The Marine Gardens

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

The visiting team again took the honours at the Marine Gardens on 23 July when West Ham Hawks beat Edinburgh by 29 points to 25.

Edinburgh made a great attempt to draw ahead and in the eighth heat were only two points behind but were eventually beaten by the superb riding of Aussie Powell and Charlie Spinks in the final heat. Both teams were without their regular captains who were absent through injuries, but had able deputies in Alan Butler, who captained Edinburgh and Charlie Spinks who captained West Ham.

Edinburgh started well when Rolly Liddle, who was riding in place of Tommy Price, romped home an easy winner. Unfortunately Alan Butler came off just after the start. West Ham then took matters in hand and started to collect points steadily until the seventh heat when Liddle again took first place points, Butler gaining third place this time. The position at this stage was Edinburgh 19 West Ham 23.

The home side continued to gain till the final heat when Aussie Powell and Charlie Spinks decided the match in West Ham’s favour. In the captain’s match race Jack Gordon deputised for Alan Butler, whose machine was under repair. Spinks and Gordon rode a closely contested race until the third lap when Gordon over slid, leaving Spinks to finish alone in 1 min 23 and three fifth secs, the best time of the day.

Some keen riding was seen in the heats of the Scottish Silver Torch event, but Sprinks again proved too good for his opponents. In heat three the local rider, Leo Lungo gave Bruce Venier a splendid race and was just beaten for first place. In the final Spinks was quickly away and held his lead against Liddle while Powell and Venier finished third and fourth respectively.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

The following week spectators at the Marine Gardens Speedway enjoyed a thrilling team race between a team of Dominion riders and the Edinburgh side, which resulted in a draw at 27 points each.

Edinburgh started well in the first heat, Oliver Hart gaining points for first place and Alan Butler, his partner being third. The Dominion riders then took matters in hand and in the next three heats gained a good lead over Edinburgh, the points at this stage being Dominions 16 points, Edinburgh 8.

In spite of this substantial lead the Edinburgh riders fought back gamely and in heat five Ernie Price put Edinburgh in the running again. Edinburgh continued to reduce the leeway and in heat eight were only two points behind.

The final heat was the most exciting of the team events. Roy Dook immediately went into the lead and looked like holding it but he ran wide at one bend and allowed Jack Gordon to slip into the lead and win, amidst great excitement, to enable Edinburgh to draw level at 27 points each.

A great improvement was noticed in the riding of the reserves when Leo Lungo gained a narrow victory over Stanley Gargan.

The captain’s race was the high light of the day. For four laps Steven Langton and Oliver Hart rode side by side, both superb in their cornering and perfect in their control over their machines. Langton, who had the inside berth, gained the decision by a decidedly narrow margin. A section of the crowd disagreed with the judge’s verdict in this race. in the Silver Gauntlet race it was something of a surprise to see Langton defeated in his heat by Jack Hyland, after his great display against Hart, who had already qualified for the final. Opposed by three visitors, Hart made a valiant attempt to gain a lead in the final but Roy Dook held on in front to win a well deserved race.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

A full year before the outbreak of the Second World War, preparations had begun. A demonstration of air raid precautions work was given at the Marine Gardens on the night of September 14, together with a display by the units manning the anti-aircraft guns.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

Edinburgh fielded the same side as did so well against the Dominion team against Bristol on 6 August and though they were defeated by two points ,26-28, they emerged from the engagement with a good deal of credit.

The spectators were roused to a pitch of excitement by the close finishes in many of the races and vocal encouragement to the local riders was more marked than on previous occasions. Edinburgh were never on the lead but were never more than four points behind and in no fewer than five of the nine heats the opposing teams equally shared the six points at stake.

Probably the most exciting finish of the afternoon concerned that in which Harold Jackson (Edinburgh) put in an amazingly fast finish to beat Harry Shepherd and Ray Duggan on the post after the two last named appeared to have the race in safe keeping.

The captain’s match race between Oliver Hart (Edinburgh) and Harry Shepherd (Bristol) was an exciting affair, the two riders racing side by side for three laps before Hart drew slightly ahead to win by a narrow margin while in the reserves race Stanley Gargan was never really seriously threatened.

The trophy event for the Scottish Gold Helmet was once again won by a visitor, Roy Dook getting away to a flying start to beat Oliver Hart in the final.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

Edinburgh scored a decisive victory over Newcastle on 13 August when they defeated a visitors by 31 points to 23 at the Marine Gardens Speedway. A large crowd witnessed some very fast racing and the times returned were fast.

The main attraction of the day was the appearance of Jack Milne, the world champion speedway rider in a best of three series of match races. Stan Greatrex, who was to have been Milne’s opponent, was unfortunately unable to appear owing to injuries sustained while racing the day before. A well known Canadian rider, Goldie Restall, deputised for Greatrex.

