Club History by Bill Glaze Although it has always been accepted without question that the foundation of the Warwickshire Road Club was in 1924, without Minute Books for the period 1924-28 I have always wondered who produced the motivation, but never bothered until fairly recently to make the effort to find out. In 1992, with the possibility of a new Club Handbook in mind, I started making enquiries from those who I thought might be able to assist. Unfortunately letters to our elders in the CTC Headquarters, the Birmingham and Midland D.A., and the Northern Section produced no results until Alan Cotton of the Southern, and ex Warwicks, found a reference in a copy of Cycling dated September 5th 1924:
" Known as the Warwickshire Road Club, a new racing club has recently been found in Birmingham, the Hon Sec of which is Mr. W. Roberts, 282 Belqrave Road, Birmingham. Membership is confined to full and family CTC-ites in the Birmingham and Midland District Association area, and the secretary will be glad to receive invitations for members to take part in open events."
Afterwards the result of a 25-mile event won by W.H. Long in 1.12.56 was found in the August 29th issue, and this was followed on 26th September with the result of a Warwickshire Road Club 12 hour event won by N. Jones with 193.75 miles, with W.H. Long second with 193 miles. Recently, thanks again to Alan Cotton, we have made contact with W.H. (Howard) Long, who is still fit and well and lives in the Lichfield area. The following is Howard�s own account of the formation of our Club: " The Warwickshire Road Club, which was formed in 1924, developed from a subsection of the Northern Section of the Birmingham and Midland District Association of the CTC, an alternative run known as the Northern Section Hard Riders. This sub-section catered for members who wanted to ride farther and faster than the members of the ordinary runs. In addition the NSHR used to organise two time-trials a year, a 25 and a 12-hour. These time trials attracted members from other CTC Sections, particularly the Southern and one or two from Walsall." The DA. Secretary at the time was Leonard Ellis who rode with the Northern Section. Ellis later became Assistance Secretary at the CTC Headquarters in London. It was mainly on his initiative that the idea of forming a racing club confined to CTC members was broached, following the popularity of the NSHR. In the summer of 1924 Ellis and myself were on tour in France, Switzerland and Italy, and during that tour it was agreed that when we got back we must start that racing club for CTC members. I was Chief Consul for Warwickshire, but also filling a temporary gap as Northern Section Secretary, and so it became my responsibility to call the meeting which was to form the Warwickshire Road Club. This would be late July or early August 1924 at the Northern Section Headquarters, Potters Cafe, Tyburn. The formation of the CTC racing club was �agreed at the meeting in early August and the following officers were appointed: President: Mr. 0. W. Eyre Secretary: Mr. W Roberts Timekeeper: Mr. H. Pritchard " |
