George Dance and the Isle of Man TT Race

.... upon the countenance of the great George Dance, as in the Isle of Man he negotiated Ballig Bridge, when it seemed he was going to win the Senior Tourist Trophy motorbicycle race upon a Sunbeam with one cylinder Elephant and Colosseum

...having long ago hit upon what was, for him, a satisfactory and common-sense solution, at least of the latter, that would have been appreciated by any Tourist Trophy motorbicycle racer in the Isle of Man, briefly that the nearer you approached the goal, the nearer that goal, viewed from another angle (no matter how many circuits of the island you had to make first), approached you; which was to say that so long as man was crouched headlong on his handlebars towards to death, the nearer death, and the world of ghosts, approached man: in short, to mix his metaphors and cliches, as his mind always did whether he liked it or not, if man was intent on having one foot in the grave, he must take the consequences. Elephant and Colosseum

Lowry's two references to the Isle of Man T.T. Race held annually on the island made me wonder whether he had actually seen the race in which George Dance rode the one cylinder Sunbeam bike. The only problem is that the race was in 1920 and that does not tally with Bowker's contention that the Lowry brothers visited the island in 1919 and Scotland in the 1920 on holiday (Bowker Pursued By Furies 20-22). Bowker probably obtained the information from Russell Lowry. Is it possible that Russell got the dates wrong over the holiday? Or did Malc read about the event? Malc was at Caldicott School during this period where he started writing the handwritten 'Sporting Magazine' with his school friend William Hywel Jones. Therefore it is possible that he may have picked up the information elsewhere such as Motorcycling Magazine?



You can view the race on British Pathe news below:

TT MOTORCYCLE RACE ( aka T.T. MOTORCYCLE RACE )

George Dance did not finish the 1920 Senior T.T due to engine trouble after setting the fast lap. The six-lap Senior was contested by just four factory teams (Sunbeam, AJS, Indian and Norton) in the 31-strong entry.

Local man Dougie Brown took over on his Norton, but was overhauled by the eventual winner, Tommy de la Hay, riding another Sunbeam. De la Hay and Brown, who was second, became the first riders to average over 50 mph for a complete race.

Full results here



Ballig (Manx: farm of the hollow and also known as Ballig Bridge) is a small hamlet of a few houses situated between the 8th Milestone and 9th Milestone road-side markers on the Snaefell Mountain Course between Ballacraine and Glen Helen. It is the site of a former notorious hump-back bridge used for the Isle of Man TT Races on the primary A3 Castletown to Ramsey and the road junction with the A20 Poortown Road in the parish of German in the Isle of Man.

The former Ballig Bridge was part of the Highland Course and Four Inch Course used for the Gordon Bennett Trial and Tourist Trophy automobile car races held in the Isle of Man between 1904 and 1922. Also, Ballig Bridge was part of the St John's Short Course used between 1907 and 1910 and part of the Snaefell Mountain Course used since 1911 for the Isle of Man TT Races and 1923 for the Manx Grand Prix.

The area is dominated by the farmland, including the Beary Mountain, St John's village, and Tynwald Mills. A number of changes occurred to the Mountain Course during the 1930s with extensive road widening on the A18 Mountain Road and the removal of the hump-back bridge and road straightening at Ballig for the 1935 racing season and the road work is completed for the Manx Grand Prix in September 1935. The George Formby film No Limit (1936 film) used the 1935 Isle of Man TT races as a backdrop for filming including Ballig Bridge. Wikipedia





Photo from Bob Holliday's book "Racing Around the Island" - Ballig Bridge 1930. The caption to the photograph states that the bridge was widened, straightened and flattened in 1936. For the record the rider is Ernie Knott on a Rudge on his way to 7th in the 1930 Senior.

