| Hill Climbs and Grass
Track In 1930 Tommy married Lillian Thomas,
whose parents ran the Barley Mow pub in Piper’s Row,
Wolverhampton. The newly weds moved into a house in
Station Road, Wombourne, next door to the well known
competition rider, Vic Brittain. Vic soon moved to
Walsall where he joined his brother in running a garage,
and Tommy and Lillian purchased the house from him and
moved next door. They called their new home “Rushmere”
after the famous hill climb that was founded by Tommy
and his friends in the 1920s. His many friends at
Wombourne included the well-known motorcycle rider, Pip
Harris. |
Tommy in action on the Orton Hills
above Billy Buns Lane at Wombourne. Courtesy of June
Hussey. |
|
Tommy was a kind man as can be seen
from the following story told by his daughter June. She
was given a beautiful bicycle as a present and greatly
enjoyed riding it. One day she took it into her father’s
shed where there was a tin of yellow emulsion paint. She
carefully painted it, and when dry, finished it off with
a coat of varnish. She also attached number plates to
the front and side.
Her mother was horrified when she
saw June’s handiwork and screamed “Your father will kill
you when he sees what you have done”.
She anxiously awaited her father’s
return. Tommy opened the door and entered. He realised
how much she loved the machine and said “You have been
busy haven’t you. You’ve made a good job of it”. |
Tommy on his 500c.c. Stevens
machine. Courtesy of Geoff Stevens. |
|
Rushmere Hill Climb. Courtesy of
June Hussey. |
Rushmere Hill climb is at Farmcote near Bridgnorth
in Shropshire, and consists of a 340 yard climb over two
hills, including a section with a gradient of 1 in 1½.
Events were organised by the Cygnet Motor and Motor
Cycle Club of Bridgnorth and were very popular.
Tommy had a string of successes at Rushmere, both in the
single and sidecar events, and became a great attraction
there. His many sidecar passengers included Bob Joiner,
Len Taylor, Cyril Page, Arthur Frost, Cyril Smith, and
briefly John Rhodes. Both rider and passenger worked in
close harmony as a team, often achieving high speeds. |
The start of a
thrilling race at Rushmere. Left to right:
G. F. Dauncy,
Len Taylor, Tommy Deadman (500c.c. Sunbeam),
Bob Foster
(350c.c. New Imperial). Courtesy of June
Hussey. |
|
| Tommy had his fair share of spills at Rushmere. On
one occasion when riding his combination in front of
3,000 spectators, he was neck and neck with G. L. Buck
as they ascended the hill.
The two machines touched one another which resulted
in Tommy and his machine turning a complete somersault.
He was thrown clear and landed rather heavily. After
being examined by a doctor he ended up in Bridgnorth
infirmary suffering from concussion and a severely
injured mouth. |
Tommy in action at Rushmere on
13th May, 1934 on his 500c.c. Sunbeam. Courtesy of June
Hussey. |
 |
Tommy at Rushmere in 1933 with
Len Taylor. |
| Fred Williams at Rushmere on
23rd July, 1932 at the start of his record breaking run.
He completed the course in just
15.8 seconds.
Tommy can be seen standing in
front of the tent. Courtesy of June Hussey. |
 |
 |
Tommy on his Sunbeam at
Rushmere in 1934.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
| Another view of Tommy at
Rushmere, in the lead with passenger Arthur Frost.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
 |
| Tommy also rode at many other hill climbs including
Bayston Hill near Shrewsbury and Red Marley Hill Climb
at Walsgrove Farm, near Great Witley. He had a large
number of successes and attracted a lot of attention. |
 |
Tommy at Fish Hill in June
1938 riding his 350c.c. Royal Enfield. Behind is H. S.
Lee on a 250c.c. Levis.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
| He excelled at grass track racing and soon made a
name for himself in the sport, winning the
Worcestershire and Midland Grass Track Championship in
1938. He was a frequent performer at Lilleshall, Marton,
Maxstoke Castle, and on many other tracks. His many
triumphs at Marton include the track record, and wins in
the 350c.c., 500c.c., and handicap, and also the
unlimited event. Other successes include the 250c.c.
solo at Lilleshall, and the sidecar unlimited at
Maxstoke Castle. |
| Tommy Deadman and Cyril Page
at Maxstoke Castle on a 500c.c. Royal Enfield
combination. 19th June, 1938.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
 |
 |
Another view of Tommy and
Cyril Page at Maxstoke Castle.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
| Tommy can be seen in the
background during a sidecar event at Lilleshall.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
 |
 |
Tommy on his 500c.c. Stevens
leads George Holdsworth on his New Imperial at
Lilleshall on 24th June, 1934.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
| In the mid 1930s he had many other successes on his
500c.c. Stevens machine, both in solo and sidecar
events, and by the late 1930s he was a common sight on
his Royal Enfield and Norton. His many competitors
included Vic Brittain from Walsall, Don Evans from
Willenhall, Fred Williams from Bromyard, Graham Goodman
from Birmingham, and Doug Perks from Kingswood, to name
but a few. |
| Tommy and Arthur Frost at
Lilleshall on 23rd August, 1936 riding his 500c.c.
Stevens outfit. Courtesy
of June Hussey. |
 |
 |
A group at Romsley. Tommy can
be seen in white, 4th from the left.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
| Tommy and Cyril Page with the
600c.c. Grindley-JAP outfit that they raced during 1939.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
 |
 |
Another view of Tommy and
Cyril Page on their Grindley-JAP outfit.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
| Another view at the same
meeting. Courtesy of June
Hussey. |
 |
 |
Tommy and Cyril on
their Grindley-JAP outfit.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
| Another view of Tommy and
possibly Cyril Page.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
 |
 |
Tommy and Arthur Frost on the
500c.c. Stevens outfit at Lilleshall in 1937.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
| Tommy and possibly Arthur
Frost on his Stevens outfit.
Courtesy of June Hussey. |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Return to
Speedway |
|
Return to
the beginning |
|
Proceed to
Football |
|
