A wartime meet at Brooklands

By now the balmy and sunny days of June are something of a distant memory, but John Milton gives you a taste of the summer with a visit to the Rickman Enthusiasts Day.

On the cover of the September edition of Old Bike Mart we printed a photograph from Brooklands’ famous Test Hill, taken in August 1915. We are delighted that Martin Gegg has provided the backstory to the image.

In August 1915 the First World War was becoming quite literally bogged down in Europe, with both sides locked in a stalemate. The mobile Royal Enfield and Clyno Motorcycle Machine Gun Carrier riders were being redeployed to trench duty but, back in England, Lt Frank Houghton, of the 25th Divisional Cyclist Company, suggested a meeting at Brooklands. Houghton had the idea of running a motorcycle event to lift morale for those on leave or posted nearby.

The racetrack had closed and been taken over by the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Aircraft Factory in August 1914 and was now in a very poor state. Undeterred, Houghton wrote to the authorities and, with a bit of help from The Motor Cycle magazine, persuaded the ACU and Brooklands authorities to put on an ‘All Khaki’ meeting on August 7. Pictures showed the state of the track; despite work being undertaken to fill holes and reinstate it, only the Railway straight was suitable and it was decided – for a reason which is unclear from the reports – to run the sprints the wrong way down the straight towards the Members Bridge.

The events included sprints down the Railway straight and hill climbs, as well as Gymkhana events such as the Serpentine. This was a sort of slow bicycle obstacle race in which riders would weave through the tuning sheds as slowly as possible, the winner being the last over the line. Another was the Quick-change Spark Plug race. This was a half-mile sprint from a standing start with no outside assistance, interrupted by a stop at the quarter-mile mark to change spark plugs that had been placed in envelopes on the track before racing to the line. Hot plugs and finding the correct replacements were a challenge but this proved to be popular.

At 2pm on August 7, crowds gathered in the sunshine to watch the first events at Brooklands in more than a year.

The meeting was not officially open to the public, but it was well attended by members of the military and their friends and family. The lack of marshals proved a challenge as there were no barriers to keep spectators off the track. However, six sergeants of Lt Houghton’s 25th Divisional Cyclist Company managed to keep order and we are told “they were obeyed with alacrity”.

The picture on the September OBM cover shows Pte W J Read of the Royal Fusiliers taking part in the open hill climb event on his 994cc Indian. He also competed in a half-mile sprint and the Serpentine race. Also taking part was Gordon McMinnies, winner of the first ever unofficial race at Brooklands in February 1908. He was now in the Royal Naval Air Service with John Alcock, who would go on to become famous for being one of the first two men to fly the Atlantic, after he and Arthur Brown flew a Vickers Vimy from Newfoundland to County Galway in Ireland in June 1919.

Alcock was killed just six months later while flying the new Vickers Viking to the Paris Airshow. He was 27 years old.

Driving a Morgan, McMinnies finished second in the Passenger race for sidecars and cyclecars, while Alcock, riding a 349cc Douglas, was fourth in the under 550cc half-mile sprint.

The day was a great success and, although there was some concern about military personnel seen to be having fun while others were dying on the front, another event did go ahead on September 4, this time billed as the United Services Meeting to reflect the Naval participants. The sprints took place on the Start/ Finish straight and this time the Serpentine race became a first past the post slalom! Contemporary pictures show the Test Hill crowded with spectators; many, still in their blue military hospital uniforms, had come from the Weybridge Hospital, run by Ethel Locke King, assistant director of the Surrey Red Cross and wife of Brooklands owner Hugh. Mrs Locke King had helped oversee much of the building of the track and when it had opened on June 7, 1907, she led the first vehicles to drive on the track in her Itala car.

Shortly after the August event, Frank Houghton joined the Royal Flying Corps and after a tour of active duty at the front line was posted to help with the pioneering development of aerial wireless communication. On May 6, 1918, he was tragically killed during an aircraft-to-aircraft radio transmission test flight at Biggin Hill.

Brooklands did not reopen until 1920 due to the amount of repair work needed following the war, and in November 2015 (and again in 2018) the Brooklands Motorcycle Team commemorated the centenary of the event with a rerun of the Serpentine race.

It was interesting to see the amount of control riders had on period machines, many of which had no clutch.

