Arthur James Wilson (''Faed'' Wilson) (1858–1945) was an English cyclist, cycling administrator, activist and journalist. He became deaf at age 12 after contracting

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'', a Group A streptococcus (GAS). It most commonly affects children between five and 15 years of age. The signs and symptoms include a sore ...

and ''Faed'' was a self-applied anagram of 'deaf'. He was a member of the

National Cyclists' Union The National Cyclists' Union (NCU) was an association established in the Guildhall Tavern, London, on 16 February 1878 as the Bicycle Union. Its purpose was to defend cyclists and to organise and regulate bicycle racing in Great Britain. It merge ...

executive committee and joint editor of the Bicycling Times and Touring Gazette. A founder member of the North Road Cycle club in 1885 he was associated with the industry, the sport, the journalism and the pastime of cycling and touring.

Personal life

He began cycling at the age of eleven and became deaf at age 12 after contracting

, Faed was a self applied anagram of deaf.

Career

He joined Dunlop tyres in 1890 working at their Dublin offices. When they moved their operations to England in 1893 he worked for them as a manager in London. In 1896 Wilson had his own advertising agency creating signs and posters when Ethel Maude Sayer joined him and his other five employees as a secretary. She had to put up with the shame of going into business and the struggle to operate in full-length skirts. Ethel could type, but she taught herself

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...

so that she could interpret the things she heard for her boss. Because of her role as hearing assistant she was able to gain access to meetings that were usually men only. And because of her business skills, she became the business's company secretary when the company went public in 1899. Wilson founded the 'Cycle Trades Benevolent Fund' in 1905. ''Faed'' worked for over 50 years as an administrator of cycling, co-founding the 'North London Tricycling Club' (now renamed the 'North London Cycling Club'), the 'North Road Cycling Club', the 'Irish Road Club' and the '

Road Records Association The Road Records Association (RRA) is a British road bicycle racing, cycle racing organisation which supervises Cycling records, records on the road but not in conventional races. It is one of the oldest cycle sport organisations in the worl ...

' on 11 April 1888. His influence ranged from the design of the tandem bicycle to the original rules for road time-trials prior to 1900. As a cyclist he won the 1886 North Road C.C. 50 Mile Road Championship together with champion cyclist Charlie Liles on a tandem.

The Golden Book

Arthur Wilson's achievements were celebrated in 1938 when

Cycling Weekly ''Cycling Weekly'' is the world's oldest cycling publication. It is both a weekly cycling magazine and a news, features and buying advice website. It is published by Future plc, Future. It used to be affectionately referred to by British club c ...

awarded him his own page in the

Golden Book of Cycling The ''Golden Book of Cycling'' was created in 1932 by ''Cycling'', a British cycling magazine, to celebrate "the Sport and Pastime of Cycling by recording the outstanding rides, deeds and accomplishments of cyclists, officials and administra ...

, which is now held in 'The Pedal Club' archive.The Golden Book of Cycling - Arthur Wilson, 1938. Archive maintained by 'The Pedal Club'.

Personal life

Career

The Golden Book

References

Further reading