Obituaries

Charlie Benham          Kevin Holden         Ross Gilbertson     o    Pete Lansdale        Wally Mawdsley          Ted Sear        Colin Clark

Without question, the saddest aspect of my research into the Bombers for the construction of this Website was to learn of the death from a brain tumour of Charlie Benham.

Charlie was, by far, the most popular rider ever to have worn the Bombers' roundel. There were faster, more spectacular riders - but there were none with more dependability, determination, honesty and loyalty than Charlie. These qualities, coupled with his affable personality, earned him legions of fans - and, in return, he freely gave the fans his time, including embarking upon 3-hour round trips from his Oxfordshire home to attend Bombers Supporters' Club functions during the close season.

Born in Oxford, Charlie had started riding speedway at Exeter in 1962 but never progressed beyond the occasional second half ride. He made a few appearances for Weymouth before retiring - for SIX SEASONS! When he heard that the Bombers were being formed, he wrote to the promoters to ask for "the odd ride or two". They told him that he was in the team - and he duly repaid their faith in him by scoring many valuable points that made the difference between victory and defeat.

He was the first to admit that he only made the team because there was nobody else and he often found himself out of the side to make way for new signings - but he never complained. "It's just up to me to get back in the side", he said - and he did just that. His reward was elevation to team captain for the 1971 season, when he was ever-present throughout the Bombers' League and KO Cup campaign. Charlie made more appearances for the Bombers than any other rider and was the only man to feature in the first and last Bombers meetings. Charlie moved with the Bombers to West Ham until closure and then made 11 appearances for Canterbury.

Kevin Holden died in a track accident at Poole on 27th April 1977. It was his first season with the Pirates after five successful seasons at Exeter. Kevin was undoubtedly the brightest prospect to have emerged from the Bombers' ranks and his charging racing style - plus his good looks and charming personality - made him an instant hit with the Bombers' fans.

Hampshire-born Kevin joined the Bombers on loan from Exeter for the 1970 season, making 28 appearances and finishing the season with an average of 4.65 points. He'd turned up for pre-season practice and had so impressed Maurice Morley that he was signed up for Bombers' parent track and loaned to Romford to gain experience. There were signs throughout the season that Kevin had the potential to make significant progress. His 11 points in the home leg of the Ken-Ess 4-team tournament included three race wins during which he claimed the scalps of established Div. 2 stars Graeme Smith and Barry Thomas.

The 1971 season saw Kevin emerge as one of the stars of Division 2. "Paid" maximums in early season challenge matches against Rayleigh and Canterbury were soon followed by a full maximum against Berwick in May. Kevin had established himself as the Bombers' No. 1, a position he was to consolidate throughout the season and would earn him Young England International status.

Kevin started 1972 at West Ham but, on the closure of Custom House, he moved to Exeter full time, ending the season as third heat leader and forcing none other than Phil Woodcock out of the team! 1974 saw Kevin win the Division 1 championship with Exeter, riding alongside the legendary Ivan Mauger and full England International honours soon followed.

In 1977, Kevin was snapped up by Poole after requesting a transfer in order to try his luck away from Exeter's big, banked circuit. It was during heat 5 of the Pirate's KO Cup match against Reading that he suffered the accident that cost his life.

Happily he found time to come back to the saddle to captain the Bombers in the 1969 and 1970 seasons and there is no doubt that his experience helped many of the younger riders. Ross made 64 League and KO Cup appearances, winning the first ever race at Brooklands, scoring the first ever maximum there and setting the first Brooklands track record. Ross was a consistent top scorer for the Bombers, before moving on to Canterbury in 1971. His speedway career ended where it had begun, after a handful of appearances for Eastbourne in 1973.

Pete Lansdale was the Bombers' team manager as well as co-promoter and he cut a familiar figure at Brooklands in the pits or on the centre green, often sporting his trademark sheepskin coat. 

Pete had been an accomplished rider, starting his career at Southampton just after the war. He transferred to Plymouth and later came to the Capital to ride for Walthamstow. When the East London club closed down, Pete headed back to Devon as rider-promoter at Exeter, where he teamed up with co-promoter Wally Mawdsley.

The pair formed the Speedway Enterprises promotion that was eventually to bring Speedway to Romford - in fact, it was probably due to the fact that he lived firstly in Chadwell Heath and later in Hornchurch that Pete was familiar with Brooklands stadium when seeking a base for his his homeless Rochester team. The "Bombers" nickname and RAF roundel were also down to Pete, who had served in the RAF during the war. 

His wealth of experience ensured that the Bombers became an instant success on the track. Pete made a massive contribution to Speedway in general and the Romford Bombers in particular.

Wally Mawdsley, the man who brought speedway to Romford, passed away on 12th February 2009 aged 82, after a long battle with cancer. Born in Salford, Wally was co-promoter of the Bombers and the man who suggested that Brooklands Stadium might be a suitable venue for the homeless Rochester speedway team. Without Wally, there would have been no Romford Bombers.

Wally rode for Plymouth, Rayleigh, Norwich and Exeter before injury brought about his retirement from riding in 1960. He went on to promote speedway at numerous venues including Rayleigh, Exeter, Newport, Barrow, Hull, Bristol, Swindon, Canterbury and of course, Romford. Wally was also responsible for introducing speedway at Arena Essex in 1984.

Highly regarded in the sport, Wally held several high positions including chairman of both the National and Provincial Leagues and chairman and vice-president of the British Speedway Promoters' Association

Most Bombers fans would not have known Ted Sear had he walked past them at Brooklands on his way to take up his duties on a race night - unless, of course, he'd spoken to them. For Ted's instantly recognisable voice was unmistakable and a familiar part of every Bombers meeting. He was the golden voiced announcer who kept Bombers fans informed and updated with race details, explaining controversial refereeing decisions and complicated regulations. He also led the cheers with the famous Bombers "War Cries".

There was no-one better qualified to introduce Romford's many new Speedway fans to the sport, for Ted had, for many years, successfully combined his day job with a finance company with his duties behind the microphone at numerous other tracks, including Hackney and West Ham. His vast experience and thorough knowledge of the sport made him the natural choice as announcer at Wembley for World Finals.

Ted Sear was not just the "Voice" of Brooklands - he was the Voice of Speedway.

Colin Clark enjoyed the shortest of riding careers for the Bombers - just one ride in the away match at Berwick in 1971. He was better known as a rider at Crayford between 1968 and 1970, where he earned Young England honours. However, he made an enormous contribution to speedway at Romford. For Colin was one of the volunteers who toiled to construct the track at Brooklands in just nine days. Colin died on 29th December 1979, aged just 40, having suffered a heart attack. (My thanks to Colin's son, Stephen, for providing this information)