It was the custom always to have a wash before tea and, after ablutions in a Watford hotel, one member leaned lightly on the wash basin as he dried his hands and, as he moved away, the whole basin slowly came away from the wall like a drooping flower.  It had apparently only been supported by lead pipes and it was quickly pushed back to await the next unfortunate customer.

There was heavy snow in early February 1922 and the month continued cold.  Notes during that time record "New back wheel built up on old 3-speed hub by Godwins of Woking, 51p."  and "Gar. Gribble punctured back tyre near Bentley in morning on ride to New Alresford and again near Holybourne in evening" also "New spoke in rear wheel and puncture repaired, 7½p", "New saddle bag, 14½p", "New Palmer tyre, 49½p".

Notes on 1922 include the following:-  At Easter there was a 3-day tour of 150 miles embracing Salisbury, Stonehenge and Amesbury and, on the following Sunday, on returning from Wallingford, Gar. Gribble's chain snapped near Wokingham and 1½ hours were spent at a repairers, Woking not being reached until 10.30 pm after 93 miles.  At Whitsun when Eastbourne was the objective, supper, bed & breakfast at Mayfield cost 16½p each.  The road from Beachy Head to West Dean was voted the worst 3 miles in Sussex;  Gar. Gribble punctured on this stretch and while he repaired it, Jack Eldridge and Bill Inder both tried to lie in the shade of the only bush - about the size of a cabbage.  Tea that day was at Lewes.  A planned moonlight ride to Portsmouth on 9th July started at 12.15 am in rain but this increased to a deluge and, with a strong south-westerly wind, the attempt was abandoned on Hindhead the very wet riders getting home at 4.50 am.  However, by 2.30 pm they were out again to spend the rest of the day at Frensham Ponds.  On the following Sunday the Portsmouth trip was attempted again, this time successfully, the round trip including Hayling Island and Chichester and notched up 112 miles.  About this time several other local cyclists began to join notably Les. Norman who had the latest lightweight Grubb machine, and Norman Pearce who, as his father kept Woking's leading cycle shop, had a choice of several new models.
 

Jack Eldridge, Bill Inder, Gar. Gribble and Norman Pearce, 1922

Numbers were now averaging 6 or 7 and the addition of Norman Pearce brought a great deal of humour into the proceedings.  He came in contact with the cycle firm's "reps" in his father's shop and so had an endless supply of the latest stories - mostly of a "blue" nature.  Bill Houghton also put in occasional appearances but he and Les. Norman belonged to the Charlotteville C.C. of Guildford and spent much of their time racing, both on road and track.  August Bank holiday 1922 was meant to be a camping week-end and Saturday night's camp at Aston Rowant was successful but at Wantage next day there was heavy rain.  Camping was out of the question and abortive attempts were made at Bishopstone and Baydon for accommodation which was eventually found late in the evening at Aldbourne when the riders were wet through.

Later that month Gar. Gribble and Jack Eldridge took off to stay with Gar's relatives in Clitheroe, Lancs.  Jack wrote:-
"We were ecstatic about Bridgnorth but bad roads and hills made us glad of our 60" gears.  At our first night at Redditch we were invited to join mine host for supper.  This consisted of bread, cheese and tea and we found ourselves at a large table with about 20 other people in their Sunday best.  Not surprisingly, we felt a bit uneasy and unwanted.  The cheese was passed round on a large plate and each person cut off his portion and passed it on.  When the plate reached Gar. he hacked at his lump and, to our horror, it shot on to the floor under the table from whence he had to retrieve it.  Our embarrassment was complete and we were glad when we could escape to bed.  After a restless night we woke early to the sound of a strange clattering that we had never heard before and found it was caused by the world's workers off to mill and factory, the noise being made by clogs on granite setts.  On the way back from Clitheroe down the other side of England, Gar. was far from well though he completed the trip.  It was then found that he was suffering from diphtheria.  I was immune, being full of anti-bodies as a result of having a bad dose of that awful disease when I was 15 years old.  I don't know what eventually caused our 'Erbert to depart so prematurely to the happy hunting grounds but I often wonder if it was a sequel to the strain imposed on his ticker by cycling in that condition."

Day runs at this time were averaging 80-100 miles and it was about this period that we met and became friendly with South Bucks D.A. members from the High Wycombe area and they advanced the idea of Woking based members becoming an official off-shoot of the Windsor, Eton and Slough Section of the then Metropolitan D.A. and so it was that the Woking and Guildford Section came into being in September 1922.

All the "regulars" were of much the same age, 16-18.  Their first aim was to enjoy their cycling and, having inserted runs lists in the "Gazette" (as Cycle Touring was then called) there was a certain lack of a sense of responsibility.  To the extent that, on some occasions, having met at Pearce's cycle shop on a fine summer's day, someone might say "What about going down to the coast?"  If all agreed, so it was, despite the fact that the runs list called for a run in the Chilterns, the thinking being that all those who had turned up were of the same mind and no one would be inconvenienced, for teas did not have to be booked in those days.  However, a letter appeared in the "Gazette" from a Sergeant Peake, stationed at Aldershot, complaining that he had ridden to more than one destination of the Woking & Guildford Section but no one had turned up.  This brought members to a sense of responsibility and their wicked ways were reformed.

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Web page by Chris Jeggo.  Last revised:  5 January 2005.