The Great Escape revisited: British entrants in ISDT 1939

Persons familiar with the inter war years will no doubt be familiar that Germany particularly enjoyed hosting world sporting events so that they could exhibit the fatherland’s prowess in ability and superiority of strength over other nations.

Photo - #27 L Heath Ariel 497cc ISDT 1939 (Courtesy Technisches Museum Wien)

Photo – #27 L Heath Ariel 497cc passes to the rear of a car bearing GB plates, presumably team supporters on a mountain pass bend in Austria ISDT 1939 (Courtesy Technisches Museum Wien)

With this in mind Germany’s intention to hold every ISDT from the ISDT 1934 onwards was only thwarted by those pesky Brits winning the event in 1936 and ’37 earning them to hold the event. Although the British team won the International Trophy in the home ISDT 1938, politics intervened and the right to hold the event was passed back to Germany. The Germans elected to hold the ISDT 1939 in recently annexed Austria and planned to put on what could have been the best organised ISDT ever because of the state resources the Nazi Government were able to call on to organise this globally prestigious event.

As with many such well laid plans, history awkwardly intervened and at the time of the first day international relations between Germany and a number of countries was at an all time low. Before the end of the week a number of Governments were so concerned about the way events appeared to be escalating that they instructed their teams, as a matter of safety, to abandon the event and make their way home. This was to be sure no riders, especially the army’s best motorcyclists who were taking part, were caught in a war-zone becoming potentially interred in camps for the duration of the war. The Second World War began on the 1st September 1939 when Germany with agreement of Russia’s leader Stalin entered Poland, 4 days after the official end of the ISDT on the 26th August 1939.

The methods by which team British Riders reached home meant that whilst some enjoyed a cordial military escort provided by the Germans but a number chose to take routes through Switzerland and neutral countries such as Spain to reach ports they could catch ships to return them to the UK. For this reason the event became better known to many as ‘the Great Escape’ not unlike the action filled movie with Steve McQueen based on a wartime drama of a PoW escape attempt.

After checking the final results it appears 61 riders along with unrecorded team helpers took part in the event. Below for sake of a permanent record of these riders is a list of those who partook in ‘the Great Escape’. In addition to the list of riders we will try to collect as many photos as we can find of these riders to hopefully ensure their names and deeds will not go unforgotten.

List British Competitors ISDT 1939

Plate	Name	Entrant	Marque	Capacity	Group	Class
10	Croker JB		Triumph	498	IV	C
14	Whitehouse FA	CSMA	BSA	500	IV	C
20	Toomey HM		Panther	498	IV	C
24	Peacock WHJ		Ariel	997	III	G
27	Heath L	Ariel	Ariel	497	IV	C
30	Perks FC	CSMA	BSA	498	IV	C
34	Taylor HR	Ariel	Ariel	997	III	G
36	Dalby Sgt IT	War Office	Norton	490	IV	C
39	Oates G		Ariel	997	III	G
42	Mooney TH		Ariel	497	IV	C
47	Ridgeway L		BSA	498	IV	C
52	Jeffries A	Triumph	Triumph	498	IV	C
58	Brittain V	Norton	Norton	490	IV	C
63	Blockley TN		BSA	496	IV	C
64	Tozer H	BSA	BSA	496	III	F
68	Riley Ltn JF	War Office	Norton	490	IV	C
75	Doyle Cpl AC	War Office	BSA	496	IV	C
77	Money Ltn RC		BSA	496	IV	C
81	Povey F	Ariel	Ariel	497	IV	C
87	Whitefield JF		BMW	494	IV	C
92	Cunningham SE		Ariel	497	IV	C
101	Rist Sgt FM	War Office	BSA	496	IV	C
108	West WA	Ariel	Ariel	497	IV	C
113	Wood Pt JL	War Office	BSA	495	IV	C
116	Arnott JH	BSA	BSA	496	IV	C
119	Galloway Dr RL		Rudge	499	III	F
121	Wood GH	Triumph	Triumph	343	IV	B
123	Williams E		Royal Enfield	350	IV	B
125	Whitton TC	AMC	AJS	347	IV	B
127	White J		Ariel	348	IV	B
128	Tiffen WT		Velocette	348	IV	B
131	Smith E	War Office	Matchless	347	IV	B
132	Slim H	Triumph	Triumph	343	IV	B
135	Rowley GE	AMC	AJS	347	IV	B
137	Rogers CM		Royal Enfield	346	IV	B
140	Saunders AA		Triumph	343	IV	B
142	MacKay Sgt Major B	War Office	Matchless	347	IV	B
145	Jayne CL		Royal Enfield	348	IV	B
147	Godber Ford G	AMC	Sunbeam	347	IV	B
148	Eighteen GE	AMC	Matchless	347	IV	B
151	Meier RR		Triumph	343	IV	B
152	Champers FV		Royal Enfield	346	IV	B
155	Bryant JH		Ariel	348	IV	B
156	Davies Sgt O	War Office	Matchless	347	IV	B
158	Clayton R		Triumph	343	IV	B
160	Breffitt JE		Norton	348	IV	B
162	Bufte JS		Panther	349	IV	B
163	Booker JJ		Royal Enfield	346	IV	B
166	Edge C	AMC	Matchless	347	IV	B
167	Bates CR		BSA	348	IV	B
170	Bennett CE		Matchless	247	IV	B
171	Wilkinson R		Panther	348	IV	B
174	Hall LEC		Rudge	499	III	F
211	Ashworth J	BSA	BSA	249	II	A
219	Whittle FH		Panther	598	III	F
222	Guildford BA		Matchless	350	IV	B
237	Hitchcock JA		Triumph	249	II	A
249	Flook HJ	Norton	Norton	596	III	F
255	Cottle Miss M		Triumph	249	II	A
274	Fletcher F		Excelsior	125	I	4