"Sixty Years On" - 1934

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The A.G.M. in 1934 was held at Hazledene, a C.T.C. appointment near Chobham's "Castle Grove", a place that was to see many socials, suppers and club nights in the coming years.  A Section of the M.D.A. came into being at Kingston and the West Surrey Annual Dinner moved to The Wheatsheaf, Woking, as the Red House was being re-built.  At that dinner, with Capt. Gunnell and Mr. Trevarthen in attendance, there was entertainment by "The Gay Companions" of Guildford, plus a local comedian and, during the evening, a tribute was paid to the recently deceased grand old man of cycling, Mr. F. T. Bidlake.

There were Invitation Rides on a Saturday and Sunday in April, and, led by Reg Best, there were 38 to tea at Bucks Green after the Sunday ride to Box Hill.  More such rides were staged in May to Windsor Park and Frensham Ponds while Whitsun was spent on the Isle of Wight.  The summer featured rides to Kew Gardens and to the Runnymede Pageant and 30 supported the Ladies Rally at Westerham when several hundred cyclists were addressed by the secretary and assistant secretary of the Club.  The World Championships at Brooklands Track and the Military Tattoo at Aldershot were the June attractions and the "100" took the form of a midnight start from Woking with 24 riders.  Unfortunately, Bill Poulter crashed on the hill from Badshot Lea to Farnham, sustaining a badly gashed mouth and tongue.  Four riders managed to walk him to Farnham Hospital where he was detained.  The four good samaritans lost nearly three quarters of an hour on the rest of the field but, after a very hard chase, they managed to make contact again at Romsey at 4 am.  The finish, at 8 am, was at Arundel where, with marshals, 30 sat down to breakfast after all but two had succeeded and, following a stop for tea at Bucks Green, the round trip totalled 140 miles.

In aid of the local hospital, over 30 members were involved in a fancy dress parade with four bone-shakers and two penny-farthings lent by Mr. Southon of Shalford from his extensive collection.

August saw a 4 am start for a ride to Blenheim Palace in support of a cycling rally, the 116 mile trip being graced with perfect weather.  Thirty-nine were on an invitation ride to Well and Odiham and Ron Sadler and Wesley Johnson began to take a prominent part in D.A. affairs.  There was a visit to West Wycombe Caves in October and, at December's A.G.M. Vic Barnard resigned as runs secretary and was presented with a case of pipes (smoking - not playing) and a silver club badge.  A Christmas party in Woking's Temperance Hall with 50 present preceded the usual "Riding out the old year" run to Westcroft Park.  It must have been about this time that there was a stupid catch-phrase frequently trotted out by some members.  To a question like - "Have you got a knife?" (spanner or what have you) someone was bound to say "No, but I've got a piece of string with a knot in it".  Vic Barnard got so tired of this that he made a miniature coffin, laid in it a piece of knotted string and, solemnly declaring the "joke" well and truly dead, buried it with all due ceremony in the verge opposite Westcroft Park gates while the midnight bells rang out.

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