in Otley manufacturing the Dalesman range of machines.

Dave, apart from being a world champion scrambler was a character, through and through.

Enjoy.

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Hi,

Alan Tosswell kindly loaned us this rather old photograph of Cecil Bailey, better known for his superb photographs that so often grace the pages of the Offroad Review, seated astride his BSA scrambler, at Bishops Waltham in 1947. Cecil also raced with Southampton speedway.

In the background is the late Syd Lawton, his wife Beryl and their young family including racer to be Barry. Mike Jackson reckons that mild mannered Cecil became ‘an absolute tiger’ when on a competition bike.

Many of the images in my archive were kindly donated by Cecil - a truly helpful friend.

Enjoy

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi,

For this rider, Howard Midgley, founder member and very much an early driving force in the Yorks Classic club, just riding in an old-fashioned style of trial - or refurbishing one of his collection of bikes in his garage - was his favourite relaxation. A busy plumber by trade, he valued his time off.

Here he is riding one of his favourite Matchless models, a 1952 G3C, in a very early Shawforth Shake.

Enjoy.

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Hi,

Another of the active personalities who very much supported my efforts in creating the sport of pre-65 trials, was John Drabble, seen here on his 1957 BSA B34C in an early Shawforth Shake.

John's 'home' club was the Vintage Club, but he was also actively involved, with the Gagg family, in the creation of the Midland Classic club, one of the very first clubs in the country to run a regular series of trials solely for classic bikes - trials that I always tried to support, and thoroughly enjoyed.

Enjoy

(Corrections thanks to trickymicky.)

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Edited by laird387
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Hi,

One winter's day deep in Dean Forest on a drover's track that felt miles from anywhere a rider was struggling to change a duff sparking plug and four other riders, Mike Rees of Trials Cymru, Howard Midgley and myself of the Yorks Classic club and Dennis Bridges of the Stratford-upon-Avon club, were stuck waiting behind the stuck rider.

There was mist in the air and it was way below freezing - it felt Arctic...........

Micky Rees said, "Why don't we have more trials like this?" 'cos we were all enjoying ourselves, in spite of the conditions. "I'll put one on around the valleys" said Mick, but we'll do it in June then even if it's raining it will be warm rain......" Howard and I agreed we could put one around the West Riding so Dennis said "I could take the Union Jack trial and use it around a lot of the old Colmore sections........" and in that brief moment the British Bike championship was born.

Here we see Dennis Bridges riding in the first Tour of Islwyn later that year.

Enjoy.

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Hi,

A motorcycle enthusiast through and through, Ian Rennie of Palestine, near Andover, who persuaded me to join in the recreation of the Arbuthnot Trial after it had disappeared from the calendar in 1929.

Seen here with his girder-forked Norton riding in an early Tour of Islwyn.

Enjoy.

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Hi,

Reg May was for many years the workshop foreman at Comerfords in Thames Ditton, through whom most of the ex-works models of the British manufacturers were sold when their factory days were over.

Reg made no secret that his own favourites were the AJS models - and nobody could set up an Ajay like Reg could!

Enjoy.

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Hi,

Certainly earning a place of honour in my selection of personalities is Alan Low, who for years willingly acted as Scrutineer at the Talmag.

The job is not onerous in that the eligibility of various bits is not his concern, he is a true scrutineer, making sure that the nipples on brake cables are firmly soldered on, that there are brake linings that work, that the throttle snaps shut when released, that there is not undue play in the steering head - total safety concerns - but difficult when he finds someone who has travelled miles to get there and then finds the brakes aren't adequate.

Firm but fair is Alan - a credit to the willing volunteers our sport is totally dependant upon.

Well done lad.

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Hi,

There was recent comment on the forum of the disruptive influence of the trail class in some of the championship series - comment that I felt was just totally misinformed.

In my personal experience a lot of the riders in the trail class over the years have done more than their fair share to hold the sport together.

Just such an example is seen here on one of my own favourite sections at Cwmcwefru in the Frank Jones trial. It is Mike Rees, leading inspirational light of the Trials Cymru club based in the Pontllanfraith and Blackwood areas of the welsh valleys and instigator of the Tour of Islwyn trial, arguably one of the best pre-65 events in the calendar.

Over 90% of the club are trail riders and as well as their trials they have a fantastic day of Riding for the Disabled every year, where they take disabled youngsters for rides on forest tracks, then give them and their carers a slap-up barbecue and individual presents to take home.

Because of their activities they are well regarded not only throughout their community but also by the Foresters and forest staff in the area - and that certainly doesn't happen everywhere.

Live - and let live, and everybody enjoy.

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