Fulfilling a promise I made recently I will now attempt to describe to you some of the activities of the Query Motor Club during those pre World War II years. At this stage I feel I should describe to you something of conditions in general when the Club was formed. You will then, all of you who are now in ‘motor club life’ be able to draw on your own conclusions. At the time of the formation of the Club, Britain was still in the grips of the great slump of the twenties, far, far worse than the so called recession of today. We did not have inflation, in fact it was deflation. The railways (private enterprise) still carried the bulk of the freight and passenger traffic. Horses were still being used for local deliveries and in agriculture. Steam wagons and medium weight petrol wagons were used in road haulage operations. Diesels were virtually unknown. The heavier types of wagons were on SOLID rubber tyres!

The price of petrol was 1/- to 1/6 per gallon (5 pence to 7½ pence decimal), paraffin the same or slightly less.

Rushden possessed three cinemas and of course the famous Windmill Hall. Radio was around in various forms known as “wireless”. No TV. Shops in Rushden remained open until 9 pm. Saturday night was a great sight in the High Street, full of life and activity.

The A type roads were mostly tarmac, 10’ to 14’ wide; the minor roads, flint stones bound with water and dust chippings and under 10’ wide, muddy in winter, dusty in summer.

This then was the scene in Rushden around the Spring of 1931 (I may be wrong on this date), when Sid Hawkes put out feelers on the possibility of forming Rushden Motor Club. I had made contact with him, in one of the old Wellingborough MC motorcycle trials, being a keen Trials rider. I said “a good idea”, as Northampton MCC and Wellingborough MCC were the only Clubs running sporting (mud plugs) trials; about 3 a year each club and the North Bucks MC about 2 a year. However, notices appeared in the local paper (Echo & Argus) and by word of mouth. The Coffee Tavern (a café in the High Street) was the place chosen, a good gathering was in the tea room, the Query Motor Club was born!

Headquarters were to be the Railway Hotel (is it still there?) A meeting followed at the Railway. Officers were elected, can’t remember all, but: Jim Knight, Chairman; Sid Hawkes, Gen. Sec.; Frank Deane, Treasurer; Geoff Knight, Social Secretary. Objects: to promote sporting trials, road trials and social functions? I remember the name Query was got from the famous Leicester Query MCC. There may be other suggestions but I remember “Sir Sidney” approaching the Leicester Secretary and he said they had no objections whatever and wished the Club every success. I was not an officer or committee man at this period, but promised to get the trials side organised for them.

The social side of club life hinged around social runs to places of interest, seaside runs, pleasure parks etc. These were all Sunday runs. There were visits to motor car and motorcycle factories, cement works, breweries!! and to cinemas where special auto films were being shown. Can not remember any visits to boot and shoe factories!! To this day I have not been inside one of the said factories!!

On the social side the Query Club dances, organised by Geoff Knight and his committee, were an instant success, all were at the Windmill Hall and they had a following from a very wide area. Financially they were also a great success. The Club was very soon in a strong financial position.

The Annual Dinner and presentation of awards was always held at the Masonic Hall (in Wellingborough Road, Rushden), a very formal affair, all the town’s top brass present, cheques donated to various charities were also handed over. In those days I should also mention that the other Motor clubs attended one another’s functions, Dinners, Dances etc.

The trials of the period were mostly of the route card and sealed watch system. Perhaps I should explain: you had a route card with the directions abbreviated, SO straight on, TR turn right, TL turn left, SP sign post to towns, villages etc., mileages, times etc. and position of time checks. Your watch was placed in a metal case (round) with glass front, then sealed between loops by wire and lead seal. Your time set to a time clock at the start and all this sealing was done at the start. The solo rider had this round his neck and his route card in a case on the tank or again round his neck. It was of course much easier for cars and three wheelers with passengers. Average speed around 20 to 25 mph. Marks were lost for being early or late at check, 1 per minute. If you were late at check you had to try and get back on time or you kept losing marks at the initial rate. Mileages were from 50 to 200 depending on type of trial. Checks every 8 to 20 miles depending on distance of travel. At times the event became quite a race. There were night trials, all day trials, semi sporting (minor roads), sporting (three ply tracks) and for bikes only the real mud plugs. The Club initially ran about ten events per year.

