What an Ace club

Published 21 Jan 2010 10:00 0 Comments

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READERS have been getting in touch with their reminiscences about the Reading Ace Motorcycle Club, following David Cliffe's article a few weeks ago.

The club was formed in the late 1930s and ran for a few decades. One correspondent, Peter Hill, of Wasing Road, Brimpton, here tells the story of the club:

Reading Ace MCC was started in 1937 at Phillips and Powers at Woodley Airfield which built planes and ran a flying school. Most founder members worked there.

They met for many years, I went there in 1947, at The Eagle in Baker Street, Reading, with the landlord Harold Palmer who moved to the Roebuck Pub at Earley.

Winter time closing was 10pm, summer 10.30pm, but we left there and went to The Traveller in Henley Road, which was 10.30pm closing summer and winter. The original president was Charles Bloomfield of Phillips and Bloomfield in South Street, Reading with a showroom at one end and workshops at the other with stoves etc.

The vice presidents were Jim Findley, garage owner on the Pell Street/London Street corner, and George Preece of Felgates Electrical, the well-known electrical contractors.

The club moved permanently to the Travellers Friend club room and met every Friday for business and social evenings. Every Sunday there was a club run, all-day, half-day or evening, to somewhere or something of interest. We would usually all meet up at a pub on Sunday evenings.

We had an annual dinner dance and presentation of awards, most years at The Grosvenor House in Kidmore End Road. Usually someone important presented the awards - one year John Surtees of racing fame did it.

The club was very active with trials, road runs, rallies and two major events, the March Hare and Berkshire Grand National Scrambles at Bower Farm at Aldworth by kind permission of farmer Frank Walters, now ran by his son, I think.

The club did meet at Southcote, from where it was disbanded - I don't know when.

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