The team races were very keen and the first heat saw the two captains, Oliver Hart (Edinburgh) and Kid Curtis (Newcastle) riding in opposition. Hart rode a magnificent race to win easily, Curtis just beating Jack Gorst for second place. Hart continued his fine riding in heat seven, which he won in fine style and then he completed a hat trick by winning again in heat ten. Another Edinburgh rider who excelled himself was Harold Jackson, who also completed a hat trick.

The match races between Milne and Restall were quite interesting although the first was disappointing as Restall’s machine failed in the third lap, leaving Milne to finish alone. Heat two was more exciting, Restall holding on to Milne all the way to win by a very narrow margin. The Champion’s perfect sense of anticipation and masterly handling was shown in the last heat when he drew away from his opponent to win easily thus defeating Restall by two races to one.

The opening heats of the Scottish Silver Gauntlet race saw Hart, Jackson and Restall qualifying easily for the final but it was not until Milne came out in the fourth heat that the crowd saw thrills. With Alan Butler close on his heels, Milne forced the pace. Suddenly Butler over slid and came down on the stand bend and Dick Dennie, who was close behind, collided with Butler’s machine and was catapulted into the air. Milne by this time was well clear and he went on to win in the very fast time of 1 min 20 and one fifth secs, which beat the existing track record by two fifths of a second.

A fine display of riding was given in the final by Hart who at one time actually led Milne, but the champion soon drew ahead to win the Gauntlet.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

Stan Greatrex made a welcome reappearance at the Marine Gardens Speedway on 20 August when he captained a team representing the home country against a side representing the overseas. The visitors took the lead in the second heat and held it to the end to win by six points. Home country 24, overseas 30.

On a very loose track Greatrex gave some thrilling displays of riding and finished up in the team event by scoring a hat trick. Although Jimmy Gibb, the rival captain just failed to score his hat trick he captained his team with the utmost confidence.

A good start was made by the home country in the first heat, when Greatrex took the lead and forged ahead to win by a good margin. Incidentally in the fastest time of the day 1 min 21 and one fifth secs.

Charlie Spinks evened up matters in the next heat when he just defeated Oliver Hart, the popular Edinburgh rider on the post.

The home country reduced the leeway in the fifth heat when Hart rose to the occasion and gained first place points. The score now was home country 14 points, overseas 16 points.

The overseas team continued to hold their lead and in the final heat Charlie Spinks, supported by Reg Hay, finished matters by gaining maximum points between them.

The rival captains gave a magnificent exhibition of riding when they met in a match race. Gibb, on the inside, had a slight advantage over Greatrex and made every possible use of it. Greatrex, however, held on all the way to finish with a grand spurt to win by a very short margin.

Hart was again prominent when winning the first heat of the Scottish Silver Torch race and he looked as if he would be hard to beat in the final. Spinks, Gibb and Greatrex all qualified for the final which proved to be a very thrilling race. Spinks on the inside shot into the lead and Hart followed, leaving Greatrex third and Gibb last. Hart tried hard to catch up on Spinks and looked like doing so when he over slid on the end and left Spinks to finish an easy winner.

Leo Lungo scored a decisive victory over Bill Little and Stan Gargan in the reserves’ race, surprising everybody by the great improvement in his riding.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

The closing meeting of the season was held at the Marine Gardens Speedway on 27 August when a number of notable riders raced for the track championship. Although no records were broken, some fast times were returned. Ernie Evans (New Cross) was the ultimate winner.

The races were run on a points basis and the four riders who gained the most points in four heats qualified for the final.

The thrills started in the first heat when Bill Pitcher (Lea Bridge) out manoeuvred Tommy Allott (Sheffield) on the last bend to win by a narrow margin.

Charlie Spinks (West Ham) had no difficulty in defeating Billy Lamont (Sheffield) in heat three and again he delighted the crowd with his stylish riding by repeating this performance in heat five.

Eric Gregory (Wembley) showed his mettle in heat four when challenged by Wally Key (Wimbledon). He held on to his lead to win easily, Key over sliding and coming to grief at the top bend. Gregory continued his successes in every heat and was the only rider to qualify for the final with maximum points.

Kid Curtis (Newcastle) who was very unfortunate in most of his heats, finished his run of bad luck by crashing heavily in heat five and had to be carried off. He was the only casualty of the day.

The fastest time of the day was returned by Wally Key who, although closely challenged by Tommy Allott, never allowed himself to be headed and won the race in 1 min 21 and two fifth secs.

Ernie Evans (New Cross) was disappointing in his first heat but his subsequent heats atoned for his early failure. In heats nine and eleven he romped home in easy style and in heat thirteen he gave Charlie Spinks his only defeat of the day to qualify for the final with ten points.