Scrambles were another Query special (now called Moto Cross). First held on the Home Farm course (behind Rushden Hall) and later at the well known Newton Blossomville (near Olney) course. Like the dances these were money spinners, two or three a year and most popular events in the South Midlands Centre motorcycle calendar. By my standard, all riders were sporting amateurs of shamateurs who did not give a damn about money or awards. They, organisers and spectators were all there for a "bloody good afternoon’s sport" and they, all of them, had it. I remember many of our road and sometimes scramble events would finish at a country pub. The favourites were The Bell, Odell, Beds and The Squirrel, Upper Dean, Beds. They were sort of Country Headquarters.

Interesting point here: in our events of that period ALL the motorcycles and three wheelers were British made and 99% of the cars were likewise, i.e. 1% US, French or German. No car or bike carried any advertising stickers. They did always carry the Club badge, the only stickers were for a Dance or Scramble, quite small ones (shades of today). We had Query Club sweaters, ties and blazer badges. We did not have a monthly newsletter (true). Regs. of events were mailed to all, postcard for sport events (postage rates ½ penny for postcard, 1½ pence letter, old money), local press notices and a notice board at Headquarters (Railway Hotel) and “pass it around by word of mouth old boy”.

The first 3 years the Club really steamed along, around 1935 there was a waning of interest, new officers were taking over from founders who were losing interest. Even our Sidney had to call it a day, “pressure of business, old boy”. However the Club continued to make fair progress, but just as today, they had their troubles.

That was the scene in brief of the Club up to that fateful day in September 1939, when we found ourselves at war with Germany. Actually there is a story to be told of every trial, of every dance and scramble, of our famous night trials, of Motorcycle football teams, the gymkhana events of the great freedom of the roads, no bloody red tape, but you cannot compare the period of that day to the period of today. The nostalgia types say they were the days of real men on real motorcycles or driving real cars, all I will say is, I would have loved an Escort RS2000 or a Quatro and a Honda trail bike, instead of the oil leaking hulks that were around in my day. The Japanese have put a different complexion on motorcycles and cars, no I go for today’s tin box on wheels, they are good! I hope I can stick around for other developments, Cheerio.

Some Afterthoughts

The Query colours were originally Black and White by the way. Wellingborough Blue and White and Northampton Yellow and Black. All trials and social runs started in Rectory Road. It was not a through road in those days, it ended at Queen Street. Later we moved to Avenue Road (Bedford Road end). All Club events were Sunday events, there were NO national events on this day, all were on Saturday. Religious bodies took a very dim view of Sunday sport, except Hebrews. I knew of competitors who would not dream of competing in a Sunday event. The Query Club of those days was the best blend of sporting car drivers and sporting motorcycle riders that I ever came across. We all seemed to have graduated from bicycle to motorcycle, to three wheelers, to cars, and two members went on to Tiger Moths. We had two riders riding under nom de plumes: “J Bassender?” a farmer’s son and “B Quick” a parson’s son!! Their parents had an intense dislike of motorcycles. It is still the same now!!

This May be of Interest

Prior to the formation of the Query Club there had been a Rushden Motorcycle Club. They were a group of very sporting motorcyclists, most of them products of Wellingborough School. They got together around 1920-22. Their main interest was speed events i.e. Brooklands Hill climbs and sprints. I remember a speed hill climb they held just off the Spaldwick to Huntingdon road on the left, 1 mile east of Spaldwick (I was 12 years old). Public road, no crash helmets then, and everyone stood on the grass verges. The competitors flew past you. We were inhaling the glorious smell of Castrol R (a vegetable oil). The 1926 Road Traffic Act ended all speed events on public roads. Prior to this date 3rd party insurance was not compulsory. Bike driving licence at 14 years old, car at 16 years old.

Some names of the club I remember: George Marriott, he was Hon. Sec., Cyril Pack, Percy and Scott Claridge brothers, Fred Wheeler, Bill Keller, Eric Danson. On a 350cc ohv AJS Fred Wheeler lapped Brooklands at just under the 100 mph, just missing winning the famous Brooklands Gold Star for a 100 mph lap (and it was real gold).