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The Jack Young Story
Chapter 7
September 1950 - March 1951
The fourth match in the Britain v Overseas series for Second Division riders was staged at Halifax on September 1. With Britain leading 2-1 in the series and only two matches remaining, it was imperative the Overseas’ side won at Halifax. Jack’s partner for this encounter was young Australian Les Hewitt, and what an impression Hewitt made in scoring 11+3 from his six rides. Jack’s contribution was 10+2. The star of the Overseas’ team’s 57-51 victory was Ken Le Breton with 16 points. The series now stood at two wins apiece with one match remaining. On September 11 at the White City track in Glasgow, the 24,000 spectators present saw Scotland defeat England by 67 to 41. The Jack Young – Merv Harding combination was reformed for the match with the pair returning 23 of a possible 30 points from their six heats. Jack scored 14+1. As there was no Scottish based team in the top division, all eight riders who appeared for Scotland were from the Second Division, whereas four of the England riders who raced were from the First Division. The little Scottish dynamo Tommy Miller not only scored an 18 point maximum for his team but also had the honour of captaining the winning side. With the World Final scheduled for decision at Wembley on September 21, Jack looked forward to getting in some practice at that track when representing a team called “Second Division Stars” against Wembley just seven days prior to the big night. In what was a most disappointing performance Jack struggled to score just 5 points in his team’s 30-53 loss. Saturday September 16 was a day Jack had been looking forward to for some time. I’ll let him describe what happened: - “My wife, Joan, and little daughter, Carol, arrived at Tilbury on September 16 – the date of the Scottish championship in Edinburgh. So it had to be Tilbury in the morning and Edinburgh in the evening as I just had to get back to beat off the boys after my title. Both had to be done and both were, thanks to the help of brother Frank and Clem Mitchell, not forgetting the shipping folks. Anyhow, we got to King’s Cross and the Flying Scotsman as the guard was waving his flag. Getting out at Edinburgh around six we were welcomed by our favourite Saturday dish in Edinburgh nowadays – rain! The meeting was off; what an ending to the day.” Two days later Edinburgh was at home to Norwich in a League match. Jack takes up the story: - “Joan saw her first meeting and got a big kick out of it. As for me, I deserved a big kick, too – my exhaust fell off in the first heat, but I managed to win, and then my chain broke.” Jack should have recorded another maximum in this match against Norwich to add to his already growing list for the season. His 9 points could well have been 12 as he was in command of his other race when his chain broke. What would one have expected Jack to be doing on the evening prior to the biggest speedway meeting of the season – the World Final? The following extracts from speedway publications of the day will answer the question: - “If ever Speedway riders earned the title of heroes it was in this drawn league match between Fleetwood and Edinburgh when they battled through a sea of slime which made normal riding an impossibility. One rider whose sportsmanship will not be forgotten by Fleetwood supporters is Jack Young. The following night at Wembley, the Australian was to ride in the World championship, and with so much at stake was hardly expected to take chances. But he did. Bucking and sliding round greasy bends he gained a great maximum without which the Monarchs would never have taken their point.” And: - “Edinburgh’s Jack Young was the only rider of the sixteen finalists with a booking on the eve of the World Championship Final. While his rivals were resting, Jack was assisting his Edinburgh team in a League fixture at Fleetwood.” Jack wrote the following just prior to setting off to compete in his first World Final: - “My main thought at the moment is that I won’t let down those hundreds of Edinburgh fans who are making the long and expensive journey to London.” Of his performance on World Final night, Jack wrote the following: - “Well, the Championship’s over, and, candidly, I didn’t do any worse than I expected to do. It was quite a thrill appearing on such an occasion at Wembley, but don’t expect any excuses from me. I wasn’t nervous, and the reason I’m not writing as World champion is that in most cases the competition was a bit too hot for me! Mud on my plug lead caused me to miss the boat in my first heat, but it didn’t affect my chances all that much. You’ve got to learn to be a champion and the best way to learn is to get through to the final as often as you can! All my races were tough – I enjoyed them all thoroughly and felt like a champion myself when I got the gate first in my last heat and got home ahead of the other three.” Jack, the only Second Division rider in the event, finished the evening mid field on 7 points – quite a respectable performance. He recorded one win, a second placing, two thirds, and that disappointing last placing in his opening ride. Welshman Freddie Williams won the Championship dropping just one point in his five rides. Australian Graham Warren, Jack Young’s tip to take the honours, finished third.