Billy Lamont gave the crowd a thrill in heat fourteen when Wally Lloyd, anxious to gain points to make him a certain finalist, spurted into the lead closely followed by Lamont. A close race followed, Lamont winning narrowly. Lloyd eventually qualified for the final with nine points.

The final was a suitable climax to a thrilling day’s racing, the riders being Eric Gregory, Charlie Spinks, Ernie Evans and Wally lloyd. When the tapes went up, Spinks, Gregory and Lloyd bunched on the inside line for the lead, but Evans, who excels himself on the outside outwitted them and rushed ahead. Although severely challenged by Spinks, Evans held on to his advantage to win a magnificent race. It was surprising to see Gregory, who qualified with maximum points, finish last in the race.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

War preparations continued through the summer and autumn.

Among features planned to keep the necessity of ARP work before the public was another air raid demonstration held at the Marine Gardens. The sports arena held 30,000 people and a special section was reserved for 5000 ARP volunteers.

After an introductory talk by Lord Provost Sir Louis Gumley, an air raid warning signal was given and five minutes later three planes from the Edinburgh Flying Club’s aerodrome at Macmerry few over the ground. After running the gauntlet of anti aircraft fire they supposedly dropped high explosive bombs.

Thereafter the ARP organisation was demonstrated by wardens and other trained volunteers and the public got an idea of what would be done if such an emergency were to arise.

There were two other phases in the demonstration, these being devoted to incendiary and gas bombs.

The anti aircraft guns were manned by the 228th Battery under the command of Major Sir Eric Hutchison, while the first aid parties were provided by the St Andrews Ambulance Association. Others taking part in the demonstration were a first aid post staff from the British Red Cross Society, rescue parties from the City Engineer’s Department and decontamination squads from the City Cleansing Department.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

The opening of the 1939 speedway season opened at the Marine Gardens track saw a change of day, with the meets now taking place on Tuesday evenings instead of Saturday afternoons.

The 9 May opening also saw a defeat for the Edinburgh team who, after drawing level at the fourth heat, finished five points down to Sheffield, the final total being Sheffield 29 points Edinburgh 24 points.

What looked like being a serious crash occurred in heat eight when Bill Nisbet (Edinburgh) and Don Houghton (Sheffield) collided at the stand bend at the end of the first lap. Houghton required attention from the ambulance men but was able to walk to the pits by himself.

Meanwhile his team mate Ernie Evans took the lead to win comfortably from Frank Woodruffe. Incidentally Evans was the only rider to finish with maximum points.

In the match races Edinburgh again suffer defeat, this time from Glasgow when Curly Thomson and Gruff Garland defeated Jack Gordon and Frank Woodruffe.

Compensation came, however, in the Captain’s match race when Oliver Hart (Edinburgh) raced Ernie Evans (Sheffield) neck and neck to win what was easily the best match race of the night. When entering the last bend it seemed that Hart was cornering too wide but with masterly handling he brought his machine into line to be flagged first.

A desperate attempt by Hart, who brilliantly pulled up from third to second place in the final of the Scottish Silver Gauntlet race just failed to take him past Laurie Packer (Edinburgh). Packer, however, deserved his victory and received the trophy from the hands of Bluey Wilkinson, the world champion and manager of the Sheffield team.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

The following week Edinburgh returned their first team victory of the season when they defeated the Newcastle team by two points, the final core being Edinburgh 28 points, Newcastle 26 points.

In the opening heat the Edinburgh side were unfortunate to lose Jack Gordon who over slid at the bottom bend, but Oliver Hart held the lead to win comfortably from Kid Curtis. Hart, incidentally, was the only rider to score maximum points throughout the contest.

A new Edinburgh rider, Jack Hancock, put up a very fine display of riding, winning his first two heats with superb skill. He was, however, narrowly beaten by Billy Lamont in his last heat.

The surprise of the evening was the defeat of the Newcastle captain George Pepper by Bill Nisbet, who took the lead from the start. Pepper made a desperate attempt to overtake Nisbet but failed by the narrowest of margins. In the team trial race Nisbet was again flagged first. This race, although showing the poor time of 1 min 28 and four fifth secs, provided an exciting finish, all the competitors being bunched together on the line.

Oliver Hart continued his run of successes in the captain’s match race when he easily defeated george Pepper.

In the next match race, however, Newcastle shared the honours with Edinburgh when Billy Lamont and Laurie packer were concerned in a dead heat.

