Marjorie Cottle
Encyclopedia
Miss Marjorie Cottle was a leading motorcycle sports rider.
Her greatest success was the International Six Days' Trial of 1927, in which the British Ladies' Team won the International Silver Vase. The trials were held in the Lake District
, and attracted a large number of competitors.
Motorsport
bicycle
maker Raleigh Bicycle Company
, which was still manufacturing motorcycle
s during the 1920s, provided a lightweight machine to Marjorie Cottle, a leading motorcycle sports rider and then probably Britain's best known female motorcyclist, to use on a well-publicized 1,400 mile journey around the country. One retailer’s journal, The Garage and Motor Agent, was particularly enthusiastic about Miss Cottle's promotional activities on behalf of the motorcycle industry. She was, it declared, “undoubtedly one of the trade's most useful propagandists.” Not only did she demonstrate that physical strength was not crucial for operating a motorcycle but this magazine was especially impressed with “the fact that Miss Cottle always manages to look nice when engaged in her exploits, and not the least like a professional motor cyclist.” In that way she “produces the best possible impression on the public” (Jones 532). Marjory (or Marjorie) Cottle was one of Britain's best know motorcyclists in the 1920s. She competed regularly in races and reliability trials, and was considered to be one of the best riders in the country – male or female. According to a recent article by motorcycling journalist Steve Koerner:
Auto Cycle Union selects as British B squad for the ISDT the team of female riders Marjorie Cottle, Louise MacLean and Edyth Foley. Because of the 1925 ban on road events, sand-track racing develops popularity in the UK (continued until 1939).
In August 1927, the News of the World
carried a picture of Cottle, Edyth Foley, Miss Louise MacLean and two other leading female motorcyclists, Mrs M Grenfell and the appropriately named Mrs Spokes. The five were described as "the British ladies who triumphed in the International Trials" on 20 August. This was presumably the International Six Days' Trial of 1927, in which the British Ladies' Team won the International Silver Vase. The trials were held in the Lake District, and attracted a large number of competitors
Even Marjorie Cottle eventually gave up competing. According to Koerner: For several years afterwards, however, she was employed by the BSA company as one of their motor cycle sales representatives although she seems to have been kept in the showrooms not where she wanted to be, out on the road or riding in competition events. ...
By the end of the decade 1930er Jahre, an official of the manufacturers’ trade association had to admit that only a paltry 25,000 of Britain’s estimated 700,000 motorcyclists were female.
Literatur [Bearbeiten]
Chris Stevens of Surrey & Isle of Man Historian & Author, David Wright.
Her greatest success was the International Six Days' Trial of 1927, in which the British Ladies' Team won the International Silver Vase. The trials were held in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
, and attracted a large number of competitors.
Motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
maker Raleigh Bicycle Company
Raleigh Bicycle Company
The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a bicycle manufacturer originally based in Nottingham, UK. It is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. From 1921 to 1935 Raleigh also produced motorcycles and three-wheel cars, leading to the formation of the Reliant Company.-Early years:Raleigh's history...
, which was still manufacturing motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s during the 1920s, provided a lightweight machine to Marjorie Cottle, a leading motorcycle sports rider and then probably Britain's best known female motorcyclist, to use on a well-publicized 1,400 mile journey around the country. One retailer’s journal, The Garage and Motor Agent, was particularly enthusiastic about Miss Cottle's promotional activities on behalf of the motorcycle industry. She was, it declared, “undoubtedly one of the trade's most useful propagandists.” Not only did she demonstrate that physical strength was not crucial for operating a motorcycle but this magazine was especially impressed with “the fact that Miss Cottle always manages to look nice when engaged in her exploits, and not the least like a professional motor cyclist.” In that way she “produces the best possible impression on the public” (Jones 532). Marjory (or Marjorie) Cottle was one of Britain's best know motorcyclists in the 1920s. She competed regularly in races and reliability trials, and was considered to be one of the best riders in the country – male or female. According to a recent article by motorcycling journalist Steve Koerner:
- 1924 Raleigh trials rider Marjorie Cottle and fellow Raleigh teamsters Evans and Hadfield, taken in 1924. This was chosen as Ken was friendly with Marjorie and recreated Ms Cottle’s Round Britain trip, on his own Raleigh.RALEIGH 1924 Booklet. 'Round the Coast Ride' by Hugh GibsonHugh GibsonHugh Simons Gibson was an American diplomat.Gibson was actively involved in disarmament talks from 1925 to 1932. Throughout his career, together with such colleagues as ambassadors Joseph C. Grew, William R. Castle, and Hugh R...
