Metadata
WORK ID: YFA 4540 (Master Record)
| Title | Year | Date |
| HOT WORK | 1955 | 1955-01-01 |
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Details
Original Format: 16mm Colour: Colour Sound: Sound Duration: 34 mins 42 secs Credits: Photographed and produced by C.H.Wood Commentary by Geoff Duke. Subject: Transport Sport |
| Summary Made by C.H. Wood of Bradford, this film contains footage of motor bike racing events from 1955 including the Ilkley Grand National, the Yorkshire Sports Car Club `4/44 Trophy Trial', and Scarborough Road Races. |
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Description
Made by C.H. Wood of Bradford, this film contains footage of motor bike racing events from 1955 including the Ilkley Grand National, the Yorkshire Sports Car Club `4/44 Trophy Trial', and Scarborough Road Races.
Title-Hepolite
Title-Hepworth and Grandage present.
Title-`Hot Work!'
Title-Smooth Roads or rocky paths. 2 wheels or 4 it was Hot Work in 1955.
Title-Photographed and produced by C.H. Wood
Commentary by Geoff Duke.
The film begins with Geoff Duke in a studio doing a...
Made by C.H. Wood of Bradford, this film contains footage of motor bike racing events from 1955 including the Ilkley Grand National, the Yorkshire Sports Car Club `4/44 Trophy Trial', and Scarborough Road Races.
Title-Hepolite
Title-Hepworth and Grandage present.
Title-`Hot Work!'
Title-Smooth Roads or rocky paths. 2 wheels or 4 it was Hot Work in 1955.
Title-Photographed and produced by C.H. Wood
Commentary by Geoff Duke.
The film begins with Geoff Duke in a studio doing a piece to camera. He says that in this film they will be looking at lots of motor bike racing events from 1955 and footage of racing of other types.
Title-The Experts' Grand National Scramble.
In a sunny field full of tents and vans at Rosewood Warm near Stratford-upon-Avon, lots of motor bike riders have gathered with their bikes. The riders stand around chatting to the other competitors, fixing their bikes and smiling at the camera.
In the next shot the bikes are off and race along the grassy track while Geoff gives a constant commentary about the riders and their racing histories. They race up and down hills, through woods and past the large crowds that have gathered along the side of the tracks. Some of the riders jump over a ridge while some weave through it.
There is a shot from across a field capturing the riders as they race through the field full of long cereal. The constant commentary about the riders and their bikes continues. Men and women of all ages wearing summer dresses and suits have gathered along the tracks. There are a few brief shots of some of the riders who have stopped to fix a bike problem. Geoff informs us that J. B Smith wins the George Holsworth Trophy.
Title-The Ilkley Grand National.
This section begins on a snowy country road. The riders try hard to ride through the deep snow, and many of them fall over or get stuck. A small crowd have gathered to watch.
The following competition takes place at Middleton Moor in North Yorkshire where the riders struggle to ride through very wet, sticky mud. Some judges stand around watching as the riders use their feet to push them along. Many of the competitors end up in the mud with lots of the bikes getting stuck. There is a brief shot of a young boy and girl sitting astride two ponies watching the events.
Elsewhere a four-wheel drive stuck in the deep mud and spins the wheels trying to get out. A young boy rides his bike on the moors and gets stuck in a deep pond; he can't pull his bike out. There are more shots of riders struggling along, throwing up lots of mud and having to quit when their bikes stop working.
Following this are shots of another competition on another snow-covered course. One of the riders needs the help of another man to push his bike up the ridge. There are shots of some very muddy competitors having bowls of hot soup at the end of the course. Geoff comments on one of the men, Jeff Broadbent, and he smiles at the camera.
Then Geoff Allan says that motocross trials are not the only sport that people take part in.
Title-The Yorkshire Sports Car Club `4/44 Trophy Trial'.
