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Albert Archibald Windmill (5 June 1915 – 5 March 2007) was a British motorcycle speedway rider who rode for Hackney Wick Wolves in the 1930s and Wimbledon Dons and Walthamstow Wolves after World War II.[1]

Arch Windmill
Born(1915-06-05)5 June 1915
Bushey Heath, Hertfordshire, England
Died5 March 2007(2007-03-05) (aged 91)
NationalityBritish (English)
Career history
1936–1939Hackney Wick Wolves
1946–1949Wimbledon Dons
1949–1951Walthamstow Wolves
1952Aldershot Shots

Career

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Originally from Watford, Windmill began his racing career in grasstrack at Barnet in 1934.[2] His first experience of speedway was at Birmingham in 1936, signing shortly afterwards for Hackney Wick.[2] He stayed with the Wolves until the start of World War II in 1939, spending the war years in the Royal Air Force.[2]

After being demobbed he opened Windmill Garage in Hemel Hempstead, and returned to speedway with Wimbledon,[3] where he scored 11 points in his first match and spent the season at reserve, averaging 3.80.[2][4][5] He moved on to Walthamstow Wolves at the start of the 1949 season.[6][5] When the Wolves closed down at the end of 1951 he moved on to Southern League club Aldershot for his final season, retiring at the end of 1952.[7]

Windmill represented England in the 1939 Test series against the Dominions.[7]

In his later years, Windmill became president of the Veteran Speedway Riders' Association.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Storey, Basil (1947) "Arch the Point Stealer" in Speedway Favourites, Sport-in-Print, p. 27
  3. ^ "Parker leads Wimbledon". The People. 12 May 1946. Retrieved 11 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. ^ Hart, A. S. (1946) Know Your Rider: Facts, Figures and Fotos – A Complete Record of the 1946 Season, R. Verney Baker, Salford, p. 16-17
  5. ^ a b Morgan, Tom (1949) Who's Who in Speedway 1949, Sport-in-Print, London, p. 75
  6. ^ "Speedway Transfers". Daily Herald. 28 April 1949. Retrieved 11 October 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ a b c Bamford, Robert (2003) Speedway: The Pre-War Years, Tempus, ISBN 0-7524-2749-0, p. 223