The early heats of the Scottish Silver Torch furnished little in the way of excitement, Curtis having an easy journey into the final when Hancock’s machine gave trouble. Lamont won his eliminating heat in great style from M. Stobart and Jack Gordon and Hart also qualified easily. In the final, however, the Edinburgh captain’s successful run came to an end, Billy Lamont jumping into a lead he kept for all four laps to finish an easy winner.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

Once again, on 30 May, the opposition team proved too strong for the Edinburgh team at the Marine Gardens. The home side were defeated by a team of Dominion riders captained by Eric Chitty, Canada. The final score was Edinburgh 24 points, Dominions 30 points.

The outstanding riders were Jack Gordon, Edinburgh, who scored eight points and Jimmy Gibb, Canada, who also scored eight.

In the opening heat Eric Chitty rode a magnificent race to lower the track record by one fifth of a second, his time being 1 min 20 secs. He repeated this performance in the final of the Scottish Silver Gauntlet.

The Dominions had the best of the racing throughout and never looked like being overtaken, despite the valiant attempt of Jack Gordon and Oliver Hart to lower Edinburgh’s deficit.

Jack Gordon especially had bad luck in heat six. When Citty’s machine failed Gordon took the lead only to over slide. He remounted but could finish only second. Chitty’s machine picked up and with his usual daring riding he fought his way up to third place, to gain another point for his side.

The final heat of the team race provided some excitement when Jack Gordon jumped into a substantial lead in front of Jimmy Gibb who, although he gained on Gordon with every lap, just failed in his fine effort. This defeat prevented Gibb from gaining maximum points.

Some stylish riding was witnessed in a match between Tiger Stevenson and Oliver Hart, the former getting off his mark quickly and holding his lead for the entire distance. In the other match race Isbister came to grief, leaving Dennie to finish alone.

The trophy up for competition was the Scottish Silver Gauntlet and the Dominion riders were well to the fore in the final, the line up being Chitty, Gibb, Spinks and Hart, the Edinburgh captain. In the preceding heats Chitty had an easy win as had Jimmy Gibb. The race between Spinks and Stevenson however, was a different matter, both riders tearing round the track shoulder to shoulder even on the bends. Spinks however spurted ahead to gain a deserved win.

The final race again proved the superiority of Eric Chitty who, although behind at the start, fought for the lead from Oliver Hart, to win a splendid race in time which equalled his earlier record run.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

The Edinburgh team secured a well merited victory over Crystal Palace on 6 June when they defeated the visitors by a margin of seven points, the final score being Edinburgh 30, Crystal Palace 23.

The local riders never seemed in danger of defeat and led the way consistently to win comfortably.

Oliver Hart, the Edinburgh captain rode extremely well and was one of the two riders of the evening to record maximum points, the other being Laurie Packer, also of Edinburgh. Les Trim, the visiting captain had the unusual experience of going pointless for his team.

In heat five what appeared to be a bad accident occurred when Jack Hancock of Edinburgh collided with a Crystal Palace rider. He was carried off but after receiving attention from the ambulance men was able to resume.

Oliver Hart returned a good win over Les Trim in the captain’s match race over two laps, the Edinburgh skipper jumping into the lead at the first bend and increasing his advantage.

The Scottish Silver Torch event created something of a surprise. In the first instance the defeat of Laurie Packer in the fourth heat was unexpected and the line up in the final saw Jack Gordon, Gruff Garland, who captains Glasgow, Oliver Hart and Elwood Stilwell in position. Here Gordon got away to a flying start and despite some adventurous cornering by Hart, the former scored a fine win in the fast time of 1 min 22 and three fifth secs.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

The Belle Vue team from Manchester scored a close win by 27 points to 26 over Edinburgh on 13 June. First class racing was witnessed throughout the evening and credit had to be given to Oliver Hart and his team mates for their splendid show against a team that had such a fine reputation as Belle Vue.

Up to the fifth heat Belle Vue led by only two points and they increased this by one after heat six, but thereafter the Edinburgh team rose splendidly to take the lead.

The early heats were fought out at a furious pace, the finishes being mainly of a close order. Fairly good times were recorded. Ernie Price of Belle Vue on one occasion being within one fifth of a second of the track record of 1 min 20 secs.

In heat eight, in which Edinburgh took the lead, Laurie Packer came in first, followed by Frank Varey.

Excitement was intense at the final heat. Edinburgh were leading by one point, but the race proved to be comparatively unexciting as Price led all the way and the issue was never in doubt. Jack Gordon finished second, but Cockburn added the necessary point for the visitors by taking third place.

What at first appeared to be an unfortunate mishap ended in comedy in the captain’s match race when Varey had a spill at the end of the first lap. He was, however, unhurt and after dragging his machine off the track he jumped on the back of Oliver Hart’s machine as that rider came round again after passing the tape.

Joe Crowther won the Search for Talent event after a close race with Leo Lungo.

