George Dance of Wolverhampton & a Sunbeam Sprint works machine he carried on the nearside running board of his Cubitt car in the background, from that uncomfortably narrow tank's harshness came George's  idea to have knee rubbers mounted on Tank sides, for control & comfort, all vintage restorers have heard of 'George Dance rubbers' here is who, why, where  & when it began, George rode & won in 15 races at Pendine from/inc the 1920 Aug Bank Holiday. 

Pendine now, a very nice pic from a friend of Dave Martin> Thanks.

Dr Alex Lindsey on the left and the pre 1920's Indian Vee twin is believed to be one of the Neath Bush family's where 2 of the brothers H H Bush & F P Bush used the Harley Davidsons by preference, this is claimed by some to be F P Bush. 

1926, Scott's Pendine achievement.

Tom Phillips of Port Talbot on his 344cc Zenith JAP outfit which he rode remarkably into second spot in 1925 behind the great Freddie Dixon's Douglas & beating Harley Davidsons & Brough Superiors in the Process. Tom's machine was puny in comparison.

Another pic, this one cannot be properly identified, it looks however to be at the Laugharne end of the Sprint Course.

NOT A PENDINE photo, however what an opportunity to identify a machine type often used, this pic. is by Scott Owners Clubman Reg Summer, taken on June 25th on SOUTHPORT SANDS after the TT (exact yr to follow) Harry Langman stands proudly with his Scott & this photo was kindly supplied for use here by Andrew Marfell of the Scott Owners Club from a collection at their stand this yr (2004) at Stafford. 

The Lovely old Trophy! loaned by ace racer winner Clarrie Wood's relative Derek Wood,  Andy Blease's uncle, with big thanks to Andy for correcting us on this.  This really could grace Beaulieu or Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans, even a British National Museum relating to Transport. 

1926 Tommy rode  Brough Superior

50 Miles 350 Race saw Percy Rogers on this Sunbeam beat second man Vic Anstice on a Douglas & third place man from Gloucester S S Evans on his Cotton, a 'Davies is credited with fourth place on a DOT JAP.

McEvoy Vee twin! sand racer used at Cefn Sidan plus Pendine, George Patchett's British Anzani engined machine seems to have rather scant protection!

Austin 20 British Leyland rarity on the left? & is that not a British Vauxhall 13/8 on it's right? in 1925?

R E Thomas of Glogue Nr Whitland on his machine received from Brough by rail to Glogue Station in 1926 he raced this at Pendine & Also won the Cen Sidan Speed Trials in June & Sept 1927 and was narrowly beaten at Pendine in a straight Sprint against George Brough riding his factory's latest machine.

On Mon. Aug 3rd 1931 evening a Grass Track Event was held on Carmarthen Park (see historic racing page) Preceding that was a Sand Racing Event by the same Carmarthen Sports & Attractions Association: Judge, J Jones, Chief Steward, Trevor Hopkins, Starter J Jenkins, Honorary Secretary W H C Tew....Results:25 Miles, any power up to 350cc: 1/James Beck (Edinburgh) Diamond JAP, 2/Iago Stephens (Carmarthen) Stephens Special....50 Miles Any Power Solo: 1/J H Carr (Skipton) Brough Superior, 2/James Beck (Edinburgh) Diamond JAP, 3/S S Evans (Gloucester) Cotton JAP.......100 Miles Any Power: 1/J H Carr Skipton (Brough Superior) 2/S S Evans Cotton JAP 3/Reg Good (Swansea) Norton....20 Miles Cycle & Sidecar: 1/C P Wood (Bradford) Douglas.......Confined Class 50 Miles up to 500cc Solo: 1/J Andrews (Carmarthen) Ariel...... Novice Class 350cc to 600cc: 1/Reg Good (Swansea) Norton 2/J Andrews (Carmarthen) Ariel.

Sidecar exponent, this time bearing familiar livery

That somehow carefully handwritten place plus Date at top left with the underlining? usually THE DATE wd have month & Day, (Something like an archaeologist unearthing a coin with 150 BC stamped on it!) hardly noticeable until you notice the gentleman in the hat is exactly the same chap in a picture at Southport two years when, J H Carr of Skipton and his winning Brough Superior used the number 4, some picture location & date doubts here.  The other aspect raising doubts is that WSW Centre plus all other 'Centres' under ACU allocate NUMBERS TO RIDERS.... These Centre numbers are used in Centre Competitions, retained when  membership of ACU is renewed each year & the only diversions to this at a Carmarthen Club event wd be the front & back number vest worn by the rider, I used to wear them some times with Carmarthen Club.   Otherwise & if not wearing a numbered vest the Number on a machine is the Centre number for the rider mine remained 149 for many years.

