Bluey Wilkinson

In 1938 Arthur George Wilkinson became the first West Ham speedway rider to win the World Championship, and he remains one of the great names of the sport today. Bluey, as the diminutive Australian was universally known, carved his name into the annals of speedway history with a mixture of will, concentration, boldness and power that has rarely been matched by other riders.

Wilkinson's story is set in the 1930s, the early days of oval motorcycle racing in Australia and Britain. This was West Ham's golden era, culminating in their Championship year of 1937, and the period in which the 'Custom House Comet' became a legend. Brian Belton is an East End native, whose family have supported West Ham speedway from the very beginning. In this book he brings to life that Claret and Bluey decade which is now part of the history and folklore of London's Docklands.