Laurie Packer, Frank Varey, Oliver Hart and Ernie Price met in the final heat for the Scottish Gold Helmet. Packer shot ahead at the start but was overtaken at the first corner by Hart who was in turn overtaken by Price. Then Varey raced to the front and held his lead to the finish.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

A well deserved victory over their Glasgow rivals was scored by the Edinburgh speedway team on 20 June.

The visitors started off well, gaining full points in the first heat, although Edinburgh were unlucky to lose Hart, their captain, whose machine failed. Brilliant riding was shown by Packer who gained maximum points for his side as well as Jack Gordon who also gained full points. Glasgow’s captain Gruff Garland was the most successful of the visitors scoring six points. The match finished with the final score Edinburgh 32 points Glasgow 22 points.

In the match team race Packer and Hart had a great duel. Only great skill and splendid riding by Hart prevented him from colliding with Packer when the latter refused to be passed on the bends. Packer won this race in the fastest time of the evening, his time being 1 minute 21 and four fifth seconds.

The opening heats of the Scottish Silver Gauntlet produced some very exciting incidents. Packer continued his run of victories in the first heat, when he won easily from Norrie Isbister. In heat two Woodroffe looked like winning when his machine cut out and gave Crowther an easy victory. Crowther in this race prevented what might have been a serious accident. Jack Hancock came off at the stand bend with Crowther close on his heels. A crash seemed inevitable but Crowther, with a magnificent effort, lifted his machine right round to avoid the fallen rider.

Glasgow and Edinburgh were evenly represented in the final, the lineup reading Garland and Crowther (Glasgow) and Packer and Hart (Edinburgh). Packer was favoured to crown his evening’s run of successes but Hart’s characteristically fine start won him the lead and he held on to this to win his first trophy since he started riding for Edinburgh.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

Poor weather conditions slightly affected the attendance at the Marine Gardens Speedway on 4 July, when, on a heavy track, Edinburgh were well beaten by Wembley. The final result was Edinburgh 22 points Wembley 32 points.

The home team opened the scoring when Hart defeated the Wembley captain easily. Despite Edinburgh’s promising start, Wembley took matters well in hand in the next heat and continued to do well in the following races. The splendid riding of Aub Lawson, who was the only rider to gain maximum points, coupled with their superior team riding, won the day for Wembley.

A thrilling duel was witnessed in heat 4 between Hart and Cliff Parkinson. The latter got quickly away at the start, but Hart held on and managed to pass his opponent on the bend to beat him by a fair margin.

The local team was unfortunate in heat 5 when they lost Jack Hyland, who sprained his ankle in falling. He was unable to ride for the rest of the meeting.

Lawson and Hart stood even at heat 7, both requiring a win for maximum points, but Lawson proved just too good for Hart.

An unusual incident occurred in the team match race. The riders lined up but when the tape rose Parkinson was left standing on the line. The other three riders were well away, with the Edinburgh captain in the lead. The judges stopped the race, stating that there had been a false start, much to the annoyance of the crowd who showed their disapproval loudly. After the restart Parkinson won this race.

Bill Nisbet showed a return to his old form when he won the reserves’ race with something to spare.

Andy Menzies and Aub Lawson were worthy winners of the special match races, both riders giving a magnificent display of skilful cornering and winning with comparative ease.

In the qualifying heats of the Scottish Gold Helmet, Garland, Lawson, Mitchell and Menzies all had easy runs into the final, Menzies surprisingly defeating the Edinburgh captain. The final was Lawson’s race all the way round. Making a great start, he gained the lead and increased the distance between himself and the field with every lap.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

In the first ACU Northern Cup competition, held at the Marine Gardens on 11 July, Edinburgh were defeated by Newcastle by five points after a very close contest.

Hart, the Edinburgh captain, opened the scoring with a fine win in the fast time of 1 min 20 and one fifth secs.

The home team took the lead in the second heat, scoring 4 points to the visitors 2.

In heat four Hart again won in 1 min 20 and one fifth secs, but a splendid piece of team riding by George Pepper and Kid Curtis of Newcastle brought the teams level.

The visitors fell behind again in the next heat, the score reading Newcastle 16, Edinburgh 20, but drew level again in heat eight.

Pepper and Curtis took maximum points in the next heat, but Hart and Tidbury put up a similar performance for Edinburgh in heat ten and the scores read 30-30. This win completed Hart’s individual maximum points for the team races. Incidentally he was the only rider to do this.

It was not until heat twelve, with Syd Littlewood’s victory, that Newcastle regained the lead. Edinburgh never made up the lost ground and Newcastle maintained the lead, to finish 5 points ahead. The outstanding riders in the Newcastle team were Syd Littlewood and Maurice Stobart.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

Under ideal weather conditions the largest crowd seen that season at the Marine Gardens was kept at a high pitch of excitement on 18 July by the magnificent riding of Cordy Milne, who won the Marine Gardens track championship. Milne’s riding was consistent throughout and along with Bill Kitchen he scored 14 points, only one short of the possible.

