RootsChat.Com
Some Special Interests => Travelling People => Topic started by: rosielewis on Monday 02 July 07 18:26 BST (UK)
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A long shot, but I am trying to find out something about my Grandmother's Brother William Price born Llanidloes Montgomeryshire in approx 1904
He travelled around the fairs riding the Wall of Death,I guess he would have had a "stage name"and not just used William Price.
I would love to find out more about him to put in his section of my family tree, or find out a bit more about the wall of death.
If anyone has any knowledge about this sort of thing ,I would be very interested to hear from you.
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Hi Rosielewis
You could try this website for a start, it all about the wall of death, I remember going to fair grounds when I was young lad watching people like these
http://www.thewallofdeath.com/home.html
or this website
http://www.wall-of-death.org/history1.htm
but if you google around you will come up with other sites
ricky
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Thanks a lot Ricky, I have the greatest respect for what he was doing, and will enjoy looking at the websites you gave me.
Cheers
Rosie
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Hi Rosielewis
The second website I gave you has other pages on it, They used to start at the bottom and get faster and faster then worked their way up the wall, some would come up right near the top, and the noise they made was deafening,The wall was made out of wooden planks fastened together in a circle. Used have to go up some steps on the outside to watch them, by looking over the top. In them days it was something to be seen, and the whole construction used to shake and vibrate as they went around on the inside. Brings back gteat memories
ricky
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Must have been amazing to watch, wish I had been able to see him in action!
Had a quick look at the websites what an amazing thing to do! Both my Brother's are motorbike mad-must be in the blood!
Cheers
Rosie
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Rosie
One I was a youngster, I had a motorbike, but wouldn't dream of doing what they did. Sometimes members of the audience would be allowed to sit behind the rider, at their own risk, me I wasn't that stupid ;D
ricky
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I think this is my grandad that you are looking for information on, he was born in 1906 and died in 1969 he was one of twelve or fifteen children from 2 marriages the names i am aware of so far are Mariam Joseph and Emlyn. William rode the wall of death on a regular basis in bellevue Manchester. I have just started to try to gather information on him. We also think in rode in local fairs in the Montgomeryshire area and used the stage name speedy Williams.
I would love to here from you if you have any further information on his career as a wall of death rider.
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Every year on October 24th there is a fair in Menai Bridge on Anglesey - Ffair Borth. I recall visiting the travelling fair with great excitement as it was truly one of the most exciting things in anglesey when I was young in the 1950/1960's.
There was a wall of death sited on the outskirts of the town on the car park and as explained by one of the other members, the construction was of lots of wooden planks and the motor bike riders would rev up going faster and faster in circles getting nearer and nearer to the top making your heart thump as you thought they would come right over the top. the noise of the bikes was exciting and the riders themselves held in awe.
There was an element of danger and fear all mixed up together usually with the smell of petrol mixed with hot dogs, candy floss and chips.
I do not know when the attraction stopped but I suppose health and safety issues would arise now.
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J.W.T nice to meet you, been hoping to find a relative on here for a while! I am the Granddaughter of Kate Price, the second born of John and Mary Price's 12 children. John Price/Pryce had 6 children from a previous marriage too, and my Mum always believed there were more Children but I have not traced them yet.
My Brothers and I have been fascinated by the thought of Williams's Wall of Death riding and have wanted to find out more about him for a long time. I had traced that he had Children and was hoping there would be Grandchildren who may be researching him. I have spent hours and hours on the Price tree and believe it as complete as it can be for now. Keep in touch, and if I find out anything else I will let you know.
Gilly J what a great description of the Wall of Death and the visit to the fair, felt like I was there! I was born and brought up on Pen Llyn so wasn't too far away from Aglesey. Apparently the Wall of Death has returned in a big way recently, my Son goes to a lot of festivals and he went to watch the riders last Summer at one he was at, sure its much safer these days though!
All the Best
Rosie
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Hi Rosie...this might be of interest:
http://archiveshub.ac.uk/features/fairsandcircus.shtml
Carol
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My uncle Bert Hughes used to do the wall of death at battersea funfair London this was around the mid 50's I can remember once the door was shut the bike would slowly be taken around the lower parts untl speed was got up and then taken right to the top in some cases without hands or the legs drawn up to the handle bars to steer it while no hands great stuff
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When I was a mad teenager, I actually was a passenger on the wall of death.
I had to sit in front of the rider and lay my head on his shoulder.
Scary but exhilarating
xin ;D
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lay my head on his shoulder.
xin ;D
Mmm ;D
http://youtu.be/Rua8kasBG8Q
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Oh my that brings back memories, I wish I was there again :)
xin
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You may be interested in this. The Wall of death visited Stotfold in May 2010, so at least one is still travelling. They used Harley Davidson motor bikes and also a car.
