ISDT 1939: can any reader help answer this question?

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Austria, Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Bert Perrigo, BSA, ISDT 1939

Maybe you or some of your readers can help me, re the 1939 ISDT please?

I’ve read that Bert Perrigo, BSA Competition Manager, travelled over to Austria in his BSA saloon car with the Army convoy. (This was in addition to Tom Davies accompanying the BSA Team.)

However, when did Perrigo return to England?

Was it early Friday morning, together with the great majority of the competitors, support crews, spectators, with Vic Brittain in the passenger seat of his BSA car, leaving his Norton behind? (as his son, Johnny Brittain says today, and who also says that Allan Jefferies told him he’d seen Vic’s Norton in Austria after the war…..

Was it late Friday evening, after the day’s competitive riding, when “…Perrigo waited for the riders to return, filled their tanks and sign off for good, while Lt.Col.Bennett dealt with the administration.” from p46, Walker & Carrick’s ISDT history Col.Grimm & Col.Bennett then led the three Army teams, together with Cottle, Edge, Sim, Sanders and TSRs and spectators, to the Swiss Border.

Any hard facts re this would be much appreciated, as I’d hate to promulgate false ‘facts’ in my forthcoming book.

John Bradshaw
http://www.jrbpub.net

Mapping the ISDT: Original British ISDT course marker’s maps

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Deryk Wylde, Enduro, England, Gelände Sport, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Map, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux, UK, Wales, Welsh Borders

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

maps. mapping

With much thanks due to Deryk Wylde the ISDT historian and classic off road motorcycle journalist I have now taken ownership of the original Clerk of Course OS 1″ maps used by the route markers. Hopefully apart from now being preserved for ever they can help update the course mapping we have and be shared with ISDT historians

Continue reading →

ISDT 1939: the event report ‘Motor Cycling’ 30 Aug 1939

05 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Austria, Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Magazine, Media, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

ISDT, ISDT 1939, Salzburg

Prior to the handing–in we gained a very definite impression that the organizers themselves were surprised that the event was actually to take place

Many readers of this blog contact me with their thanks for providing what is the non existent ISDT reading room in the National Motorcycle Museum or even the Auto Cycle Union Six Days Archives. Such praise is often only due to the work and help of many readers who are ex riders or the family of ex riders who are willing to share, at no charge, their family material so as to help others who may not be so lucky to be able to recall past exploits of favourite relatives so easily to supplement my otherwise meagre budget to purchase important relics which may appear on eBay from time to time..

No more so are these gifts welcome than a recent contact from Susan Coates now based in the USA but from a British Motorcycling family who she found a collection of old magazines on a recent visit. Amongst this collection was an original copy of the 30th August 1939 edition of ‘Motor Cycling‘ with a full report of the ISDT 1939 which she rapidly sent me a scanned copy to be able to share with others through the site.

Let us hope that peace will prevail and that the 1940 event will take place under happier auspices.

Here is the Editorial article which started each issue of ‘Motor Cycling‘ and provided a useful summary and opinion on the events of 1939. In a forthcoming blog I will be reproducing the latter part of the report ‘The Great Retreat’ which is the story of the riders evacuation from the festering world war about to commence in mainland Europe. I have included in the article the images from the actual report and you can read a copy of the original report at our issuu.com library here

Editorial

An Unhappy Coming-of-Age

WHATEVER the future may hold in store for the International Six Days’ Trial, the 21^st event of the series will go down in history – so far as Great Britain is concerned – as the trial which never finished. In the early hours of Friday morning it was decided to withdraw the entire British entry, and it is fitting, therefore, that the facts underlying that decision should be recorded before they become distorted with the passage of time.

image – main report illustration ‘Motor Cycling‘ 30th August 1939 ISDT 1939 (Speedtracktales Collection)

Image left – A wonderful view of the Grossglockner Pass .The leading rider is L/Cpl A.C. Doyle BSA of the War Office ‘A’ Team, centre – This picture gives a good idea of the interest villagers took in the trial, the rider is again L/Cpl A.C. Doyle (348cc BSA), right – A group of NSKK officials operating a time check at the top of the Grossglockner Pass during Wednesday’s run . The riders are #165 E Eisenmann (346 NSU) and #166 Colin Edge (347 Matchless) who, despite carrying on against doctors orders, did not lose a single point up to the time he withdrew with the other British Riders.

Continue reading →