From the top of a hill looking down, are shots of motorcars trying to bounce their way up the hill at Eyredale. The drivers drive as quickly and steadily as they can while the passengers bounce hard in order to give the car grip as it goes up the hill. Lots of people stand around watching as many cars compete. Some of the drivers give up as their cars get stuck or roll backward down the hill. Geoff comments on one of the competitors, D.H. Smith, who gets help from the spectators.
Title-Scarborough Road Races.
Geoff informs the viewer that a crowd of 10,000 people attended the two day event at Scarborough. There are shots of the vans, cars, branding on vehicles and spectators gathered at a field. Down at the starting line the motor bike riders dressed in leathers start the race. Crowds of men and women sit in the fields and on the grass along the route. The bikes go around tight corners, up hills and along open roads with a constant commentary by Geoff Allan remarking on their techniques, the track and the rider's position in the competition.
There are shots of a section called `Memorial Corner' and in this section are competing bikes which have sidecars. The sidecar riders lean very far out of the bike to help it to go around corners more efficiently and Geoff says that they deserve a lot of credit and sympathy.
Back at the motorbike races again and F.T Perris is leading the group but then he suffers engine trouble and comes in further down the line. Geoff talks about the riders and says that John Surtees wins another of the races; the winner smiles at camera.
Title-Speedway Championship.
This section begins at a test match between England and Australasia at Odsal Stadium in Bradford. There are shots of speedway star and one-time English captain Eric Langton as well as Ronnie Moore, a speedway champion. Following this are shots of the English team lined up.
At the starting line a row of bikes is lined up and then they take off. Geoff comments on the race and that it's a lot cleaner and safer than it used to be; he also talks about the best technique to use. The riders go around the track throwing up black cinders all around them.
Title-Stock Car Racing.at Odsal.
Lots of damaged cars are parked around a field before the event and people are milling around. There is a shot from the stand looking down onto the track where the stock cars are driving around, banging into each other, smashing into the barrels that line the course, beeping, over taking and generally making a mess. One car drives up onto a barrel and the driver has to climb out. The final shot from this section is of a driver sitting on the top of a car talking to people and shots of the bashed up cars after their competition.
Title-The Banbury Run.
This section opens with a shot of the town square at Banbury Cross in Oxfordshire. Geoff says it is well-known for its agricultural machinery and that once a year people bring along adapted and improvised bicycles for a race.
There are shots of people gathering, fixing their bikes and being pushed along so that the engines attached to their bicycles will start. The Mayor of Banbury sends the riders off.
The cyclists drive along country roads towards the camera, some have to push broken-down bikes; there are lots of spectators lined up along the roadways. At one section there is a road check and they stop the bikes and take notes. The cyclists go along Lady Elizabeth Hill and here there are from along the side of roads and at the top of the hill looking down at the cyclists heading up the hill. Some men are at side of the road trying to fix their bikes.
Geoff talks about the makes of bicycles that used to be common and familiar but not so much anymore. As he calls out the different names there are shots of them all. The bicycles are all loaded up onto vans again.
Geoff talks about the most interesting bicycle that took part in the race- the 1903 Slinger. There is a shot of the owner, by J.P Smith of Yorkshire, riding the bicycle up and down a country road. The bicycle had two smaller wheels at the front that are powered by an engine.
There is a short section which shows two young men cycling down a hill on trick bicycles. The bicycles have strange wheels and steering and as one of the boys attempts to ride one of them, he falls off again and again.
Title-The Allan Jeffries Trophy Trial.
Geoff goes on to talk about something that is a bit more dignified. This competition is held every year in Wharfedale and there are shots of the area and of one of the competitors, Hugh Viney as well as Mrs Wood.
A rider makes his way up a dry rocky track which is lined with spectators. Some riders get stuck among the rocks and there are shots taken from different angles following the riders.
Following this are shots of a section near Grassington called the Rock Garden; the riders struggle along a track littered with rocks. There are shots taken from the top of a road looking down at a rider.