The shots of bikes on the British Pathe newsreel appear to have been taken at Ballig Bridge. If so did Malc see this newsreel? Later in 1922, Wilfrid obtained a Sunbeam which was passed onto Russell enabling Malc to experience riding on a motorbike around the roads and lanes of the Wirral. (Bowker 23)

St Matthew's Douglas IOM

....beautiful St Matthew’s pulled down and the countryside ruined to make a Liverpool holiday. Elephant and Colosseum

Kennish Drumgold Cosnahan, the Manx writer in Lowry's short story 'Elephant and Colosseum', muses over the destruction of the old Douglas on the Isle of Man. This destruction took place in the early 20th Century before Lowry was born so how did he know of the destruction? He may have heard about it from his Manx friend Jimmy Craige in Dollarton, British Columbia while he was writing the story in the late 40s. Or he may have discovered it a book on the Isle of Man. Lowry does refer to More's History of the Isle of Man in Elephant and Colosseum. However another possible source is:

ABEL HEYWOOD & SON'S ILLUSTRATED GUIDE To The ISLE OF MAN; WITH NOTICES OF ALL THAT IS NOTABLE, CURIOUS, INTERESTING, AMUSING, AND INSTRUCTIVE IN THE MANX KINGDOM.

" A blending of beauties-streams and dells,
Fruit, foliage, crag, cornfield mountain vine
And chiefless castles, breathing stern farewells,
From grey but leafy walls, where ruin grimly dwells,"

MANCHESTER: ABEL HEYWOOD & SON, 56 & 58, OLDHAM STREET. LONDON: E, W. ALLEN, AVE MARIA LANE, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C.



The town of Douglas is the largest and most important in the island. It is the only town in the island which is incorporated, the old Town Commissioners having given place to Town Councillors and Aldermen, presided over by a Mayor. Under the new arrangement Douglas has made rapid progress. The old portion, witlh its insanitary buildings and crowded, narrow streets, has been removed, and broad streets, with healthy, working men's dwellings, have been erected. Old St. Matthew's Church, in the Market Place, has been pulled down, and on its site, also on the site of the old British Hotel and Market Place, a handsome covered market has been erected. Fine Municipal Offices and a Town Hall have also been built at a cost of £20,000. A new system of drainage is now being carried out at a great cost. The Waterworks have been purchased and a new Reservoir made, and active preparations are going forward to make another, thus assuring the town an abundant supply of fresh water. An infectious diseases hospital has also been erected, but in consequence of the immunity of the town from infectious diseases it is seldom that there are any patients. Everything has been done to make the town a true place of health and rest for the thousands annually visiting it.

History of the Isle of Man

Malc had life long interest in the Isle of Man from the time he spent on family holidays on the isle culminating with the isle featuring in his work. One of the reasons for the appearance of the isle in his work is also partly due to his friendship with the Manxman Jimmy Craige at Dollarton.

..but with his three pipes ready filled for the morning beside him on the table, sitting under the oil lamp with his spectacles on, reading History of the Isle of Man- Present Estate of Pompeii

The history book is by Arthur William Moore(1853-1909) who was a Manx antiquarian, historian, linguist, folklorist, and former Speaker of the House of Keys in the Isle of Man. He published under the sobriquet A. W. Moore. Read more on Wikipedia

You can read the book in two volumes below:





Above map of Isle of Man by Thomas Moule

Manx Fishermen's Hymn

The "Fishermen's Hymn" held some importance to Lowry as it provided the source of the title of his posthumously published collection of short stories - Hear us O Lord from heaven thy dwelling place. A facsimile of the hymn is included in front of the short story "The Bravest Boat". Why this hymn had significance for Lowry remains a mystery. He may have heard or sung it as youth though the hymn is from the Methodist tradition not Wesleyan which was Lowry's religious upbringing. He may have heard it whilst on holiday on the Isle of Man as the song is known as "Manx Fishermen's Hymn" or he may have heard the song and its tradition from his Dollarton neighbour and friend Jimmy Craige himself a Manxman.

The picture below is taken from Agnes Herbert's Isle of Man c1909 called Off Douglas Head painted by Donald Maxwell.



John Telford's Methodist Hymn-Book Illustrated 1909 Edition gives the following information about the hymn:

Hymn 947. Hear us, O Lord, from heaven, Thy
dwelling-place.