Edinburgh Team 1950 From the left: Eddie Lack, Danny Lee, Harold Booth, Tommy Allott, Harold Fairhurst, Dick Campbell and Don Cuppleditch. Jack Young is sitting on the bike.	World Final night 1950 Yawning is Cyril Roger - Jack Young is on the right.
Four days after the staging of the World Final, Jack was in action at Walthamstow for the Overseas’ team in the final match of the series against Britain. There was everything to ride for on this occasion as each side had won two encounters; this was the decider. From the meeting report: - “.... the Overseas side made light of the opposition and, in Jack Young, Ken Le Breton and Bob Leverenz, had a match-winning trio. Young had the full 18, Le Breton dropped his only point to his partner Les Hewitt ......Young had to fight for his six victories and on three occasions came from behind...” The 65-42 victory gave the Overseas riders the series 3-2. Jack wrote the following of this final match of the series, at the same time mentioning the venues at which he held track records: - “I had a good night and wasn’t beaten, and Ken Le Breton was well on the mark, too. He knocked a second off my track record, did the ‘white one,’ and, believe me, it was a pretty good ride he had. But I still appear on the record lists of one or two tracks ... there’s Ashfield where Bob Leverenz and I share it and Edinburgh where Bruce Semmens and I both have covered the ground in 66.6 secs. Bob Leverenz swiped my Coventry figures recently, and at Newcastle Frank Hodgson got the credit for lowering my record round Brough Park.” Around this time Jack also wrote the following in which he mentions Mrs. Brown, the lady who was so good to him when he first arrived in England in 1949: - “Yes, it’s nice to have your own family around you and that’s casting no reflection on those noble ladies – speedway riders’ landladies! They must find life very trying at times, ’cos we’re always up to some lark or other. It was fun recently to renew acquaintance with Ron Johnson and Ray Moore, the New Cross boys, who are ‘digging’ with Mrs. Brown in the New Cross district. I usually stay there when I’m down in London and Ma Brown is quite a speedway enthusiast along with her grown-up family. She has to be – most riders talk, eat and sleep speedway!” Following are another two items Jack wrote during October, the first of which refers to his Edinburgh club side: - “I thought that with our side we would do even better this year in Shields, Leagues and Trophies. We haven’t; and there’s only a few days of the season left in which to bring some form of ‘title’ to Meadowbank. We’ve got the Scottish championship and Border Cup to decide yet and honestly the directors’ sideboard looks so bare that we just must do something about it.” A follow-up: - “Well, a week or two back I said we’d need to do something about that bare sideboard at Meadowbank. We did too! The Scottish Riders’ trophy which I took (without a blush) and the beautiful Border cup now sit there. We’re pretty pleased we Monarchs, about that Border win! It’s our first success in the pot hunting direction as a team and when we went to Glasgow and drew the Tigers’ teeth in the first leg we were the happiest bunch of boys for miles around. It was the first defeat at home for umpteen weeks of Ian Hoskins’ heroes. The second leg, and our last night at Meadowbank, was even easier. Yes the boys finished up the season in dinkum fashion ...” The Scottish Riders’ Championship (referred to by Jack in the above extract), which had been postponed from its original programmed staging date of September 16 due to rain, was restaged in early October. Jack, who had won the original staging of this event the previous season scoring a maximum 15 points, did it again in 1950 – five rides for five wins. Jack wrote of the occasion: - “Well, I’m still Scottish Champion and a surprised one! I expected a much stronger challenge this season and indeed I thought Ken Le Breton or Tommy Miller would have been right on my tail all the way....” As for the two Border Cup clashes with White City Jack referred to, his performance over those two rounds of the final was simply astonishing – twelve rides for twelve wins. The final aggregate score in Edinburgh’s favour was 133-83. What a finish to the season for both Jack and his club.

The Overseas team which won the final match against Britain to win the series. Back row (from left): Merv Harding, Alex Hunter, Bob Leverenz and Keith Gurtner. Front row: Dick Campbell, Les Hewitt, Jack Young and Ken LeBreton.	Jack Young leading team-mate Clem Mitchell (on the inside) at Coventry in 1950.
