The parts related to a race incident with his father. Humphrey-Battersby Waddington had competed in several TT races during the 1930s and also after the war.
During the 1939 Junior TT, H-B Waddington crashed at the bottom of Norton Bray Hill after colliding with Sven Sorensen who was riding his Excelsior Manxman. Next along was Dave Whitworth on his KTT Velocette, who clipped Mr Waddington’s head with his footrest, which broke the strap off Mr Waddington’s helmet, sending it spinning across the road.
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Although with injury to his face and a trip to Nobles Hospital, he recovered, and then went off to war. While serving in Egypt as an REME staff sergeant, he overheard the story being told by his immediate superior officer – one Lieutenant M D (Dave) Whitworth, who had been riding the footrest-less Velocette, and who at the time of the accident had thought that Mr Waddington’s head was still in the helmet that had rolled across the track! I think you would agree quite a coincidence.
Humphrey-Battersby Waddington passed away in 1977. His wife Irene came to the museum recently with her sons Jeff and John, with Sammy squeezing into Mr Waddington’s leathers for a picture, shown above.
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