Steve
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hi all
check out TORNADO SMITH he rode the wall in the 30,s and onwards at the kursaal in southend
with his lioness in a sidecar his parents ran the white heart pub in boxford Suffolk where the lioness is buried in the car park , I remember seeing my first wall there in the late fifties they had 2 sets of rollers outside with a couple of bsa,a on which they did high speed runs on to encourage the crowd to go inside the bikes they used were mostly 1930.s indian scouts and what a spectacle the sound and bouncing of the wall I can still feel it now leaning over the edge with the bikes roaring round inches from the top with just a couple of strands of wire to stop them coming over if anything went wrong .
do a google search for tornado smith you won,t be disappointed promise .
regards
trevor
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http://www.rippin-kitten.com/2013/07/19/beyond-the-lion-drome/
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My uncle Bert Hughes used to do the wall of death at battersea funfair London this was around the mid 50's I can remember once the door was shut the bike would slowly be taken around the lower parts untl speed was got up and then taken right to the top in some cases without hands or the legs drawn up to the handle bars to steer it while no hands great stuff
For Information on Wall of Death and to see a riders register go www.vintagewallofdeath.co.uk and contact the administrator. Even when names are not currently on the register there are files on riders including for example Bert Hughes
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There's a photo ----
Taken in the late 1940s with two Wall of Death Riders - Eddie Harris and I believe it Tornado Smith was the second rider. Dick's son Eddie (Speedy Williams) was also a Wall of Death rider (Pauline Gashinski)
On this Canvey Island website:-
http://www.canveyisland.org/page.aspx?id=81
http://www.canveyisland.org/page_id__81_path__0p51p75p.aspx
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It would be useful to see other photos of Eddie Harris (centre) , but I have hundreds of reference photos of Tornado Smith and do not believe it is him in the photo, I have seen the same reference to identities in books and online? It is more likely it's x2 visiting riders, probably Americans but as yet I have been unable to confirm.
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Helllo to all.
I was told that my grandads uncle rode the Wall of Death in England and I would love to find out who he was. All I have is surnames linked to him.. I hope someone can help me?
Surnames= WILSON,ELSE,SMITH,PATRICK,CARTLIDGE,ASTLE/HASSELL.
With Thanks
Charlie
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The surname Wilson has been associated with some American riders and Smith is only associated with George "Tornado" Smith and his family in the UK. the other surnames mentioned are not currently recorded as a riders surnames in the UK. Should you find out more I would like to hear about it, cheers
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Thank you for your reply.
My family owned fairs and traveled around England. I am only surmising that he would of doing this about in the late 20s to 40s. I am still at a dead end :(
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My Dad, Jack Owen, used to belong to one of the White City Teams and to earn a bit of extra cash he and some of his mates would do the Wall of Death. He said it was only dangerous if one ran out of petrol!
I tried to attach a photo of him but it was too large so here is a link:
http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/manchester%20White%20City.htm
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I found this snippet on GenesReunited - the mind boggles. :o
Nottingham Evening Post Nottinghamshire, England
4 Oct 1950
GOOSE FAIR’S CARAVAN VILLAGE
................. But in a few months, Simba—a birthday present to Mollic—will be on her way to a zoo. Mr R. E. Monte, alias Speedy Williams, the Wall of Death rider, had toyed with the idea of introducing the lioness into his act, but Mollie wanted her to remain
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hello and hope alls fine with you ,
I often seen the wall of death, wow it was good, just to let you know of those times , just for you , and stop stressing with your life life , it will go , but the wall of death, that was made od wooden bourds, boy they would creek as the bikes wised by, and the steadt look in the eyes of the drivers, , this was the Nottingham goose fair of long gone times, there was the giant scots man, over seven feet tall, I seen him my self and tiny tim the small one, pluss the fighting booths this was Nottingham back then, but just wanted to to tell you that there they had a trick long ago, a very hansome gal would sit on the bike gackwards and do the wall of death, wow that was good , and the Gipsys tents was all down the streets were the tram way is now, there was old Gipsy Lee , granddaughter Lee , orginal Lee, and more and more, they had electric cables running from nerby houses, to light there little sheds, my uncle had a slall selling mushy peas , would you beleave it, dordy, but the wall of death was great I was there, I seen it it was great , don't know the people or your people but grat times , look after yourself and a bit of luck to ya
Michael x
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There was a wooden one which came to Aberdeen kinks a few times when I was a child. up to 3 bikes and riders at once. It was interesting at the start, then the science in me took over and I understood what made it work. Good fun though.
Regards
Malky