Down at the New Cross Speedway with Stan Greatrex and the New Cross Rangers in 1939

Now I never went to Speedway even given that while I was growing up the New Cross Speedway Track was not far from where we lived.

Plenty of my friends did go and would sport the black and gold badge with added bits for the different seasons they attended.

But then I get bored with motor car racing and even given the thrill of a live event I doubt it would ever have attracted me.

That and the fact that I would have had to have  been taken by my dad who was no more interested in the sport than I.

But lots were.  The track was not far from New Cross Road and from the 1930s was where a number of teams raced with names like the New Cross Lambs, from 1934-35, the New Cross Tamers in 1936 and from 1937 till 1963 the New Cross Rangers.

And in the collection there are three postcards of riders from the Rangers.  This is Stanley Greatrex who rode for the team in the 1930s, and captained them in 1939 as well as riding for the England team in 1936, ’38 and ’39.

Picture; Stan Greatrex, New Cross Rangers, courtesy of Mark Flynn, http://www.markfynn.com/london-postcards.htm