OLDACE

I have sent you a pm in resonse to yous but it would seem that I have not succeeded. Did you receive it?

We bikers went to the Dancing Slipper in the mid sixties, we always went there after the Skeggy trips at bank holidays, as well as other times.Also went to the Town Arms as it was then called.

In 63 and 64 we Aces went there on saturday nights, we also went one night in the week, I cannot recall which. The pop music of the time was exceptional, Beatles, Stones, Johnny Kidd and all the scouse bands. It was 100% white in those days, no street crime, just the occassional one on one scrap. Many of the Aces were from the Meadows, among them Johnny Coombes, Pete Truman, Bonneville Steve, and Kenny 'Runt' come to mind. The Meadows Saints were a good set of lads, unfortunately their leading light Mick Clarke was killed late 63, he swerved to avoid a drunk on Alfreton Road and hit a bus

The Aces Bikers used to go to the Santa Fe in 63 and 64, the music was pop and rock and roll. The local Bikers also went there, they were the Meadows Saints. On saturdays, there would some times be a band playing, the Avengers played quite often.

There was a Top Hat Club on Arkwright Street in the mid 60s, it was a casino, didn't last long. It was down from the Hong Kong Restaurant on the opposite side of the road.

The fibre glass firm was Brierley-Smith, they made tanks fairings etc, they also made a jetski, it was in Macton Motors on Arkwright Street in early 1963. It may have been a prototype, but it was way ahead of it's time.

I recall Dick had an Ariel twin for a long time and then bought a 998cc HRD, 1948 or thereabouts. He never looked comfortable on it. I don't think the HRDs had Girdrolics and rear dampers as in the later Vincents, just girders and solid rear end, not too comfortable at the speeds it was capable of. Other Aces with Vincents were Cranson with his Black Shadow and Comet, and Pete Truman who had an American export type Rapide. I went to the 1965 Dragon on the back of Pete's Rapide. He opened her up on the Borrowash by-pass, it was pretty impressive.

Is that Dick in the first pic with johnny Greenfield, Johnny Trusscott and Ernie.

Sambo had a thing for climbing, at the Race Of The Year in 63 or 64, he climbed the tree at the Esses, and was actually right over the track, the police took a dim view. While on the subject of tree climbing, does anyone remember Ernie Daft climbing the tree outside the Ship in 1964, the police told him to get down, he shouted 'come up and get me', and then urinated on them. Two nights in the cells and a big fine.

I wasn't on that sherwood forest trip, but remenber the one when, after turning off the A614 towards Edwinstowe, we came to crossroads with a copper on point duty. When he saw the line od bikes approaching he put up his hand to stop us. We all accelerated and passed him an alternate sides. If you can imagine someone doing the hoola hoop, that was what the copper looked like. All except Sambo parked up in Edwinstowe, he went scrambling through the forest to the Major Oak, and then he climbed up it. Sad to report that I heard that Ernie passed away a couple of years ago.

I seem to recall that the cafe at Bulwell Market was the Penguin. Sometimes on a saturday night we would leave the Robin Hood at Farnsfield and go on to the Blue Star at Blyth. Other saturdays we would head south to the Busy Bee and then The Ace Cafe. One Sunday afternoon the Aces decided to go to the Cona Bar cafe in Long Eaton, For some reason myself, Jimmy Robbo, and Mick Leivers were a long way ahead of the pack. On Station Road past the speedway track I was flat in third on my 650cc Ajay, changed to top and held it open(the road was empty).A beat bobby appeared, he was near the left h

I had an R/E Continental 5 speed in 1963, the 5th gear was very high, the speedo showed a ton once when going down the hill on the A614 about a couple of miles from the White Post. The only other Enfield I had was a Meteor Minor 500cc. Thrashed it mercilessly, never let me down. So here are my bikes, those I can remember. 1959 250cc Panther Mod 35. 1961 350cc Matchless G3H. 1962 650cc AJS Mod 31 1963 250cc R/Enfield Continental 1962 500cc Triumph Speed Twin. 1961 650cc Triumph T110 1965 650cc Triumph T120 Bonneville 1960 350cc Jawa 1959 600cc Matchless G11 Combinati

I was on that Blackpool bus trip and remember the Geordie incident, I also seem to recall Ashley getting injured in the House of Fun in the fairground, was it a broken wrist or just a bad sprain. I also remember the bus not stopping at any bogs on the return journey. In 1965 or thereabouts Baz had big single (BSA or Norton) with a sidecar chassis with railway sleepers, maybe 10 or more of us piled onto the outfit after closing time at the Ship. At the end of Castleton, Baz did a rather sharp right turn onto the promenade and most of us rolled off much to the amazement of the holidaymakers.