The following comes from a late October speedway publication. The presentation referred to took place at Edinburgh’s final meeting of the season: - “To Jack Young has gone the honour of having his name engraved first on the beautiful Silver Rosebowl of the Meadowbank Supporters’ Club – to be presented yearly to the ‘Rider of the Year’. Fittingly Team Manager Clem Mitchell was awarded the trophy for ‘gallantry’. His action on May Day in crashing and injuring himself badly to avoid Ron Mason of Belle Vue stretched out in his path was recommended highly by the Steward and the Control Board. It was that accident which had an influence on Clem giving up racing.” When recalling his most thrilling moment of the season, Jack didn’t write about such fine achievements as winning the Scottish Riders’ Championship for a second time or even making his debut in a World Final. What he enjoyed most was an event I have already mentioned in some detail. Here is Jack’s version of what happened: - “... I’ll tell you of the most anxious and thrilling time I had all season. It was at Fleetwood on Wednesday September 20, the night before the Championship final at Wembley. I had a maximum that night when we drew 42-42 with the Flyers. But that wasn’t where the thrills came in – it was the state of the track. I actually thought the tide had come in. Every race was like being a submarine on patrol and I was quite surprised when the Steward inspected the track after the fourth or fifth heat and said, ‘Carry on buds.’ We did, the crowd got a big kick out of it, we got plastered from head to foot and that last heat 5-1 with Dickie Campbell which gave us a draw was more like a speedway version of the Skaters’ Waltz!” Edinburgh’s 1950 League performance proved disappointing for the riders, the fans, and the management. The club finished eighth of fifteen competing Second Division sides. It should be mentioned that the Monarchs finish to the season showed some improvement when recording eight wins and a draw from their final thirteen League appearances staged during September and October (they had only managed six wins from their first fifteen matches of the season). Then there was the fine Border Cup success as well during October. As for Jack, he raced in twelve of Edinburgh’s final thirteen League matches scoring 133 race points – that’s an average of over 11 points per four-ride match without taking bonus points into consideration. He also recorded those twelve unbeaten races during October’s Border Cup final. Jack appeared in 26 of Edinburgh’s 28 League matches in 1950 averaging just under 11 race points per match – and that does not include bonus points in the calculation. His 282 race points saw him top the season’s Second Division scoring chart. The following appeared in the speedway press: - “It’s no surprise to see Jack Young, the medium-sized, compact, ice-brained Australian who rode for Edinburgh, on top of the Second Division point-scoring list. Although first Ken le Breton and then Arthur Forrest flashed brilliantly across the middle division sky, Young was the more consistent, and he demonstrated his class by finishing top scorer of the final qualifying round of the World Championship....” When reporting on the 1950 season, the 1951 Stenner’s Annual contained the following: - “Apart from Jack Young and (Dick) Campbell, Edinburgh did not have a lot to shout about in 1950, and Director Bob Rae is expected to wave his cheque book before Monarchs new season line-up is announced........ With an obviously discerning public, Bob Rae and Frank Varey may be relied upon to add a big name to Edinburgh for 1951.” In ranking the riders who competed in the Second Division in 1950, the Stenner’s Annual contained the following: - “Top spot went to Ken Le Breton, who rode superbly. Another Australian claiming second place, dashing Jack Young of the lightning starts, won through to the Wembley Final with top aggregate from the Championship round.” The three boy-hood friends from Adelaide did their home-town proud in 1950 – as well as rating Jack at number two, the Stenner’s Annual rated Merv Harding as number four and Bob Leverenz at number six. Junior Bainbridge and Les Hewitt, two other Australians, were also in the top nine ranked Second Division riders in the Annual. Jack Young had hoped for an illness and injury-free 1950 season – and that is exactly what transpired. His 1949 debut season showed he had immense potential; his 1950 season saw his reputation grow throughout the United Kingdom. Through his performances in the World Championship rounds and the Test matches, Jack had demonstrated that he was highly competitive when racing against those in the First Division. One of the most frequently asked questions within Edinburgh speedway circles during October and November was, “Will Jack Young be riding for Edinburgh next season?” In November Jack provided the answer when he announced: - “The only thing that could happen to have me riding for a top league team next year would be the promotion of Edinburgh to Division One.” There would be no promotion for Edinburgh in 1951; the club remained in the Second Division. Having finished a hectic season of racing, Jack looked forward to spending some time with his family during the northern winter months. What he hadn’t as yet experienced during his time in Scotland, but had heard plenty about, was the very cold winter