1932 J H Carr in Full flight on His Brough Superior

Marked again in Pendine Races Book as a 1933 event J H Carr has actually been cut out of a far better 1931 original picture taken at SOUTHPORT NOT PENDINE 9th of May 1931 with centre, L A Reid on a Norton, centre & far right Jim Blundell the man that made the little 350 Chaterlea harry them at SOUTHPORT, just another example of good pictures showing historic moments for others, what a shame this is a portion cropped to pretend it was actually taken at Pendine, a little insulting as well to cut out the other 2 riders you can see in the photo below which it was obviously deliberately cropped from. (This has been done to quite a few pictures used in the book)

THIS IS THE REAL PICTURE FROM WHICH THE PICTURE ABOVE WAS FURTIVELY CROPPED! THIS REAL/FULL ONE has been kindly contributed by Jim Blundell's son, Jim is number 6 here & J H Carr number 53, just look at the Cigarette Card image & those numbers are the ones shown there.

J H Carr a winner whatever he rode, wherever he rode, that chap from Skipton seen here at Southport, racing on the same sand stretch as cars, rode a Brough Superior at Pendine plus New Imperials & HRD etc! at the Isle of Man, we felt it worth including this dated & autographed pic of an early ride. 

We even have the second Place man, Jim Blundell 'competitor plus friend of J H Carr after that epic 1931 Contest at Southport became recorded when the machine bore Number 6 even on Cigarette Cards, all thanks to J.B's son the picture shows it all here, a well set up device. 

Cigarette cards with collectors still show esteem the 1931 event brought about when that 350 Chater-Lea of Jim Blundell was showing remarkable speed againt 3 times larger capacity opposition.

Recorded for posterity on a Ciggy Card, amazing how an epic can be registered for ever in history, the 6 & 53 numbers are again clearly shown, check with the real pic above.

 

Back to the Pendine location, this Cup from Carmarthenshire Council was competed for until at least 1936, is it related to events such as those 1931 Pendine events?, plus was Jim Blundell at Oxwich, Aberavon Beach or Pendine, that has not yet been researched

George W Patchet following a win at Pendine in 1925, George worked for FN & then JAWA through the 30's and when WW2 came he moved to Enfield's Armament Production team.

Another view we believe of Patchet later using an Anzani powered sidecar outfit.

That New Imperial Vee twin circa 1936 to 37 & mentioned in the 1937 Prog below, ridden by John Burnie which we believe never went into full production.

Marked in This Programme, wins by Les Griffiths of the one Mile Sprint plus the 50 Miles Grand Prix, 350 cc, 4 Miles Win By Jack Daniels, a Win 1 mile 350 Sprint & 25 Miles win by John Burnie on a Norton though, plus second places to Eddie Stephens & thirds to L V Thomas of Bishopston.  J S A Humphries of Birmingham placing second in the 350 Sprint race plus third in an up to 600 1 mile Sprint is noteworthy since he used a 248 cc New Imperial.  In the 4 mils up to 350 race won by Jack Daniels, D W Protheroe of Llanelly (old spelling) finished second on a 350 Velocette & third came Carmarthen rider R C Lewis on a 350 Triumph single entered by Eddie Stephens. Fancy, this was picked up yesterday on eBay!.

1935 Pendine Summer Camp

This was the period youngsters had a Summer Camp set up at Pendine for Holidays, here is a rare pic of the lads thanks to Dave Martin, I had never even heard of it & shall ask locals there shortly re what can be known. 

A second rare pic of the 1936 Summer School Camp, Courtesy of Dave Martin.

No5 David John Pugh Garage owner of Cwmtwrch on his Velocette 1946, his brother Thomas William Pugh is standing behind the machine. No8 is 'Nobby' Treseder  on his Triumph, 16 is an Excelsior machine & Handel Davies you can see elsewhere. (picture from Mrs Evans)

Pendine was a place for Photographers, prior to the action in came this De Havilland Rapide inverted Gypsy 6 engines if I recall truly?, As a schoolboy I actually flew in one of these "Dragon Rapide" machines doing trips from Fairwood, plus the 4 engined Biplane version & later the Dove & Heron monoplane 2 & 4 engine developments, 'makes me feel old now!, this Air service was also flying from the Jersey Marine outside Swansea plus later from Fairwood Airport. a look in the tatty right corner shows it to be the handiwork of M A Clare a Mumbles & Gowerton Based prolific photographer, his white writing is as always inimitable, plus he always made the effort to record memorable occasions. This however has those unique markings of the machine which crossed the Atlantic on the first non stop flight to USA  LOOK CLOSER AT THE DATE, IT FITS WITH THE LATER TAKE OFF DATE FOR THAT FLIGHT WHICH WAS FROM PENDINE, AMY JOHNSON, BY THEN MARRIED TO JIM MOLLISON AS PILOTS WERE THE PAIR TAKING OFF TO MAKE HISTORY (Pendine Historians seem to have overlooked this).

