Thursday

59 CLUB WEEKEND, 1963

I was recently invited to visit the 59 Club Museum in Hackney Wick, London and had the rare opportunity to view some of their old photo journals, so I thought I'd share an excerpt from one of them, in this case documenting a weekend from autumn of '63....


                                         


Below: Always lots of work to be done around the clubhouse....

"Well yes Baz, I do agree it makes more sense to hang the sign in front of the building."


Here we see the lads (and ladies) gearing up for a ride....




"I still maintain there is NO WAY we can fit all these in the van, and Fiona this is really no time for muffin buffin'!"



After saving all through the Spring and Summer, Freddy Smalls was finally able to buy the Triumph he'd been dreaming about!

"Yes it does get louder when you twist that one you knob-end."




*Following an accident plagued August, today marked the third consecutive weekend that the Harlsden "Death or Glory Mob" arrived in Parade Formation without hitting a single pedestrian.




Little Ricky Pickwick rode in all the way from Twickenham!





And Des, Tez, Baz, Maz, and Magoo all came from Brighton.






Ian 'Spider' Woolsley flew down the M1 on his supercharged Dunstall Norton only to get held up in traffic at Stamford Bridge due to Chelsea v. West Ham football aggro.

*Photo taken from the back seat of a Hillman Imp by aspiring shutterbug Georgie "Pilchard Freak" Basildon, age 7.



Despite Father Bill's "Blessing of the Bikes", the day was not without incident, however...







Chas Brilleaux had a temper tantrum in Shepherd's Bush and refused to move despite Gavin and Arthur's best efforts...



Above: Bernie Saville working on his Triumph T110, sidelined with carburetor problems. It was suspected that a small bird* had been sucked into the air inlet after he removed the filter in a misguided bid to add horsepower.


 *The bird was later found in between the float and the slide and emerged unharmed!


 A few people got lost along the way...


"Well I suppose we'll just have to turn around..."


"Look at the size a dem facking _______!"



"This is definitely not it."



The recent purchase of a Ford Transit van has proved invaluable for the many runs to Tesco for sausages.



The lads all came rolling in around 4 - just in time for tea and cakes...





Parking was always tight along the front unless you used the lot down the street and took the shuttle bus.





L to R: Peter "Pudding" Nesbitt,  Johnny Fingers, Chas Muggins, Little Filbert, and "Harry" (surname unknown)...



Above: The Islington "No Helmets No Bikes Gang" arrived via train from Islington... 
L to R: Mukker DelGrady, Gaz Smalls, Nigel Dexter, Blive Crooks, Felicity Woodcock, Lenny Lipton, Del Boy Smalley, Bertie Langlitz, Ginger Pilchard, Danny Pudding, Barry Heathrow Gatwick-Lloyd, Andy "Sausage" Becksley, Des Daley, Clarkey Twickles, Bomber Tibbins, (absent from photo: Baz Newpork)



Above: The notion of this being a "No Cover Charge Saturday" seems to be lost on these daft muppets caught here attempting to sneak in through the kitchen by loanshark and Club Photographer Roland "If you're on the dole, go see Rol" Baubles.


Above: Baz Twindlethorpe avoiding payment yet again by finishing his drink before reaching the counter!




Boppin' to the high school bop...


Mickey found himself some quality crumpet and took a break from the dancefloor...


They were later married and moved to the country to raise rabbits in the rolling green fields of grass near Luton Airport.


THE END...

* special thanks to Father Liam Gallagher (59 Club Archivalist) for access to these wonderful photographs.



- Karl Monroe

Thankyou for your support.


1 comment:

  1. The choice of the number '59' was just a rouse
    to hide their true identity as the 'LIX' club.

    ReplyDelete