Coventry Speedway

I think I'm right in saying that Messrs Mountford and France "breathed on" Walker the Talker's Lambretta!

Great to hear from you Glen! I believe that your sister and mine (Janet Walker - no relation to you, I think!) went to primary school together (Ravensdale) and visited your house from time to time. We were all devastated when your dad died. As for Brandon, I remember that the evening started with Juke Box Saturday Night, with Allen cutting in at the "somebody else plays the record machine" line. The meeting proper started with the Entry of the Gladiators, when the track staff marched out. They marched out after the interval to the Royal Air Force March, if I remember right. And on the pre-season practice day, he would bring along a recording of George Shearing playing Passing Breeze, and it was played over and over again until he was happy with the loudspeaker system. Happy days!

Jogged my memory. Entry of the Gladiators

From Coventry v Swindon programme, Saturday 17 May 1969 "Allen Walker, to whom this week, in the company of very many saddened friends and relatives, we paid our Last Respects, was infinitely much more to us than 'Our Man at the Mike'. "Allen was so much more than a Voice. He was a colleague, real, friendly, universally likeable. Challengingly proud of Coventry Speedway and its associations, its record of successful presentation of racing as a spectator he first saw "Bees" in action in 1948, he endeavoured always to advance Coventry prestige; was a devout worker on the social side of our happy Family Sport. "All that is Brandon; his "Juke Box Saturday Night"; his cheerful postal links with its citizens through their record requests; his overall PA duties, this was Allen's first occupational love. His second was messing around with Boats. "If he had possessed a luxury yacht; were a millionaire, Walker the Talker couldn't have been happier on is once a year absences from Brandon than when on his trips to the Norfolk Broads with his small boat. "We shall all miss Allen terribly, and so will speedway generally, for he set and maintained a superb standard of unbiased sporting announcing achieved by few. "Many meetings he closed at Brandon with the final words "Good Night - and a Safe Journey Home". It's so very sad for us now to be saying instead "Goodbye Allen - and a Safe Journey to Rest"."

Just found possibly the best "Flight of the Bumblebee" since Harry James' version that we all loved so much! This guy is no Harry James, but he's definitely got something! See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGgUK2s-sqA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGgUK2s-sqA Do they still play Harry James at Brandon? They've all but buried the Bee under adverts!

No John they don't - I THINK it is this version

Carrying on this nostalgia for those Brandon nights, here is Harry James with his version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxS7llr8x_4 The music that the track staff marched out to has been bugging me. I knew it wasn't "When the saints...." and I didn't think it was "Entry of the Gladiators" either, which is the music usually associated with the circus. I've concluded it was this march, called "Imperial Echoes". Does anyone else recall this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nefzhgakAQM

Having just listened to 'Imperial Echoes' on Youtube it brought back all those memories of the track staff marching out at the start of the meeting. In the 1960's they all marched in step because most of them would have done National Service. It also brings back the memory of their matching yellow and black uniform complete with a beret - something else most would have worn in the army. There was also the little chap driving the bright yellow track grading tractor, and the old Ford pick-up truck which used to take the victorious team, usually the Bees, on their lap of honour at the end of the match. Does anyone remember Charles Ochiltree threatening to ban the Dave Clark Five record 'Glad All Over' because the fans were stamping their feet in time to the record and the old wooden grandstand used to bounce up and down. That would have been 1964 which was the first year I went to Brandon. The new grandstand (the current one) was first opened in time for the start of the British League in 1965 I think.

Hi, Not Local. I remember the track staff marching too, all in yellow and black except the bike pushers who had the colour of the bike they were responsible for pushing. They used to bring the bikes to the pits gate at the start of each race so that the riders would walk out to applause or derision depending on team. I recall that there used to be one track grader who was always out of time and step at the back of the parade causing much laughter as he tried to sort his feet out. Going to an away track and seeing none of this presentation really showed what a slick operation Brandon had. I'm sure the modern grandstand was opened later than you suggest. I started going in 1967 and the old one was certainly there then. We used to station ourselves in an area next to the pits lane so that we could chat to the riders and get their goggles afterwards. Most were more than happy to talk to us kids, including many away riders. All that went when the ancient wooden structure was pulled down. My memory is that the new stand would have been opened about 1969. Was it built by Banbury Buildings, Derrick Robins' company that built all the Highfield Road stands?

There's a photo of the track staff on the Coventry Speedway thread, provided by, and including, our good friend Johnnie Walker

Mr D-Di, I think you are right about the new grandstand. I too used to stand in the corner of the old grandstand up by the riders's box. We were close to the riders as they walked out onto the track so I suppose you and me could have been there together in 1967 cheering for the Bees. In those days the home management provided a 'track spare' bike for any unfortunate rider who suffered bike problems just before the start of a race. This bike was called 'Speedybee' and was a rather old looking JAP powered machine. It was always propped up by the riders' box just in the entrance to the track. I never saw any of the Coventry riders use it, they probably knew better. I was a regular at the speedway from 1964 until the end of 1967 and then suddenly stopped going. I also visited lots of away tracks. It was many years before I saw speedway again although I still went to the stock car racing fairly regularly. Now I watch my speedway on the TV although I did venture to a match at Berwick a few years back and one near Edinburgh, can't recall the name of the place.

Great memories. We used to sit in the back section of the riders' box and nobody seemed to mind. It was all made of wood and painted green, I recall. I guess you used to get the goggles from the riders at the end of the night too. A pair of Nigel Boocock's were always prized. I even had a Barry Briggs pair at one time. I do remember the track spare, Speedybee, too. As you say it was a JAP although most riders had ESO machines by then. It got the odd outing if another rider could not be persuaded to lend a machine. Most riders had one bike then, which was usually transported by mounting it in the back of a car. I wonder if the Scottish track you went to was Coatbridge. The Edinburgh Monarchs team moved there when their Meadowbank track was redeveloped for the 1970 Commonwealth Games. Coatbridge rode at Cliftonville, the venue of Albion Rovers FC, for a couple of seasons.

The track I visited in Scotland was Armadale near Livingston, it was about 2004. I also went to Meadowbank in Edinburgh back in 1967. There seems to be a lifetime between those two visits. I never collected goggles at Brandon - I was 14 when I first went and over 17 when I stopped. I do remember the riders' box very well. I have a recollection of standing behind Billy Bales who rode for Norwich and I distinctly remember that his crash helmet was covered in scratches and gouges from many years of use - no fancy helmets in those days. Billy Bales was only 5' tall so I could look down on him fairly easily. Nigel Boocock used to have a gold coloured Humber Sceptre and his bike was mounted on the back bumper. The very first meeting I attended was Coventry v Norwich in the last year of the National League in 1964. We missed the first race because the bus driver from Leamington took the wrong route, so I missed Nigel Boocock v Ove Fundin.

Hi Mr D-Di Imperial Echoes it was! I'm listening to it right now, on a brass band programme here in Canberra, bringing back memories!