Dusty Haigh
BornQ1 1906
Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Died15 May 1936 (aged 30)
Hackney, London
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1929Halifax
1930, 1932Belle Vue
1931, 1933Sheffield
1934Lea Bridge
1934Walthamstow
1935-1936Hackney
Team honours
1930Northern League

Herbert Haigh known as Dusty Haigh (Q1 1906 – 15 May 1936) was an international motorcycle speedway rider, who rode in the earliest days of the sport in Britain.[1][2]

Speedway career

Haigh started riding in 1928 at Halifax before moving to Sheffield and Belle Vue Aces in 1930, where he won the 1930 Speedway Northern League.[3] He finished fourth in the league averages during the 1931 Speedway Northern League season for Sheffield. In 1935, he moved from Lea Bridge to Walthamstow Wolves and made his test debut for the England national speedway team against Australia.[4] He went on to earn 15 international caps for England.[2]

During the 1936 Auto-Cycle Union Cup Haigh was killed instantly after suffering a fractured skull riding at Hackney Wick Stadium on 15 May 1936, in the ACU Cup match between Hackney and West Ham. He fell when in front and heading for a fourth consecutive heat win and the riders behind were unable to avoid him.[5][6] The crash was reported in most national newspapers as they focused on the fact that it had been witnessed by his wife Irene.[7]

Personal life

Haigh and his wife Irene started a millinery business in 1932 but it went bankrupt in 1934.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "PRE WAR HACKNEY HERBERT 'DUSTY' HAIGH". Hackney Speedway. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "BRITISH LEAGUE TABLES - PRE-WAR ERA (1929-1939)". Official British Speedway website. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  4. ↑ "Year by Year". Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "PRE WAR HACKNEY HERBERT 'DUSTY' HAIGH". Hackney Speedway. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "1936 ACU Cup" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "20,000 see Speedway Gladiator Killed". Daily Mirror. 16 May 1936. Retrieved 22 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Millinery and Motor Racing". Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer. 10 May 1934. Retrieved 22 August 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.