and Marjorie Cottle.
- 1926 by 1926 there were so many women participating in various races and trials throughout Britain that the Motor Cycle Manufacturers' Union, the industry's trade organization, decided to honour some of the more prominent ones with a special banquetBanquetA banquet is a large meal or feast, complete with main courses and desserts. It usually serves a purpose such as a charitable gathering, a ceremony, or a celebration, and is often preceded or followed by speeches in honour of someone....
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The occasion was well publicized, not only in the mainstream press but also in motor cycle publications and even women's magazines such as 'Home Notes'.
Auto Cycle Union selects as British B squad for the ISDT the team of female riders Marjorie Cottle, Louise MacLean and Edyth Foley. Because of the 1925 ban on road events, sand-track racing develops popularity in the UK (continued until 1939).
- 1927 Cottle won prizes for the best performance by a "lady rider" in the Scott Trials.
In August 1927, the News of the World
News of the World
The News of the World was a national red top newspaper published in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the biggest selling English language newspaper in the world, and at closure still had one of the highest English language circulations...
carried a picture of Cottle, Edyth Foley, Miss Louise MacLean and two other leading female motorcyclists, Mrs M Grenfell and the appropriately named Mrs Spokes. The five were described as "the British ladies who triumphed in the International Trials" on 20 August. This was presumably the International Six Days' Trial of 1927, in which the British Ladies' Team won the International Silver Vase. The trials were held in the Lake District, and attracted a large number of competitors
- 1928 Cottle won prizes for the best performance by a "lady rider" in the Scott Trials, she was the only woman to complete the course. Dies gelang bis heute nur Mary Driver in the sixties, Maria Conway and Katy Sunter. After competing in the famous Scott Trials, the magazine 'The Motor Cycle' had to admit she had successfully finished the gruelling course "while burly men had given up from sheer exhaustion.
- 1937 Startet Sie mit der Nr. 25 in der Klasse A auf einer BSA 250 für die BSA Cycles Ltd.
- 1938 BSA Competitors 22 Mrs Miriam L. Anning 250 BSA Empire Star with 41 Marjorie Cottle 249 Triumph
- 1939 In 1939, the ISDT was held in Nazi-controlled AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
in the last few days before EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
declared war on GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. That year, Britain sent both a civilianCivilianA civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
and a military team to compete. After four days, when it seemed that war could break out at any minute, British officials told the civilian team to return to England immediately. Cottle refused to leave and competed on the fifth day alongside the British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
team. When they too were ordered to abandon competition, Cottle and the Army team rode their motorcycles to neutral territory in SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Even Marjorie Cottle eventually gave up competing. According to Koerner: For several years afterwards, however, she was employed by the BSA company as one of their motor cycle sales representatives although she seems to have been kept in the showrooms not where she wanted to be, out on the road or riding in competition events. ...
By the end of the decade 1930er Jahre, an official of the manufacturers’ trade association had to admit that only a paltry 25,000 of Britain’s estimated 700,000 motorcyclists were female.
Literatur [Bearbeiten]
- Mika Hahn, Fritz J. Hahn: Faszination des Erfolges - Das Sport-Leben der Ilse Thouret . Korschenbroich: Rheinischer Mobilia-Verlag 2004, ISBN 3-938140-00-3
Chris Stevens of Surrey & Isle of Man Historian & Author, David Wright.