In another section the riders make their way across an almost dried up river bed beside a bridge. Mrs Alan Jeffries stands with a score card and observes the riders, including Mr R.C Cartwright, as they ride along the river bed. Mrs Jeffries' son sits in the river with his head sticking out of the water and then runs out in front of a bike and gets a slap on his bottom by his mother.
On another hill, which is also covered in stones, riders struggle up towards the camera. Some men ride up at speed and some get stuck. Geoff says that one of the riders is flying up the hill as his wife is there providing water and visual relief. The shot cuts to her and she is wearing a dress that reveals her shoulders. One rider needs help pushing the bike up the hill while many of the others have to push their bikes.
The final shot looks down a hill onto the base camp with the cars, bikes, spectators and competitors milling around. There is a brief shot of the Hepolite Sign on top of a van.
Back in the studio, Allan Jeffries says that he is looking forward to meeting us at another event as a spectator or competitor.
Title-The End.
C.H.Wood Bradford.
Hepolite.
Context
This is one of a very large collection of films made by film production company C.H. Wood of Bradford. The collection consists of approximately 2500 film and video elements including titles dating back to 1915. Charles Wood senior was a notable gas engineer, gaining an OBE in the 1880s. Rather remarkably, he designed Moscow’s gas system after the 1917 revolution. His son, Charles Harold Wood, set up the company of C.H. Wood’s in the 1920s. Charles was employed by both Pathé and Gaumont as...
This is one of a very large collection of films made by film production company C.H. Wood of Bradford. The collection consists of approximately 2500 film and video elements including titles dating back to 1915. Charles Wood senior was a notable gas engineer, gaining an OBE in the 1880s. Rather remarkably, he designed Moscow’s gas system after the 1917 revolution. His son, Charles Harold Wood, set up the company of C.H. Wood’s in the 1920s. Charles was employed by both Pathé and Gaumont as a cameraman for the northern region. C.H. Wood specialised in aerial photography and filmmaking. Charles used the expertise he had developed through his aerial photography to good effect during the Second World War when he pioneered infra-red lenses, used by the Dambusters, and for which he too earned an OBE. His sons, David and Malcolm Wood, took over the company, which was for a time known as ‘Wood Visual Communications.’ The company closed down in 2002. See the Context for The Magnet Cup 1960 for more on C.H. Wood.
Perhaps most impressive within the overall C.H. Wood Collection is the large number of films they made of motorcycle racing, mostly moto cross, such as the Scott Trials and the Ilkley Grand National. These include pre-war vintage motorcycle racing, and cover the 1940s and 1950s. Charles Wood started out as an apprentice fitter with Scott Motorcycle Company in Bradford, and was himself a motorcycle trial rider. David was making sound recordings of motorcycle events from the age of eleven. It was in filming motor cycling that his career as a filmmaker began – there will be more on these films in the Context for Darlington Motor Club Scott Motorcycle Trails (1951). As highlighted in the film itself, the film was sponsored by Hepolite, a brand of Hepworth and Grandage Ltd. Along with other British manufacturers, like Wellworthy and Brico, these made engine components for vehicles and were renowned for their piston rings. The firm was founded in 1907 and moved to Bradford in 1916. At the height of their success they were producing over a million piston rings each week from the huge St John's Works (with over 500 production machines in an area of 90,000 square feet ). Their parts can still be found by classic bike enthusiasts. Charles Wood’s company went on to make over 400 bike films with commissions for Norton, BSA, Triumph, Honda and Yamaha. Many of these films are narrated by one-time rival to the Duke, Allan Jefferies. Jefferies was a major figure in 1930s and 1940s racing, starting in 1928, winning the International Six Days Trial in Harrogate on a works Scott motorcycle, the first of six. He also won the British Experts cross-country trial in 1938 and was a winner of the Scott Trials. He went on to have his own Trophy Trial named after him, to set up a motorcycle shop in Shipley, still going, set up after his father, Joseph, and to found a family dynasty of motorcycle racing riders, including his son Tony, and grandson David, who was killed in a tragic accident at the 2003 Isle of Mann TT. The commentary on this film is by perhaps the most famous motorcycle racing rider of the day, Geoff Duke, known as The Duke – making him an ideal commentator, especially for the Scarborough Road Races. By the time that this film was made in 1955 Duke had won six World Championship races at 350cc and 500cc, starting out with Norton in 1950 before switching to the Italian Gilera in 1953 (and then back again to Norton in 1958). 