weather. At the end of September Jack wrote: - “Surely the weather can’t be any worse than we have had during this so-called summer. If it is, and it’s much colder, then there’ll be nothing for it but to wear my leathers for undies!” A fortnight later, Jack penned this: - “As for me, I’m happy right now sitting in an armchair in front of a roaring fire trying to thaw myself out of the feeling that I’m a bit of frozen lamb. Usual thing for we Aussies at this time of the year is a frantic scramble to get our bits and pieces together, see how much money we have got after satisfying the Income tax vultures and crackin’ on to the homeward bound boat as fast as we can go.” During the off-season, two of Jack’s Edinburgh team mates, Dick Campbell and Harold Fairhurst, were among a party which raced in South America. A part of Jack’s 1950 success went with them – the bike which had served him so well during the season. Clem Mitchell and Jack spent many hours together during the off-season. I’ll let Jack comment on one of their projects, the result of which he hoped would prove to be a very handy Christmas gift: - “.... I’m still going to hang up my stocking! And about all I’ll get is my new bike which Clem and I are busy on at the moment. The frame is taking shape and last week we took a trip down to London Town to order all the necessary parts...” In the New Year Jack wrote the following: - “... I haven’t told you about ‘Young’s new bike’. It’s revolutionary, whatever that means, and already I’ve been getting dirty cracks about the experiment. It’s something really new. For a start there’s a new type frame. Secondly, the forks will be just that little bit different to make the steed easier to handle and – wait for it – the engine will be four inches behind centre. I’m hoping for lots more traction from that and Clem Mitchell reckons I’ll get it. You can realise how anxious I am to have a go at it .. then maybe we’ll start building another one!” In February Jack mentioned his new bike again: - “... I just can’t keep my eyes off that new bike of mine. It’s a beauty. In fact, a work of art! Clem says, ‘If it goes as well as it looks it’ll be the speedway sensation of the season!’ There’s a nice job of electro-plating finishing it all off and the extra-special bits are painted a nice green!....” With the opening of the 1951 season just weeks away, Jack again wrote of his new bike: - “Well, I’ve been around the track on my new bike, and, boy, can she go! A few minor adjustments and it’ll be O.K. for the first meeting. I’ve been round the track a lot more on the tractor, and have been getting in a power of grading, clearing the way for track renovations.” In what was a major disappointment for both Jack and Clem, this new ‘revolutionary’ bike didn’t live up to expectations. While it performed brilliantly on some tracks, there was no consistency in its performance; and it was consistency that Jack wanted. An important event for the Young family occurred in December of 1950. Jack wrote: - “You’ll know now, of course, that I spent Christmas without Joan. Yes, the wee one is here now – it’s a girl and the name will be Paula.........at 2 a.m. in the morning I had to rush Joan to the hospital. Both Joan and Paula are doing well..........Joan came out of hospital on Friday, in time to share in the New Year celebrations........ Almost forgot the most important item, Paula was 7 lb. 5¼ oz!” What should have been a very happy time for Jack was soured when, at the end of the first week in January, he received news which had been forwarded to Scotland from Australia – Ken Le Breton, Jack’s friend, but great rival, had died following a race crash in Sydney. Jack was moved to write the following tribute (which appeared in a speedway publication) to the man whose talent he admired so much: - “A grand sportsman, always ready with his congratulations, his death is a bitter blow to speedway and Scotland’s strength in particular. Edinburgh supporters, with whom Ken was as much a favourite as their own riders, feel his loss as keenly as their Glasgow friends, and the weekend supporters’ functions in the Scottish capital were overshadowed by the news. “Everyone’s sympathy goes out to his charming widow, Joan. I, myself, have lost a great friend, while speedway has lost a great rider, and his team mates have lost a grand captain.” Just over a week after receiving news of the death of Ken Le Breton, Jack was again shocked when informed that Graham Warren had been badly injured in a race accident in New Zealand. At the time Jack received the news, Graham was on the dangerously ill list in hospital suffering from a skull fracture. Better news was to follow later, Graham would recover. Another item written by Jack in mid-February: - “Opened my mail last week and got a pleasant surprise. An invitation for Joan and I to go to Graham Warren’s wedding on March 17.” The Young family didn’t escape the cold winter without a few problems; both Jack and Carol were laid up with the ‘flu. Joan would fare much worse, but more of that later.

The very popular, and greatly missed, Ken Le Breton.	Two well-dressed speedway legends, Graham Warren and Johnnie Hoskins.
Acknowledgements. Special thanks to Alestair Gibson and Jeff Fisher for their continuing support. Many thanks to Neil Burston and Graham Dawes for providing the photograph of Jack Young and Fred Jolly.
Thanks to Ross Garrigan. Brisbane.