The elimination process was by means of points, the four riders gaining the highest number over 20 heats qualifying for the final. The riders appearing were representative of practically every track in Britain, some of them being entrants for the World Speedway Championship.

In heat one Evans equalled the track record and Lungo, the local rider, who was deputising for Greenwood, rode a magnificent race for second place, keeping out such men as Garland and Bravery.

The first casualty of the evening was in the second race. Hyland and Chapman were fighting for the lead, with Hart a close third. On rounding the bottom bend Hyland attempted to pass Chapman and came down heavily. He was carried off and was reported to be suffering from concussion and was unable to ride for the rest of the meeting.

Milne encountered his only defeat at the hands of Bill Kitchen, who set up a new track record, his time being 1 min 18 and one fifth secs. The original track record of 1 min 20 secs was broken no fewer than six times.

Kitchen’s fast time put the crowd on their toes and when he again put up a fast time against Evans in heat five he immediately became first favourite for the trophy. In this race Evans gained the advantage of the lead and looked like holding it when, in a magnificent display of anticipation, Kitchen outwitted Evans to win comfortably.

Hart, the popular Edinburgh rider won his second race and Milne did likewise. Packer showed a return to his old form when defeating Chapman and Whitfield easily in the good time of 1 min 19 and four fifth secs. Milne, by defeating Hart, took second place.

In heat ten Packer again rose to the occasion by riding a thrilling race against Hansen. Packer lost a footrest in this race but despite this handicap he managed to hold his lead.

The most thrilling event of the night culminated in the first defeat of Bill Kitchen by Oliver Hart. As usual Kitchen got well away, but Hart, by magnificent cornering, snatched the lead. Kitchen made a last minute spurt but the Edinburgh man had the advantage and won in the surpisingly slow time of 1 min 22 and two fifth secs.

The last of the heats were run off without any outstanding incidents. Evans, Kitchen, Hart and Milne recording easy victories.

An unfortunate incident occurred in heat 19 when Parkinson, over eager at the start, tore down the standing tapes and was disqualified under ACU ruling.

The line up for the final read Milne, 14 points. Kitchen 14 points. Hart 13 points and Evans 12 points. Getting quickly away, Kitchen took the lead with the other riders bunched together behind him. He was not in front for long, however, as Milne, cutting through the field, slipped into the lead and stayed there until the end. The Edinburgh man was unfortunate enough to over slide but he suffered no serious injury.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

In their second ACU Northern Cup match on 25 July the Edinburgh team defeated Glasgow by 29 points.

This big win was due to the splendid riding of George Greenwood and the crafty team riding of Hart and Hyland. Edinburgh seemed to have no real opposition at all, Glasgow only recording one win.

In the first heat Edinburgh’s new captain, Greenwood, finished in splendid style but the Edinburgh second man was left. The home side took the lead in heat 2, Hart and Hyland finishing first and second respectively. The new captain again increased Edinburgh’s lead in heat 4 and the score then stood Edinburgh 17 Glasgow 7.

A serious looking crash occurred in heat 6 when Packer, trying to head Lowther on the bottom bend, crashed into the Glasgow man. Another rider, Crowther, in trying to avoid the two fallen men, crashed into the fence and also came off. Lowther remounted and finished second.

At the 7th heat Edinburgh were leading by 21 points, Hart and Greenwood having completed their hat tricks.

A thrilling race was run in heat 9 when the Edinburgh pair, Chapman and Packer, were left at the start. Fighting hard and manoeuvring cleverly, Chapman held on to the leader and skilfully gained a well deserved victory.

Greenwood’s win in heat 10 and Hart’s win in heat 11 saw them both complete maximum points and at the same time gave Glasgow no chance of drawing level.

The remaining heats were all won by Edinburgh and the home team finished their first ACU Cup win with the splendid score of Edinburgh 56 points, Glasgow 27 points.

The opening heats of the Scottish Silver Torch were quite uneventful. Greenwood, Hyland and Hart having easy runs to qualify for the final. Greenwood was quickly away but Hart fought his way through the field and, cornering with magnificent skill, he forced his way to the lead and held on, to win the best race of the night.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

For the second week in succession the Edinburgh team returned a substantial home win when they defeated Sheffield in the ACU Northern Cup competition by nine points.

The Edinburgh captain George Greenwood once again scored maximum points and up to that date he was the only home rider whose points percentage was 100 per cent.

The home team started off well with a grand win for their captain who led all the way in the fast time of 1 min 19 secs.

