Charlie Appleby (speedway rider)

Charlie Appleby

Born	(1913-10-10)October 10, 1913 Saskatchewan, Canada
Died	8 October 1946(1946-10-08) (aged 32) Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England
Career history
1937	Birmingham Bulldogs
1938-1939	Hackney Wick Wolves
1939	Crystal Palace Glaziers
1946	Birmingham Brummies
Team honours
1938	National Div II Champions

Robert Charles Appleby (born 10 October 1913 in Saskatchewan, Canada - died 8 October 1946) ^[1] was a speedway rider from Canada. ^[2]

Career

Appleby was a member of the Hackney Wick Wolves team that won the National League Division II Championship in 1938. ^[3] He signed for Crystal Palace Glaziers for the 1939 Speedway National League Division Two season but the team withdrew from the league after 10 matches. ^[4]

After the end of World War II, Appleby returned to the UK and was signed by the Birmingham Brummies. He was enjoying a steady season but on 7 October he was involved in a crash at Brough Park. ^[5]

During the Northern League fixture on 7 October, Appleby crashed in an effort to avoid a fallen rider in front. Appleby swerved and hit the machine instead. He was thrown into the air and suffered a fractured skull. He was taken to Newcastle Infirmary but died during the early hours of 8 October. ^[6]

See also

• Rider deaths in motorcycle speedway

References

1. Buck, B (2007) Brummies Legends, Pendragon Books. ISBN   0-9541671-2-0
2. "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
3. Fenn, C.(2003). Hackney Speedway, Friday at Eight. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN   0-7524-2737-7
4. "Crystal Palace Speedway" . Daily News (London). 16 June 1939. Retrieved 2 September 2024– via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "Rider averages 1929 to 2009" (PDF). Speedway Researcher. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
6. "Speedway crash" . Lincolnshire Echo. 8 October 1946. Retrieved 11 August 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.