Post by Administrator on Jan 5, 2012 13:39:40 GMT
From the oldtimespeedway site:::
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--- In oldtimespeedway@yahoogroups.com, "ROBERT" <bobjayrogers758@...> wrote:
West Ham War Time Speedway
The 1939 season opened on the 7th April, Good Friday, for the Cundy Trophy.
The season was due to end on the 26th September, but it is more likely the last match was on the 29th August vs New Cross.
As the League was suspended on the 1st September, the two league matches, 5th vs Harringay and the 12th vs Belle Vue never took place. The match on the 19th was due to be a `Test` match but there is no result shown for any such meeting, so I assume the match on the 26th never took place either.
As the 2nd Division also ended on the 1st, Hackney (Wick) was in third place.
In 1940 there were four matches; the first match was on the 22nd March when the Hammers took on a combined New Cross/Wembley team.
The second match in April saw Alderman Ted Wooder the Mayor of West Ham opening the match to show `West Ham Council defiance of the Nazi Hordes who wished to take over the world` (publicity was even mad in those days).
This match was a `test` match against Australia.
The third was vs Harringey.
The last match was the London Cup Trophy won by Bill Gilbert of Wembley which was on the Whitsun bank Holiday in May.
>
There should have been another (5th) match vs Belle Vue, but this never took place.
It would seem these meetings replace the matches which never took place at the end of the 1939 season.
Yhere is also a claim that a few matches were held in 1941 &42, but I have not been able to confirm these.
There was no league racing in Wartime, so the matches were `open`.
The main meeting each year was held at Belle Vue, Manchester, which was according to Speedway History the Only Track where racing was held between 1941 & 1945. This was the Wartime British Individual Championship which was won by West Ham's Canadian Captain Eric Chitty in 1940,41 & 42 (He was joint second in 1945).
It is for this reason that I am uncertain about the matches supposedly at West Ham in 41 & 42.
Johnnie Hoskins was the manager in 1939 and run the 1940 meetings.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
--- In oldtimespeedway@yahoogroups.com, "ROBERT" <bobjayrogers758@...> wrote:
West Ham War Time Speedway
The 1939 season opened on the 7th April, Good Friday, for the Cundy Trophy.
The season was due to end on the 26th September, but it is more likely the last match was on the 29th August vs New Cross.
As the League was suspended on the 1st September, the two league matches, 5th vs Harringay and the 12th vs Belle Vue never took place. The match on the 19th was due to be a `Test` match but there is no result shown for any such meeting, so I assume the match on the 26th never took place either.
As the 2nd Division also ended on the 1st, Hackney (Wick) was in third place.
In 1940 there were four matches; the first match was on the 22nd March when the Hammers took on a combined New Cross/Wembley team.
The second match in April saw Alderman Ted Wooder the Mayor of West Ham opening the match to show `West Ham Council defiance of the Nazi Hordes who wished to take over the world` (publicity was even mad in those days).
This match was a `test` match against Australia.
The third was vs Harringey.
The last match was the London Cup Trophy won by Bill Gilbert of Wembley which was on the Whitsun bank Holiday in May.
>
There should have been another (5th) match vs Belle Vue, but this never took place.
It would seem these meetings replace the matches which never took place at the end of the 1939 season.
Yhere is also a claim that a few matches were held in 1941 &42, but I have not been able to confirm these.
There was no league racing in Wartime, so the matches were `open`.
The main meeting each year was held at Belle Vue, Manchester, which was according to Speedway History the Only Track where racing was held between 1941 & 1945. This was the Wartime British Individual Championship which was won by West Ham's Canadian Captain Eric Chitty in 1940,41 & 42 (He was joint second in 1945).
It is for this reason that I am uncertain about the matches supposedly at West Ham in 41 & 42.
Johnnie Hoskins was the manager in 1939 and run the 1940 meetings.