The second heat was a chapter of accidents for Edinburgh. Hart was thrown from his machine as the tapes went up and Hyland came off on the bottom bend, leaving the Sheffield riders to cruise home for the points.

Packer and Chapman made amends in the next heat and placed Edinburgh on the lead. Chapman put up a great fight for second place, displacing Bronco Dixon on the line.

Edinburgh still held the lead after heat five despite the defeat of Hart who had to give best to Evans. Chapman gave the crowd a real thrill in heat six. The Sheffield men were quickly away, with McLachlan in the lead, when Chapman, with magnificent cornering fought his way o the front to record a fine win.

A bad looking collision occurred in heat seven when Greenwood over slid into Birtwell, bringing the latter down. Powell, following behind, crashed into both the fallen riders and it appeared as though all three riders were seriously injured. Birtwell, however, was the only stretcher case and he, on being examined by the doctor, was found to have sustained a fractured leg. This rider had also been unfortunate at Glasgow on the previousSaturday night where he sustained concussion. In the re-run of this race, Greenwood won easily from Bronco Dixon to increase Edinburgh’s points to 23 with Sheffield 18.

Chapman again thrilled the crowd in heat eight when he put up a terrific fight against Ernie Evans, but he was just beaten for speed.

Greenwood completed his maximum points in heat ten, Sheffield taking second and third places, but this result was received with mixed feelings by the crowd, who were of the opinion that the other Edinburgh man had been bored out of position.

Packer and Lungo definitely settled the decision in favour of the home team in heat twelve when they took first and second places respectively. With another convincing win, Chapman put Edinburgh's final score up to 46, to give the home team a good win by nine points.

A highlight of the meeting was the reserves’ race in which a great struggle took place between Lungo and Plant. With a grand effort Lungo held on to Plant for three laps and passed him on the bottom bend to win a magnificent race.

In the Scottish Gold Helmet event the Edinburgh captain George Greenwood had to withdraw owing to engine trouble. Chapman, Packer and Hart qualified easily for the final and the fastest loser was McLachlan. Packer went into the lead and looked like holding it when Chapman, with a great effort, forced his machine to the front to win a splendid race, Hart finishing a good second.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

On 8 August the Scottish speedway championship was won by the American rider Wilbur Lamoreau (Wimbledon) who rode magnificently throughout the heats and in the final. Sir Harry Lauder, who was present, handed over the Scottish Gold Helmet which was won outright.

The meeting was not what could be called a thrilling one. No records were broken. There were few close finishes. Hart was the only Edinburgh rider to gain an award, Greenwood, the Edinburgh captain being unfortunate with engine trouble.

Easy victories were recorded in the opening heats by the respective winners and it was not until heat five that there was a really close race. Here Bob Harrison (Belle Vue) out manoeuvred Wilbur Lamoreau and returned a surprise win.

Much to the crowd’s disappointment, the Edinburgh favourite Oliver Hart was narrowly defeated by Eric Langton in heat 6, the home rider going wide at the bends and allowing the Belle Vue man to slip inside.

However Hart came out in heat 9 and had a smashing win over Ernie Evans. This gave Hart his first win of the evening. Bill Kitchen suffered his first defeat of the meeting at the hands of Wilbur Lamoreau who took the lead at the start and held on, but the Belle Vue man, however, came out again in the next heat and won a magnificent race against George Pepper.

The superb riding of Langton in heat 15 was greatly appreciated by the big crowd. He held on to Bob Harrison and, with splendid anticipation, passed him to win. The points leaders at this stage were Kitchen, Lamoreau, Langton and Hart.

Langton increased his score at the expense of Bill Kitchen in heat 17 and made sure of his place in the final.

Once again Hart gave a fine display in heat 19 when he easily accounted for Parker and Pepper.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

Edinburgh again scored a smashing victory in another ACU Northern Cup match on 15 August, when they defeated Belle Vue by 28 points, the final score being Edinburgh 56 points, Belle Vue 28 points.

The home team were superior in every way and never allowed the visitors to come anywhere near leading. Edinburgh’s outstanding riders were Greenwood and Hart who both completed maximum points.

Edinburgh riders continued their successes in the heats of the Scottish Silver Gauntlet race when Greenwood, Hyland and Chapman won their heats easily, the fourth winner being Stan Lemon of Belle Vue. With a quick start, Greenwood and Chapman got away together. Fighting it out on the bend, Chapman gained the lead and held on to win a magnificent race.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

In the international speedway match between Scotland and England held on 22 August, the home team had an easy victory, the final score being Scotland 51 points, England 32 points.