RECORD ATTEMPT NOW ON! OFF THEY GO in the Aircraft named "SEAFARER" 1933

J L Mills (pictured here at ABERAVON BEACH RACES) the Highly successful Lightweight Rudge  250 racer used to camp at Pendine Races with his family using a ex army tent, daughter Ann Williams recalls well the enjoyment plus her dad's successes there plus at Aberavon, a faded pic from her & J L Mills himself's collection here says it all, that Velocette behind him is Des Snow of Merthyr's machine, I remember those ex WD plastic goggles myself! 

Another pic from the J.L. Mills & Ann Williams Collection showing the 250 cc Replica Trophies awarded to J. L Mills when those Huge Original Trophies were returned, August Pendine meeting (undated) for BEST STANDARD 250cc is the replica at left, whilst on the right is BEST 250cc for the gruelling 50 Miles event usually run within other races) 

J L Mills on his way to Pendine with his Douglas sidecar outfit carrying his beloved 250 Rudge & a Velocette astern of it, nonchalant & not yet knowing he'd be laden with silverware on the run home 

Handel Davies his customary bow tie holding the Excelsior Manxman No 16 he rode, is that machine around now perhaps? & No 45 John Burnie on the Norton.

CARMARTHEN M.C. & L.C. Club, EDDIE STEPHENS MOTORS CHALLENGE TROPHY from the PENDINE AUGUST MEETINGS & for the 250cc 10 MILES STANDARD CLASS.  Just look at the winners since it was first awarded in 1946 1946 T.H. Poley, 1947 the grand old maestro Handel Davies, seen above wearing a bow tie to race with, 1948 J. Treseder of Swansea, 1950 Neath's J.L. Mills on his 250 Rudge,1951 was a lady's year when Joan Slack took the award, 1952 saw D. Bolton take the prize & Coronation year 1953 saw J. L. Mills take it for the second time, whilst finally in 1954 J. L. Mills made it a satisfying hat trick with his third win. (Picture courtesy of the J. L Mills/Ann Williams Collection)

Handel Davies with his back to us, an old friend of mine & Eppynt TT Racer, Bill Doughty, an ace with mechanical things such as musical machines as well as Vintage motorcycles at time of writing, living in Somerset!.

Charismatic determined Bob Berry with his Racing Brough Superior Bob settled in Wales at Tegryn & sadly passed on in his late 60's..

Bob Berry with his Brough Superior LSR attempts machine without its final streamlining, his frame for laying on the machine & gear change lever can just be seen protruding near the lower left of the image near right hand of the chap steadying the machine. (better view below)

Bob Berry at a later stage, within Pendine Experimental Establishment, here is a pic of that Brough Superior clad in it's full streamlining during early morning prep.  many thanks to Dave Martin for sending this in.

who is this with Bob Berry  (left)

Off we go then!

A Box Brownie was no match!

Nortons brought out their Roadholder forks.

 
Reg Deardon No 12 tussling with No 2 Wilf Billington who was the lucky one with Roadholder teleforks, many thanks to Reg's son Nigel for kindly pointing this out!

Eddie Stephens 1939, but still behind events at Pendine, Carmarthen Park  & elsewhere in the region

BSA Bantam no less 123cc (Ms) Joan Slack  second to Harry J Hulsman's 123 BSA Bantam in 1951, Joan Slack also rode a 248 MOV Velocette there that day.  Harry J Hulsman was a 2 stroke specialist and came up with the last motorcycle known to have been made in Wales, the HJH Dragon built at Neath & powered by Villiers & the JLO motors, Roddy Rees can be seen on this website Homepage riding the works Scrambles machine at Clayford (Tenby) event.

Joan Slack was actually in Festival of Britain year 1951 presented with the beautiful & coveted CARMARTHEN Motor Cycle & Light Car Club V.M.C. Cup Presented by D.R. Griffiths Esq., initially at Pendine August 1948 to J. Treseder, 1949 J. Treseder again Then 1950 Neath's J. L. Mills took it and the lady rider Joan Slack in 1951, after that 1952 saw J. L. Mills take it again, 1953 A. W. Ford took the award, lastly in 1954 J.L. Mills proudly took the Trophy again. Here is the award itself with Mr Mills's Replicas for the 1950 & 1952 wins. 

