Becontree Wheelers

Cycling Club

Founded 1925

Founded 1925

Affiliated to
British Cycling, Cycling Time Trials, CTT London East, Eastern Counties CA

- welcome to the Becontree Wheelers Web site.

Becontree Wheelers in the 1940's


If you have any material which will add to the record of the club's history, please contact the club. Photos, documents, results and stories are all welcome.



Club Run 1942 Club activates were severely curtailed during the war years but some riding was done including club runs such as is shown in this photograph from 1942.
 
Jessie Shires Jessie Shires in a Road race in 1943.
 
Junior 10 mile TT, 1944 A club junior 10 mile time trial was promoted in 1944 and won by Bill Pickton. Bill Griggs was second and Son Pickton third. Gordon Damant and Ginger Weddall also rode..
Dinner and Dance 1945 Page 1 Club activites expanded towards the end of the war and a Dinner and dance was held at the Railway Hotel in Dagenham on 25 January 1945.
Club life shortly after WW2 Derek Damant has supplied photos of club life in the period shortly after WW2.
Becontree Wheelers 21st anniversary photo 1946 was the club's 21st Anniversary year. A photograph was taken to mark the occasion. Amongst those present were George Fell, Jimmy Whittaker, 'Mac' Mactaggart, Arthur Lofts, Derek Damant, Gordon Damant, G Mundie, Bill Lewis, Tommy Maybank, Bill Pickton, Don Ansell, Jack Higgs, Eddy Baker, Roy Carter, A A Hawkes, Mrs Prosser-Evans, Bobby Heffer, Thelma Vale, Jimmy Vale, Lily Johnson, Syd Johnson, Daphne Spragg, Lee Baker, Margy Littlechilds, Margery Willgoss, Harry Skitt, and Bill Griggs.
Albert Stump Colin Stump has provided photos from his late father Albert's collection. These include images from Time Trials and Track meetings shortly after WW2.
21st Anniversary Dinner The 1947 21st Annual Dinner-Dance and Distribution of Awards was held at the Fanshawe Tavern, Becontree on Thursday 13 February 1947. Dancing to Les Brown's Band. An account of the club's formation and the history of the first 21 years was publshed with the menu.

In the same year, Derek Jennings joined the club, and our team of George Fell, Nobby Clarke and Len Eshouse broke the National 30 team record. The following year, George Fell went under the hour for 25 miles with a 59:31.
Club life 1948 1948 More photos from club life.
George Fell 1949 started with George Fell being the first man in England to go under the hour and broke the competition record with a time of 58:00.
Grass Track meeting On Saturday 21 May the club promoted the first of six Grass Track meetings held at the Romford Football Ground. Those events incorporated the Essex Centre NCU Individual 2 mile pursuit championship, the Eastern Counties Team pursuit championship, and the Essex Centre NCU 5 mile championship.
Bill Ferris lying second on Paris Dalibier Racing in 1949.
Nobby Clarke Nobby Clarke won the 100km Road Race at the V1 International Silent Games ( The Deaflympics ) held in Copenhagen from 12 to 16 August. He successfully defended his title at the next games held in Brussels in 1953.
Jock Miller and friends Jock Miller was a member during this period and is pictured here with track stars, J Heid; Sid Patterson from Australia (World amateur champion in 1949 and 1950); Reg Harrris, multi World amateur and professional sprint champion for Great Britain; and Arie Van Vliet from Holland, World Sprint champion in 1953.

The back of this flyer contains the autographs of some of the great figures in the cycling world from that period, including our own George Fell.
1949 Dinner Annual Dinner and Dance at the Robin Hood Hotel, Longbridge Road, Dagenham on
9th December 1949.