William Henry Gill.

Mr. Gill was born on October 24, 1839, f Manx parents, at Marsala, Sicily, and educated at King William's College. He served for forty years in the Civil Service, and is a composer, painter, and writer. He rescued the Manx music from oblivion, and published Manx National Songs, 1896. One of these long-lost melodies suggested the harmonies and inspired the words of his hymn, ' The harvest of the sea.' The rhyme between the first and fourth lines and the second and third is a feature of Manx music, and Mr. Gill was thus led to put his verses into this form. The old custom of the Manx fishermen to ask God's blessing before they cast their nets gave Mr. Gill his idea. It suits well the character of the Manx fishermen, who are a devout race, and keen lovers of music. The hymn has established its place as a favourite in all the Manx Churches.

The petition in the Litany of the Manx Church, in its Book of Common Prayer, was especially in his mind : ' That it may please Thee to give and preserve to our use the kindly fruits of the earth, and to restore and continue to us the blessings of the sea, so as in due time we may enjoy them.'

"Before shooting the nets, at a sign from the master of the
boat, every man, upon his knees and with uncovered head,
implores for a minute the blessing and protection of the
Almighty." Manx Society's Publications, vol. xvi.

Last year, the Firminists conducted a day long psychogeographical event entitled "The Voyage That Never Ends" in which we sang the hymn at a New Brighton Church. You can read about the event in the first issue of The Firminist magazine.

Bryan Biggs also included the song on his playlist, for the accompanying music to the first night of the Lowry Lounge, by The Lon Dhoo & Lon Vane Choirs. Lon Dhoo Male Voice Choir was formed in 1937 with a membership of 30 men drawn from all over the Island. They perform in venues large and small around the Island, supporting community groups, charities and the tourist industry and have undertaken numerous tours in UK and Ireland and as far away as Canada. Lon Vane Ladies Choir was founded in 1946 by Douglas (Dougie) Buxton, affectionately known as DB, and continued under his direction as Musical Director until 1980. The hymn was issued on Parlophone R4467 in 1958 as MANY FISHERMENS EVENING HYMN/OUR LAND OF OUR BIRTH.

Here is a version sung by Broughton Church Choir:

Harry Weldon

My missus’s tightly bound, she’s all tightly bound Ultramarine

The early letters of Lowry have several references to music hall stars such as Stanley Lupino and Milton Hayes. We can only presume from the detail of the letters that Lowry was aware of these stars because he had seen them either on trips to local theatres or when he was on holiday on the Isle of Man or Devon. Lowry mentions several local theatres with music hall traditions in his works including the Argyle and Hippodrome Theatres in Birkenhead and the Olympia in Liverpool.



The above song is an unidentified one performed by Harry Weldon at the Derby Castle theatre in Douglas on the Isle of Man. This reference probably relates to a Lowry family holiday made in 1923 to the island.



Harry Weldon was a big star in music hall and variety, and first appeared in London in 1900, coining the catchphrase “S’No Use!” and creating a popular song from it. Harry Weldon initially came to fame as part of Fred Karno's Company when he played opposite Charlie Chaplin in the sketch "The Football Match". Harry Weldon then used the character of Stiffy, the Goal Keeper, as the mainstay of his solo act. Other characters developed including his boxing skit "The White Hope”. Apparently he cut a very strange figure with his centre-parted wig, eccentric clothes, eyes that always seemed to be shut and a voice of whistling sibilance. He had a unique style, and frequently used the conductor of the orchestra as an extra part in his performance. Harry Weldon's conversational style and his use of the absurd may have appealed to the young Lowry. He worked until he died in 1930 aged forty-nine.

Here is one of his performances:



You can hear some of his recording on a CD called The White Hope



You can hear one of Weldon's songs ''The Policeman' on a podcast here

You can see Harry's daughter Maisie performing impressions of her father below:

MAISIE WELDON (on sleeve as WELDOM) (issue title RIGHT TURN)