See the Results list below, 1000cc Race Winner, Vincent Works tester Daniel Morgan Thomas on that very works Vincent.   He was at the Vincent HRD Stevenage works along with George Brown George Rose Phil Heath & an apprentice you may have heard of, John Surtees. Dan became a Milkman at Llangrannog. (pic. supplied from his son Dai Thomas's collection)   David Bowen was a spannerman with Daniel here & remembers they took the bike to Pendine perched on the Sidecar of a 1932 BSA Sloper!.

Les Griffiths of Bridgend who also won that day,a Veteran Speedman Les Griffiths of Bridgend 1951 always had his Norton Motors tuned by Reg Dearden whom you will see dicing with Wilf Billington, a few pictures back.

'Nobby' Treseder, Fred Rist, Harry J Hulsman etc results justify the pics above.

A very great many more pics shall be placed, but these two who took the 10 Miles race at 1951 Festival of Britain Standard Machine Class. Llwyd James first & his great friend Alf Pickersgill while on leave from the RAF hurriedly returned with little time to prepare his machine for the Event. I think the likes of these merit the starting of what will be a large page from far earlier days.

Llwyd James of Maenclochog then & Fishguard now rode at all sorts of events winning his Class clearly, Esso in 1953 Contracted Llwyd to use only their oil & fuel products

Alf Pickersgill No 23 of Cold Blow Nr. Narberth & Llwyd James's No 34 Both used standard 500 BSA's

 Merthyr Garage owner & great racer Des Snow & his KTT Velocette

D R Griffiths, linked with Carmarthen Club by the Superb Trophy he awarded, here on his unique home produced, Swansea machine, DRG seen here with his 5 stud long stroke J&A Prestwich, powered Methanol fuelled device produced in a Sketty garden Workshop No 17 Rudge JAP Special he lovingly called a VMC!) (Various Makes Combined), as I am advised by his son John Griffiths!,then No7 Reg Dearden, behind them Llwyd James & Fred McNulty in Sou'wester & all weather dress to the right, 1953, DGR? his originally treadle operated Buck & Hickman lathe equipped workshop brought unique machinery from a works Matchless powered machine. I had a couple of machines with those superb old JAP motors in my younger days!. no need to add that I wish I'd kept 'em!. 

1960 a scarce pic within that secluded Pendine Weapons test Establishment with a Rocket propulsion item about to head down the tracks,   " just perch there & 'old on tight squire, & we'll have you over to Laugharne in no time at all!"  a white knuckles ride to leave Oakwood Park in the shade! springs to mind.  Many thanks Dave Martin of New Orleans.   N.B. Candidate most frequently nominated to me for piloting this device has been a chap who actually compiled a book of Pendine Races however using lots of pictures which seem to have been deliberately taken from other race sources, locations, plus venues (he will probably claim to have ridden it anyway!.)

Another part of Wales where much still goes on, high speed and tests of differing sorts seem to have gone by without a sandcastle on the foreshore crumbling, Dylan Thomas's dwelling, Boathouse & Brown's Hotel plus the grave of himself & Caitlin at Laugharne,   To the east of the Peach Pendine is where it could be entered by vehicles, at it's extreme west.

By this time Carmarthen Club members were proudly displaying this pennant on road machines. (Gethin Evans whom I raced against many times at Carmarthen Park discovered this among his souvenirs!). What follows below is initial research on  images which have been altered for inclusions in a Pendine Races book. (text errors etc we had been made aware of by an old Pendine Racer) hence I took a quick run through some pictures in the Archive here.  Time & distance seems to have been travelled with surprising ease.   A far greater surprise will emerge for old lads & enthusiasts who had paid around £30 for the book itself, I shall not even look deeper at present.   You can fool some of the people just some of the time.

PENDINE RACES BOOK!!, what a nicely produced plus finely Published tome this at first appears, presented well, with praising Reviews by National Newspapers etc.  TELEGRAPH review in particular was lavish inpraise,  'however, when checking the book itself some unreal looking altered pictures began to tumble forth, starting from even this on it's protecting dustcover. This actually is a Mumbles photographer M A Clare's picture taken at Oxwich Bay with Three Cliffs Bay in the Background, (I have the original)  I had wondered some time ago why 'Pendine Races' book which could have been made into & should have been a Valued Historic Chronicle Publication was laughingly referred to as "The Spoof Book" by a local Pendine man.  What follows shows pictures of Oxwich Bay, Broughton Bay, LLanmadog, Aberavon, Cefn Sidan Speed Trials had actually been used without mention of era or true location, whilst some even had even been altered or had date plus locations & photographers identities deleted!.  Negatives of such Original pics before they were altered remain at Beaulieu Motoring Photographic Dept. for collection.  Beaulieu remains unpaid an appreciable sum for their fine work on them.  

