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Birmingham Speedway, Perry Barr

carolina said:
Thank you thats kind. I suppose it just happened to be him who presented it.
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I didn't find what you were looking for, However, I did find a shot of the crowd at Perry Barr. They would put a random picture of the crowd and circle 2 spectators who would receive free tickets for the next meeting. Maybe she is in the crowd, I have another shot somewhere.
Dave AFans of the Brummies.jpg
 
adap2it said:
I didn't find what you were looking for, However, I did find a shot of the crowd at Perry Barr. They would put a random picture of the crowd and circle 2 spectators who would receive free tickets for the next meeting. Maybe she is in the crowd, I have another shot somewhere.
Dave AView attachment 158758
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Interesting and this is where I gets sexstist and non woke, how many females there are in that picture. I do remember the days of Graham Warren, Tiger Hart et al, did they have fan clubs. Do you also remember 'ommer em Crodley at Cradley Heath or was this another spoort?

Bob
 
Peter Walker said:
There don't seem to be a lot of sport contributions on this excellent webring, which doesn't worry me much, because I was never very interested.
But I do remember going to the motor cycle speedway racing at the old Birchfield Harriers stadium, known as the "Alexandra Ground" in Aldridge Road, Perry Barr, I think in 1947 and 1948. Apart from admiration for 'our' captain Tiger Hart frequently winning, but always riding with style and cheerful showmanship, but all competitors seemed well behaved by modern standards. I have some other memories, like the pop and crisps, the very rough terracing on which we stood, but especially the excitement of watching the competitors' perverse attempts to accelarate and steer their bikes on a load of cinders - a dusty skid patch. I also remember noticing that quite a lot of money must have been spent on improving the terracing during the intervening winter.
I don't suppose it ever made a lot of money but it must have been a great financial help for the Harriers Athletics club, who owned and used the property for the rest of the time.
Tiger Hart moved to the Wimbledon club, and later went back home to Australia in retirement. it was only about a year ago his death was announced in the Croydon local paper, as a former Wimbledon sports celebrity. I have a feeling he also rode for Cradley once upon a time.
Peter
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I think you may have this all wrong. Phil "Tiger" Hart was English. Born London. He founded an insurance broker business. The family had a home on the island of mallorca for many years. I frequently saw him with his wife in the Meson Del Rei restaurant. I never spoke to him, this I have always regreted.
 
Phil Hart was born in Balham, London in 1908, but he went to live and work in Brisbane Australia when he was 17 after a huge row with his father who strongly objected to Phil buying his first motorcycle! Whilst he was working as a farmer's boy in Brisbane, Phil began racing at speedway meetings, and later decided to come back to Britain in 1930 where speedway was really taking off. His first British booking was at the Portsmouth track, and on arriving in Pompey, he was astonished to see placards advertising the speedway meeting and stating that the event would be including "the new star rider just arrived from Australia - "Tiger Hart." He had no idea where the name came from - they had just dreamed it up - but the nickname stuck and for the rest of his career Phil always rode as "Tiger Hart."

Just as a response to the much earlier poster who mentioned Geoff Duke. Duke did iniially try speedway and raced in some junior events at Middlesbrough, before deciding that road racing suited him better!
 
Graham Warren was a great favourite with us girls and I remember standing in pouring rain outside St Martins Church for many hours to see him get married to Pam who lived in Greenwood Avenue, Acocks Green - that was sometime in the fifties.
 
PatHayward said:
Graham Warren was a great favourite with us girls and I remember standing in pouring rain outside St Martins Church for many hours to see him get married to Pam who lived in Greenwood Avenue, Acocks Green - that was sometime in the fifties.
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I was there too Pat, with my sister..
Dave A
 
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