The Club's "Gazette" was accepted by Guildford Library but a proposed dance at Woking's Grand Theatre had to be abandoned as the licence ran out at the end of March.  Attendances were still rising, evening runs were switched to Thursday and a proposed section at Hersham came to naught as no secretary could be found.  Slaney Stanley appeared on the runs and he was to have a marked effect on the running of the D.A.  Also folk like Reg Pollard, Terry Collins, Dennis Gray and two ladies - Les Gray's girl friend Gladys Wicks and Eadie Otterway.  In his humorous articles in the "Daily Express", "Beachcomber" often referred to a fictitious character called "Lady Cabstanleigh" so it wasn't long before Slaney Stanley became "Cabstanleigh", later shortened to "Cab", a nickname that stuck until his untimely death in 1961.  Cyril Cripps came off the committee and took the job of Hon. Auditor, a post he held for nearly 30 years.

The Christmas morning runs to Godalming, started in 1926, continued until 1940.  On those occasions, Mr. Messenger's shop, "The Better 'Ole", was packed with members indulging in impromptu raffles for the shop's goodies and enlivened by Clary Loughnane's cigarettes that either exploded or gave off a revolting odour that cleared the premises.

Since the formation of the D.A. in 1928, things had settled down into a set routine.  Capt. Gunnell, O.B.E. remained as President until 1935 when W. Collins held the post for a couple of years but Mr. Trevarthen and Vic Jenner stayed as vice-presidents until 1937.

The programme was very full.  There was a breakfast run to the Southern Rally at Southsea and 26 on another breakfast run to Whipsnade Zoo besides Easter and Whitsun tours, a treasure hunt, coast runs, a visit to the Aldershot Tattoo, a night ride to Lee-on-Solent (when the pier was destroyed by fire - but not by the West Surreys), boating at Amberley, a Hayling Island week-end and a run to Croydon aerodrome when several members experienced their first flight.

Vic Jenner went to Rome and represented Great Britain as an amateur in the World Championships and Bill Inder and Gladys Gray were married, honeymooning in the Lake District with their trusty tandem.

Going from London to Lancaster by train, they had moved from the front to the buffet car further back when, at the Preston stop, their section was shunted off.  Too late they found that their half of the train went to Blackpool and by the time they were shunted back to another platform, the front part - with all their baggage - had left.  Frantic phone calls to Lancaster ensured that when they arrived by a later train, the tandem had been salvaged but the baggage had gone on to Barrow-in-Furness.  Sunday evening in Lancaster and only the very light clothes they were wearing on a very hot day!  A policeman - who turned out to be a C.T.C. member - had only been in the town a week and could recommend no accommodation and, with no luggage, it was not easy to convince landladies that they were, in fact, a married couple.  However, they struck lucky but had to wait 24 hours for the return of the missing gear, spending the time in nearby Morecambe.

Reg Best took eight on a night ride that went through London to Epping Forest, with breakfast at Dunmow and the list continued with a free-wheeling event, 48 on an Invitation Ride to Burnham Beeches following which an oak chair was presented to Cyril Cripps as a wedding present.  There was a 10 hour Test Ride to the Vale of the White Horse, a visit to West Wycombe caves, two D.A. dances at Woking's largest dance hall, visits to London for the Lightweight Cycle Show and to see the News of The World produced, two social evenings at the Surrey Cricketers, Windlesham and a slide show by Nevill Whall - "Splendours of the South".
 

Clary & Doug Loughnane, Godalming, 25 December 1932

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Web page by Chris Jeggo.  Last revised:  18 January 2005.