NATIONAL CLARION NEWSLETTER NO 1 1990
BOOTS SPURS
Hello Clarionettes,
Hope fully this will be the first of many National Clarion Newsletters you will recieve directly
The committee has purchased, from National funds a computer to assist in our daily business It is this that i am typing on at this moment.
The reason behind all this is to keep all of us members informed about National and local activities within the Clarion You may or may not™be fully aware that from your subs to your section
an amount goes to head office Out of this comes medals stationary, phone expenses committee expenses trophy insurance new computer well this year anyway and all sorts of things
The plan is through this newsletter, to publish the following
Dates and details of activities ie Easter Meets, National Championships,
Social events Reports from events, races, committee meetings, sections News items from sections ie Records broken major wins or club run stories.
Letters from you the member Adveyts.. Remember this will be circulated to the 700 ish members of the
National Clarion Cycling Club all around the country
and any other articles that people wish to supply will be gratefully recieved and published
All the best
Ian Clarke
Temporary editor Committee member and all round good chap 18 Sapperton,
Werrington,
Peterborough PE4 5BS Tel 0733 77108
A FEW HISTORICAL NOTES ABOUT THE CLARION
WHEN DID IT ALL START
In the 1880s five friends from the midlands all keen cyclists, all keen socialists began holding meetings in country villages where they would cycle to and discuss socialism.
They formed a cycling club so that others of a similar persuasion could join them on their sunday runs
WHERE DID THE NAME COME FROM
All five members were readers of Robert Blatchfords socialist newspaper THE CLARION. they decided to name the club THE CLARION CYCLING CLUB
HOW DID THE INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS BEGIN
These early members used to report their activities to the newspaper and as readers from other parts of the country read these articles the idea caught on. Other CLARION CYCLING CLUBS started up in Yorkshire, Midlands, and Lancashire and so on
WHAT DOES "BOOTS" AND "SPURS" MEAN
Robert Blatchford in his earlier days was in the army After lights out in the dormitory the soldiers used to tell stories To make sure the listeners were still awake the teller would cd&ll out “BOOTS” anyone still awake would reply "SPURS"
An idea from a Clarion member at the first easter meet was to call out “BOOTS" to other passing cyclists, if they were members of the Clarion they would reply "SPURS" This became the adopted call of the Clarion which is still used today
WHEN WAS THE FIRST EASTER MEET
The first Easter Meet was in 1895 at Ashbourne in Derbyshire It was then the clubs joined together as a national organisation and became THE NATIONAL CLARION CYCLING CLUB Each club would then become a section of the National body.
DATES DATES DATES DATES DATES DATES DATES DATES DATES DATES DATES DATES DATES
March 3rd and 4th Committee Meeting (committee members only)
If you want anything brought up contact a committee member or an official.
April 13th-15th EASTER MEET This year its at Blackpool contact your section secretary to organise accomodation See later article Races, Rides, Discos, Dancés, Competions. June 2nd 2 pm NATIONAL CLARION 25 MILE TIME TRIAL CHAMPS Organised by the Calder Clarion Course V964 Organiser A. Wray Tel 0226 724588 July 15th NATIONAL CLARION ROAD RACE CHAMPS Organised by the Stockport Clarion May be a city centre race September NATIONAL CLARION TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS Organised by the Teeside Clarion October 20th. 21st WORTLEY HALL WEEKEND At Wortley nr Sheffield General socialising in this Stately building in very pleasant grounds.
October 21st NATIONAL CLARION HILL CLIMB CHAMPS
Part of the Wortley Hall weekend up a gruelling South Yorkshire hill
National
National
National National National National
National
Secretary
Committee
Treasurer Racing Sec President Records Sec
Membership Sec
eeeee¢88%%% MOUNTAIN BIKING ##4e88888%%
USEFUL NAMES AND ADDRESSES
Marion Lamb
10 Tarporley Walk Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 2NZ
Tel 0625 533357
(till Easter Meet) Ian Clarke Jeanette Petitjean Denis Pye David Gaffrey Kath Leese George McKay John Leese Bob Waddilove Audrey Waddilove
Mabel Thornber
Stockport Cl
Fenland Cl Bolton Cl
Bolton Cl
Calder Cl
Heanor Cl
W of Scotland Cl Heanor Cl
Crewe Cl
Crewe Cl
Clitheroe Cl
Is there anyone out there who is interested in mountain biking other than
myself
Our section (Fenland) has started a mountain bike section and gained a lot
of new members
Maybe there is enough interest
to hold a Clarion Mountain
Bike championships or mountain biking weekend or rides or whatever
Answers on a post card with you ideas to me
EASTER MEET 1990 at BLACKPOOL
DATE 13th to 15th of April
The program for this years Easter Meet at Blackpool has now been fixed,
Headquarters, Conference and all three evening functions will be held at the WINTER GARDENS.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON Registration for the weekend.