Think of a hub of the motorcycling industry and most people would automatically think of the Midlands which does, of course, have a very strong case for such a title. But spare a thought for the New Forest which has two special claims on two-wheeled history. Firstly, there is the magnificent Sammy Miller Museum which quite rightly attracts visitors from all over the world, but just threequarters of a mile from the museum was where the Rickman factory once operated and produced motorcycles, and on a rather cloudy June day, those two legends came together at the Rickman Enthusiasts Day.

This is always a popular event, but this year saw the biggest turnout of Rickman bikes to assemble at the New Milton museum.

According to Don Rickman, some 16,500 bikes were built during the Rickman production run, which lasted from 1960 to 1975, and while it was a good job they didn’t all turn up – that would have gridlocked Hampshire! – it was indeed pleasing to see such a fine number.

Special guests included

Don Rickman himself, Jeff Smith, Ron Langston and Triss Sharp, in addition to many people who had worked at the Rickman factory and who spent the day renewing old acquaintances and swapping stories of those times. A circuit was set up in the car park to demonstrate the museum’s Rickman bikes while riders were interviewed by Sammy beforehand.

There was also a chance to see a preview of the bikes that Sammy would be taking to the Goodwood Festival of Speed a few weeks after the Rickman day. These included the 1954 BMW Rennsport, the 1957 all-alloy Earles BSA and a 1957 four-cylinder Gilera – Ron Langston, always keen to ride any motorcycle put in front of him, took to the circuit on that one.

At midday there was a special moment as Don Rickman’s No 29 Triumph Metisse and his brother Derek’s No 74 Matchless Metisse were started up (both of which are on display in the museum). This was followed by a minute’s silence in remembrance of Derek, who died just three weeks before last year’s Rickman Enthusiasts Day.

In honour of Derek, part of the proceeds raised on the day will be going directly to Oakhaven Hospice, the Rickman brothers’ chosen charity. Presentations took place in the afternoon with Sammy awarding Best in Show to Frans Herle who had ridden a Norton Metisse all the way from the Netherlands just to be there on the day.

There were also visitors (although not on Metisses) from Germany, the USA and Australia, illustrating the international draw of the museum and the affection in which the Rickman brothers are still held.

For more on Jeff Smith, see page 16.

Lt Frank Houghton on his Rudge, complete with signature signal lamp headlight. There were no blackouts in the First World War! [Hartley Collection – Brooklands Museum]

This is a scan from The Motor Cycle of September 9, 1915. The original was reproduced in The Classic Motorcycle piece I wrote some years ago and shows prewar racer Lt Frank McNab taking part in the under 550cc hill climb on his V-twin Indian on September 4, 1915 in front of a large crowd – I suspect this is because it was the penultimate event of the day.

Riders and spectators, some in their blue hospital uniforms, outside the Brooklands clubhouse. [Hartley Collection – Brooklands Museum]

Julian Wade riding his 1914 499cc ex-WD BSA Model H on the Brooklands Start/Finish straight during the 2018 rerun of the Serpentine event, complete with original pattern barriers.

The spark plug race on the Railway straight on August 7, 1915. No. 8 is Pte LA Fedden on a Douglas. No. 26 is a mystery as it is listed as a Douglas but is clearly a V-twin. Houghton can just be spotted bending down with his signal light visible behind the man standing on the track who could be a judge – or a rider who had lost his spark plug! [Hartley Collection – Brooklands Museum]

[Hartley Collection – Brooklands Museum] Sgt Milner, of the Royal Engineers, on September 4, winner of the under 270cc half-mile sprint, the under 350cc half-mile sprint, and the under 350cc hill climb.

Some of the variety of Rickman machines that turned out for the day.

From left: Sammy Miller, John Matthews, Gerry Lisi, Kevin Downer, Jeff Smith and Don Rickman.

During the day there was a chance to tour the museum workshop – and we at OBM never miss out on that opportunity – where the famous 1949 AJS Porcupine was being prepared for the Festival of Speed.

Jeff Smith riding Sammy Miller’s trials bike.

Right: The day attracted more visitors than ever, many of whom were keen to see some of the museum’s bikes in action.

Ron Langston aboard the 1957 Gilera – you can’t keep that man off a bike!

The winning line-up of the day.

Don Rickman (seated) and Sammy Miller.

Above: Jeff Smith manages to get hold of the microphone from Sammy!