Category: 1950s

1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s

A Day at the Races: Balham CC and the Epsom Run for Cyclists


In the winter of 1920, with daylight hours short and weather miserable, a band of Balham CC members thought it would be wise to go on a shorter ride but include a running race in the day’s proceedings. By the 1930s this winter novelty had turned into a national event, attracting cycling clubs from all over the country. Continue reading A Day at the Races: Balham CC and the Epsom Run for Cyclists

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1940s, 1950s, Balham 2nd Class 100, Balham Rough Stuff / Rough Riders, Photographs, Race Results and Reports, Riders

KEN SMITH MEMOIRS: Care free and Car free – The ’40s and ’50s South London cycling club scene


The final extract from the memoirs of former Balham CC secretary and Gazette club magazine editor Ken Smith, covering the post war years. A revealing look into club life and the lives of a group of young men from the Balham and South London cycling community in the 1940 and 1950s. Continue reading KEN SMITH MEMOIRS: Care free and Car free – The ’40s and ’50s South London cycling club scene

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1890s, 1940s, 1950s, Balham CC 2017, Photographs

Kit inspired by club’s heritage launched for the summer


Four and a half months on from the club heading out on its first ride, the first kit has been ordered and is in production.
The new kit is inspired by the club’s jersey designs of the 1940s and 50s and incorporates the original logo on the family photograph that started this whole project in November 2015. Continue reading Kit inspired by club’s heritage launched for the summer

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1930s, 1940s, 1950s, Balham & London, Balham CC 2017, Balham Rough Stuff / Rough Riders, Local History, Memorabilia, Photographs, Riders

21 years of momentoes, photos and memoirs presented to Club by family of former secretary


Cheryl Button, the daughter of former Balham Cycling Club (BCC) secretary Ken Smith, was in London in November and she had a surprise gift for the soon to be relaunched club. Ken was a member of the BCC between 1936 and 1957 and before his death in 2013, compiled a scrapbook of his most treasured club mementoes and photos. It also included his memoirs spanning 21 years of life as a South London cyclist. Continue reading 21 years of momentoes, photos and memoirs presented to Club by family of former secretary

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1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Balham CC 2017, Memorabilia, Riders

70-year-old club trophy comes home as ‘The Balham’ gets ready to ride again


A Balham Cycling Club trophy, first awarded 70 years ago, has been reunited with the club 40 years after leaving South London. The Bill Shore Memorial Trophy, presented to the Club champion in 1947 and almost every year until the club closed in 1979, has made the 4,200 mile journey from the USA back to Britain. It will be raced for once again as the club is set to reform on its 120th anniversary. Continue reading 70-year-old club trophy comes home as ‘The Balham’ gets ready to ride again

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