We welcome Tom Isitt to our Hornchurch venue on Wednesday 12th of April to present his talk about an extremely strenuous 1919 bicycle race following the Great War battlefields. “It was across this brutalised land that the riders raced. Gale-force winds, freezing temperatures, and driving sleet greeted them as they turned south from Diksmuide and headed for the Salient,” wrote Tom Isett in an article for the WFA back in 2019. “Ypres was nothing but a pile of rubble and the riders struggled past Hellfire Corner and up the remains of the Menin Road at a snail’s pace. From Menin to Bapaume, via Cambrai, the roads were entirely made of smashed and broken cobbles... for 120km.” (From WFA Facebook page)
This will be Tom's first visit to the Essex Branch.
Meeting starts at 8pm at the Poppy Lounge, Royal British Legion in Hornchurch (205 High Street, Hornchurch, RM11 3XT). Please note this is not the venue shown on the Branch Details page on this website. Parking is available in the nearby Fentiman Way car park. Please note this now charges for evening parking.
Suggested entrance donation is £3.50 and there is an optional raffle. Our meetings are open to those who are not members of the Association. If you know someone with an interest in the history of cycling, let them know.