FRIDAY EVENING Civic Reception and Cabaret.
SATURDAY MORNING Reliability ride.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON 10 MILE TT Ladies, Vets and Juniors. SATURDAY EVENING Annual Dance and Disco.
SUNDAY MORNING 25 MILE TT Seniors.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON Conference.
SUNDAY EVENING Prize presentation, Dance and Raffle.
Entries for the time trials should be sent 3 weeks ahead to
John Leese
38 Nook End Road Heanor
Derby
DE7 7QQ
Other competitions include the Brian Braithwaite memorial trophy.
This is presented for photography, you dont have to be a budding David Bailey just a few snap shots of anything vaguely related to Clarion Life. Bring them along and we shall put them on display.
The B.W.S.A. trophy will be awarded to the section who accrue the highest aggregate milage on riding to the easter meet.
ACCOMODATION
Most people stop in Bed and Breakfasts or holiday flats for the weekend. Every section has been sent an accomodation list from the Ammenities dept
at Blackpool, so if you want to come contact your section secretary who will give you the details.
NB It is well worth doing this early to avoid dissapointment.
THE FIFTY-YEAR STORY OF THE CLUB
At an early age, Tom Groom got himself mixed ‘up polities socialist politics. He was a member
of the old Social Democratic Fede tion as far back as 1886; he joined the Fabians in 1890 and ‘then, when the Independent Labour Party was formed, was one of the first two hun: dred to become attached. When, in 1891, “The Clarion” was founded, young Groom immediately came under its magic spell. ‘The Clarion took political Britain by storm and ‘Tom was one of its keenest stormtroopers
If a cyclist be defined as a man with a bicycle, then a Clarion eyelist was a man with a bicycle—and a saddle-bag full of “Clarions”. ‘Tom
Groom was one of the first Clarion cyclists. His earliest machine was “penny-farthing” which he bought in 1888, He is a member of the Fellowship of Old-Time Cyclists.
When the Birmingham Clarion Cycling Club established itself officially, in 1894, Tom Groom was at the inaugural meeting. He the chairman. He has 1 out Of office since
He has been national secretary on more than one occasion and has given five years of service in this capacity He has been national president for
was, in never
many years and has presided at conference and meeting more often than-any other member. His
council
witty “Cyclorama” articles in “The Clarion” remain among the most delightfal contributions to eveling
journalism.
Tom Groom's has always heen the broader, wider, view, which, no doubt, explains "his constant enthusiasm for Internationalism. He was the club's delegate when, in Ghent in 1913, the foundations were laid of the Socialist International Workers’
Sport Association, His strong personality has done much to convince the official Socialist and Trade
Union movements of this country of the advisability of joining with our comrades of other 1a Through “Cyclorama,"” he greatly helped to raise funds to send our athletes abroad
Some years ago, the club did him the honour of electing him life member and perpetual president. No man ever merited recognition more. We are most fortunate that he is with us at this our jubilee to lead us in our celebrations as he has led us in our work and to write this, the story of the club, which he, himself, has done so much to build
By TOM GROOM
1944
JUBILEE SOUVENIR
SIXPENCE
HAD THERE BEEN NO ROBERT BLATCHFORD
there would have been no “Clarion.” Had there been no “Clarion” there would have been no Clarion Cycling Club;
no Clarion Fellowship;
‘The first number “The Clarion’ .was published on” 12th December, 1891. In the March of that year, Robert Blatchford “‘had a fat bank balance and a salary of £1,000 per year.” Ini October of that year he was out of work and, by a series of
unforeseen events, £400 in debt. In,
December 1891 he started ‘The Clarion,’ to preach Socialism,
It was a risky experiment. Socialism was not popular in those days. Newspapers depend largely upon advertisements to enable them, to pay their way. Capitalists concerns were not eager to advertise in a paper run avowedly for the purpose of destroying Capitalism. But ‘The Clarion’ was started.