1955 was in fact the last year he was to win a World Championship. By the time he retired from the World Championship at the end of the 1959 season at the age of 36, he had 33 Grand Prix victories. He also raced in the Isle of Man TT, making many of his world record breaking rides and winning six times. A true Isle of Man legend, Duke has had a point on the Mountain Course named after him as well as three sharp bends at the 32nd Milestone between Brandywell and Windy Corner now called 'Duke's'. He was crowned Sportsman of the Year in 1951, awarded the RAC Seagrave Trophy and awarded the O.B.E. in 1953. The FIM (International Motorcycling Federation) named him a Grand Prix "Legend" in 2002. He was also the first rider to wear one-piece leathers. Most competition riders were all-rounders in those days – taking in hill climbs, trials, sand and road racing, and scrambles – Jefferies being one of them. There were many competitions at the time with then household names like Dave Curtis, Jeff Ward, Johnny Giles, Don Rickman, Arthur Lampkin and Dave Bickers. Jeff Smith, seen here winning the Experts Grand National Scramble, was born just over the border in Colne, Lancashire, and went on to have an outstanding motorcycle career. Following from his father, also a rider, he became a works rider for Norton in 1952, becoming the British Trials Champion with them in 1953 before becoming the BSA factory rider, where he worked, the following year and winning again riding a Gold Star. Another highlighted winner is Geoff Broadbent, riding a works 350 Royal Enfield, who broke his leg a couple of years previous to this (by no means his only accident!). It isn’t clear where exactly the route is for this race, although it often run on Beamsley Moor. The race is still held, still using machines of various sizes, and still with a variety of trophies, including the Scott Trophy and a Geoff Broadbent Award. The Ilkley & District Motor Cycle Club has recently celebrated its centenary, having been established in 1910 (becoming the Ilkley Motor Cycle and Light Car Club in 1919, and now the Ilkley and District Motor Club). Some Grand Nationals at Ilkley can be seen on the Pathe online archive. As this film gives an indication, there were many tournaments at this time: others included the Victory Cup Trial, Lancashire Grand Point to Point, Lancashire Grand National and the Cotswold Scramble – motorcycle scrambling later came to be known as MotoCross. The Scarborough Road Races at Oliver’s Mount were started in 1946 by the Yorkshire Centre of the A.C.U. and Scarborough and District Motor Club, with Allan Jefferies competing in the first race on a 350cc. It was the best road track outside the Manx TT races – which had been halted for the war, and was reduced to using low octane fuel. Over twelve thousand spectators attended the first meeting. Since then there has been over 150 meetings and the race is still going strong. There were normally two races per year. In 1955 there was the Oliver's Mount, Cock o' the North, on 1st & 2nd July; and the News Chronicle International Gold Trophy taking place between Thursday 15th and Saturday 17th September. It was also the heyday of British bikes, such as the Matchless BSA, Ariel, AJS and Triumph. Even back in the 1950s these were pretty fast machines. The track of just under 2 ½ miles has been altered numerous times since it started, so it is hard to compare times, although it has always had the Mount Hairpin. In September of 1955, in the 5th International Gold Cup, Geoff Duke recorded a round of 2m 05.4 averaging just under 70 mph on a 500cc Works Gilera. It wasn’t until 1979 that the legendary Barry Sheene broke the 80 mph mark on a 680 Texaco Heron Suzuki. The latest record was set by Ryan Farquhar in 2010, averaging 83.368 on a 1000 KMR Kawasaki ZX10 Winning the 350 race is the Duke’s