Here we go again, 'very same image PUT ONTO A PENDINE BEACH PICTURE! this much altered picture grandly appears on the glossy & well designed dustcover of that Pendine Races Book.  This scene was moved from a M A Clare picture at Oxwich Bay in Gower, to be superimposed onto a stretch of Pendine Sands foreshore hmm!.   Look below and you can see the Oxwich Bay Races Picture by M A Clare has now arrived at Pendine Races without the aid of a Tardis!

Here we go once more, (yet again) in that same book, foreword! with Three Cliffs Bay this time airbrushed? completely from it's background.  History being adjusted perhaps?. Sadly, an author or editor deliberately removing altering or adjusting locations & dates etc confuses History itself & great images & info becomes untrustworthy & values diminish.

Not a big gripe here about this which has been inserted in Pendine Races Book re the 1926 Races there, really it is another  pic originally by M A Clare of Mumbles at the Cefn Sidan 1927 Races,  it would have been nice to identify the location, it is L V Thomas (earlier of next door but one here to me at Bishopston) 'wreck in the background can be seen again in the Cefn Sidan section in this website.

Here is one of my favourite pics from the Clare family collection, R E Thomas & his Brough Superior, again covered here in the Cefn Sidan Races  held in 1927 by the Gwendraeth Valley Motor Cycle & Light Car Club, as can be seen from the Banner proudly fluttering over them, you can quite easily read this is one of M A Clare's with his customary marking at the lower right & location plus date at left. If you look below you may see how this had been altered perhaps in the hope of it 'acquiring a Pendine look'.

OOPS, Look above to see where this pic was cut from!. This cropped part of the above Cefn Sidan Pic appears in the Pendine Races Book!, The ID, Location, even the banner has been chopped out from original pic to be actually PUBLISHED in Pendine Races Book. luckily the original negative is here or we could have missed it!.

Another one which appears in 'the Book'  however shown HERE with it's true ORIGINAL Photographer's data still (now)visible. 'Published pic. data seemed to have been 'airbrushed out suggesting perhaps a wish to make it better suited to move Oxwich event to Pendine Races contents, as you can see here it was ORIGINALLYtaken by M A Clare at Oxwich Speed Trials in 1931 showing nearest camera George Gregor with Gordon Bennett of Gorseinon, again the Photographer's original white writing had somehow been caused to completely disappear for insertion in the book.   A Faker's Field Day!

In the Pendine Book again! yet another M A Clare Picture at Oxwich of Nick Carter with his 350 Matchless again it appears not identified to be taken at Oxwich. I have left M A Clare's ID set marking at lower left stay in this truth in caption & text would have made the book content far more acceptable, M A Clare's inimitable marking again was erased. Nick of Brynmawr, rode for Cardiff Speedway team around the country where as like other Speedway Riders his 'nickname' (no pun intended!) Nick "Trick" Carter would be used on the Posters & Programmes.

L V Thomas a couple of years later in a 1929 picture, not at Pendine though as you can see from the white lettering, Yet another M A Clare pic this time at Aberavon Beach Races was airbrushed & found it's way into Pendine Races!, perhaps another mistake?  

L V Thomas on his Norton in a M A Clare Picture (see plainly at lower right of pic.) this time at Oxwich found it's way into the Pendine Book, It perhaps would have been a better presented piece if  true locations had even been mentioned in the text, so far, Pics. from Aberavon, Broughton Bay, Oxwich, Llanmadoc, Cefn Sidan & such have been used but sadly their true locations not mentioned in the book or near the images on their pages. This shows Mumbles Photographer M A Clare's markings, plus look closely & you can plainly see Oxwich Point is far different to Pendine.

Here is another M A Clare pic. (of Jack Daniels) shown here before 'alterations' took place, as you may see from M A Clare's marking this is at Llanmadoc in 1937 which had its date and location perhaps deliberately erased to be placed quite a large distance away plus 11 years later in the 1948 Pendine Races section. what the chap preparing this did not clarify was that Jack Daniels was Killed in 1948 practicing on his Velocette at Cartersford Bend , Gower.

Another of Jack Daniels, then of Murton/Bishopston in action, a shame really that historic facts seem slightly concealed.