Whilst he was working for the ‘Sunday Chronicle,’ Robert Blatchford paid visits to the Manchester slums. What he saw there—dirt, filth, insanitary honsing, poverty, hunger and depressing hopelessness —made him sick, The tales he heard of unemployment, of _under-paid labour; sweating and under-nourishment, made him angry. Someone sent him a pamphiet “What Socialism Is," by William Morris and H, M. Hyndman, and, as he said: “Directly I grasped the collective idea I saw it was what I wanted.” He became a Soi
But the .proprietor of the ‘Sunday Chronicle’ was not a Socialist; and didn’t think it was going to do his paper any good to have Socialism preached therein. R. B. said that if he couldn’t write about Socialism in that paper, he must find another. So the two parted, and ‘The Clarion’ was started.
MILLION LETTERS TO JOHN SMITH
Then R. B. wrote his famous Letters to John Smith of Oldham, explaining, in simple language, just what Socialism meant. Later on, these letters were published in book form, under the title of ‘Merrie England.” The book caught on. Thousands of copies were sold in Britain; it was translated into dozens of different languages, and gave to Socialism, both here and abroad, a big help forward.
But not enough to satisfy R. B. In 1894 he had a brain wave. He issued “Merrie England” in a penny edition. It sold by the million
In that same year the Clarion Eomw, Club was formed. It was ‘The Clarion’ which had brought together the seven men who started the club: It was the penny ‘Merrie England” which gave them the greatest opportunity of carrying out ‘one of the Objects of the club: The propagation of Socialism as advocated by the Clarion.
no Clarion anything.
Clarion C.C.; the Clarion Fellowship; the Clarion Vans; the Clarion Glee Clubs, all did their share .in spreading the gospel of Socialism, as taught by ‘The Clarion.’
BOOTS! SPURS!
But Robert Blatchford did more than teach us about Socialism. He taught us to appreciate good English literature. His ‘Book About Books “My Favourite Books;” his man: articles on Poetry, Humour and suc! like, gave us a new insight into the Deauty of the English language And it was from Soldier Stories (“Cuffers”) that we get our Passwords “Boots!” and “Spurs!”
And not he alone, but Alex. M. Thompson (Dangle), E. F. Fay (The Bounder), .Montague Blatchford (Mont Blong); R. B. Suthers, Harry Beswick, Julia Dawson, Neil Lyons and others, widened our outlook on life in many ways.
The
bas
Were I to try to express the gratitude of all Old Clarionettes to that gallant company, I should need Souvenir twice the size of this issue; and then should fail to tell them what they have meant to us. But this is an appreciation of the man who brought them together and who gained their trust, their affection and their loyal effport.
WORLD UNITY
As for the Readers—Well, in_ 1939, I made a trip round the world and in Australia, in New Zealand, in Canada, and’ in other parts, I came across Clarionettes, who gave me a joyous welcome, ‘because of my connection with “The Clarion.’ And always their enquiries were How’s Blatchford?, How's ‘Thompson How’s Suthers How’s Julia Daw: son?; and so on,
There has been no other paper that I have ever heard of which gained so strong a link between Writers and Readers as that gained by ‘The Clarion.’
‘To the Younger Generation, this appreciation of ‘The Clarion,’ of Robert Blatchford and the other writers, may seem excessive; but it has to'be remembered that’ during the last fifty years the attitude of the rubl rds Socialism has changed very Now, whilst. it \ould be ridiculous to credit any one man, or any single group of men, ay heing the sole cause of this change, yet the older hands, who have been through the early struggles, must be permitted to give their thanks, an'l their gratitude, to those
irst fired their enthusiasm in 1s: of Socialism. And the man they will always best remember is Robert Blatchford. TG.
THE TOUR THAT STARTED THE CLUB
Two weeks after Birmingham had formed the jon Easter Tour.
they went on the first cursion in the “Clarion”
We have started the Clarion Cycling Club, and at Easter we went on tdur. We were seven! And we started from Birmingham on a dirty, damp, dark, dismal, dreary morning it 7.15.
But we got to Wolverhampton, and
a little refreshment, and we got our jiggers, ke up, and sun came out, and oh! we were
hen came we into Bridgnorth and there Bounderise; afterwards we sampled Bridgnorth, thence came into Arley and Bewdley.
Next day we pushed on to Evesham, via Stourport, Ombersley, Wor-
st Clarion Cycling Club
Tom Groom reported the ex:
cester and Pershore, and so back to Evesham, as quaint and pretty little town as ‘existeth. And, Good Lord! how we did eat that night!!
We arose early next morn for we were duce tha: night at the Labour Church in Brum.
We had spent as grand a holiday
as possible. Abh-h-h-h! It was glorious This article (here abbreviated)
sounded a Clarion call and clubs were quickly set up in all parts of the country. The next Easter tour of the “seven” was to the first Meet.
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