The Scots took matters well in hand after the first heat. Ernie Evans, the English captain was the only rider to gain maximum points but his fine effort was wasted by the lack of good supporting men on his side. Hart and Greenwood were the best of the Scottish side only losing 3 points between them. George Greenwood’s superb cornering gave him the verdict in his first Silver Torch heat when he defeated the Glasgow rider Gruff Garland. The final, however, was all Evans. Quickly away, he held on to his fine lead, with Hart following, and finished well in front.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

The Best Pairs championship of the Marine Gardens speedway was held
on 30 August 1939 and resulted in a fine win for the Edinburgh pair Oliver Hart and Jack Hyland.

Their riding throughout the heats was superb and they only dropped one point to finish with a total of 19 points. Hart, by winning all his heats, was the only rider to score maximum points and with Hyland using all his craftiness as a partner they made a very hard pair to race against. The runners up were Gruff Garland and Joe Crowther, with a total of 17 points.

Billy Lamont made a good start but was unfortunate to crash twice during his heats. Packer also had a crash but neither rider was injured.

Some thrilling racing was witnessed in the heats of the Flying Eight scratch race. In heat one Greenwood just managed to hold his own against Menzies and in heat two Chapman bested Hart in a terrific duel on the bends. Fighting his way through a very close field in the final, Hart forced his way to the front to win a magnificent race.

Four days later war was declared and the Marine Gardens were once again requisitioned by the army.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

While at work at the Marine Gardens on 14 August 1940, a painter, Alexander McConnachie, fell through the roof to the floor of the building, a distance of about 50 feet and was fatally injured. He was 26 years of age and resided at 6 Morton Street.
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Home is where the dirt track is

rathbone · Joined: 18 Aug 2004 Location: somewhere else

During the war the stadium at the Marine Gardens was used for public demonstrations in home defence. Typical was the event held on 26 January 1941, which was a large scale display arranged by the Auxiliary Fire Service.

The demonstration had been carefully planned and clearly conveyed the importance of everyone being alert and ready to deal with enemy incendiary bombs.

Four huts, complete with furniture, given the names of the Robin’s Nest, The Nook, The N.B. and The Galley, each indicative of a bedroom, parlour, dining room and kitchen, were the first to be set alight. The incendiary was allowed to be given a firm hold and soon the furniture was well ablaze. In just less than a minute each hut was a roaring fire and it looked as if much more than a stirrup pump would be necessary.

Three AFS men to each building, however, soon showed how simple it could be once you had a little knowledge of the pump. Two saw to the supply of water being maintained while the other moved as close as he could to the fire. Lying flat on the ground with the nozzle up over his left shoulder, he played the spray of the stirrup pump on the bomb and then fixed it for the jet to stream out on to the blazing furniture.

It could not have been more than two minutes before the fires were completely extinguished and the places of the firemen taken by boys and girls from Portobello School.

Bailie Andrew Murray, of the Edinburgh AFS acted as compere during the afternoon and with the arrival of the youngsters he indicated to the crowd through the loudspeaker how simple fighting a bomb could be. “Put plenty of paraffin on this time”, he ordered, “they might show the firemen up”. More bombs were set alight. The flames crackled and leaped higher than ever but the boys and girls were as good at the job as the firemen. “Look how easy they are working the stirrup pump”, said Bailie Murray, “just like doing the washing on Monday morning”.

Then to demonstrate that age does not matter, three old age pensioners from the Leith Association took over and they, too, had the fires well under control in very quick time.

Four AFS men and women telephonists from the Service next showed how simple it was to smother an incendiary with sand which has fallen on a roof. A small platform was supposed to represent the roof and as the bomb began to spurt its fire in all directions, the fighters scooped sand over it and raked it over until there was only a little harmless smoke left. The women were just as quick and efficient. One piled up the sand very methodically, which brought a remark from the loudspeakers: “It looks very amusing doesn’t it, but it is very serious. You may be called upon to do it tonight.”

Actual Nazi incendiary bombs, taken from an enemy machine, were also successfully treated with sand and the stirrup pump.

The Auxiliary firemen had the assistance of school pupils and one of the most successful items was contributed by a girl from Edinburgh Ladies’ College. According to the programme she had to show contempt for an incendiary bomb and appreciation of the use of the lamppost bag. Her simulation of contempt was most convincing. She sauntered along, swinging her school case and passed a street musician playing a gramophone. When she saw the incendiary bomb blazing in the roadway she went immediately to the lamppost, detached the bag of sand and in a trice she had extinguished the bomb in a most business like manner. She then resumed her sauntering progress to the sound of applause from the terracing.

It was then the turn of the efficient and keen men of the AFS to show their worth. A detachment of D of foam guns, a huge blazing pit of oil and petrol. In the centre of the stadium a tall structure had been erected and from the topmost platform a fireman was brought to safety by the new wheeled escape, an appliance which could do wonders for people who happen to be trapped in a burning building.
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Home is where the dirt track is