great rival, John Surtees (on a Norton) who would go on to eclipse him. Only 21 in 1955, Surtees beat the reigning world champion Duke at Silverstone and then at Brands Hatch. In 1956 he also won the 500cc world championship when Geoff Duke had been banned for six months because of his support for a riders' strike for more starting money. In a three year period – 1958, 1959 and 1960 – he won 32 out of 39 races and became the first man to win the Senior TT at the Isle of Man TT three years in succession. Showing his versatility, Surtees switched to car racing in 1960, going on to great success here also, and eventually founding his own race team. He was awarded an MBE and an OBE. For a history of the race, circuit and races, see the Oliver’s Mount website (References). Speedway at Odsal was introduced by Johnnie Hoskins in 1945-46, before finally finishing there in 1997, after Bradford City Council contentiously refused to renew Bradford Dukes Speedway Club's lease at Odsal. (it raced for a short time at Greenfield in the early 60's). For more details of these developments see the Bradford Speedway website, who are campaigning for Bradford Council, which owns Odsal Stadium, to change its position – see also the Context for Rugby League Wartime Matches (1939-1944). The website also provides a potted history of the club, which has had several names: from 1945 until 1949, the Bradford Boomerangs; from 1950 to 1957, the Bradford Tudors; in 1960 becoming Bradford Panthers. The club folded in 1962, when it raced for a short time at Greenfield in the early 60's, before reforming in 1970. Bradford Speedway have been Champions on eight occasions, can claim a World Champion (Gary Havelock in 1992), and have hosted numerous Grand Prix events and the World Speedway. Apparently speedway is now the third most televised sport in the UK. Ronnie Moore, the current speedway champion at just 22, finished runner up the following two years. The World Champion for 1955 was Peter Craven, who is in the British team here, and was later to captain the team before being killed in a freak racing accident in 1963, aged just 29. Unfortunately Geoff Duke doesn’t say who won this race – see also the Context for 1985 World Speedway Final at Odsal. Neither does he seem to know the origins of the name ‘Stock car racing’. It refers to the fact that the cars that are raced, although modified, are originally conventional cars, i.e. not specifically designed for racing. The sport originated, apparently, from bootleggers in the US in the 1930s modifying their cars to escape the police! This then got turned into a sport, and with the founding of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) in 1948 by a mechanic Bill France Snr. in Daytona Beach in Florida, it really took off. First in the US, Canada and Mexico, it reached Britain in 1954. Since then it has developed many different categories, although all allow for bumping ones competitors out of the way, as amply demonstrated in the film! The Banbury Run, specialising in pre-1931 vintage motorcycles, is also still going strong over sixty years since its inauguration in 1948. Not so Baines Bicycles, makers of the trick bicycles. The Baines brothers of Bradford were famous for their novel ‘Flying Gate’ design (aka ‘Whirlwind’), but went out of business the year before model name – see the Context for Eccleshill Carnival (1922). Last up is the Allan Jeffries Trophy Trial which was inaugurated by the Yorkshire Centre in 1946 in honour of Bradford born Allan Jeffries, referred to above. At that time there were three competitions in Yorkshire: the Scott Trials, the Leeds Trial and the Rotherham Club’s Lister Trophy Trial. After the war only the Scott Trials, a national open competition run by the Bradford Motorcycle Club, continued. Allan himself came second in the first competition in 1947, riding a 350 Triumph twin. Two years later the event moved to Upper Wharfedale, where it remained until 1958. The start was at Long Ashes near Thresfield, with the most difficult hill considered to be Moorend, at Kettlewell. But anyone watching this might think that the adjective ‘difficult’ is something of an understatement, and that the whole enterprise is an exercise in madness! References Geoff Duke at the Isle of Mann TT Geoff Duke at crash.net Hepolite Allan Jefferies Norton Owners Club Jeff Smith at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Oliver's Mount The Allan Jeffries Trophy, Bradford Trials online |
