Robert Charles Appleby (born 10 October 1913 in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, Canada - died 8 October 1946)Buck, B (2007) ''Brummies Legends'', Pendragon Books. was a

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

rider from Canada.

Career

Appleby was a member of the

Hackney Wick Wolves Hackney Speedway opened in 1935 at Hackney Wick Stadium, Waterden Road, London, and operated until 1996. The team raced under various names, known as Hackney Wick Wolves, Hackney Hawks, Hackney Kestrels and London Lions. History Origins & 1 ...

team that won the National League Division II Championship in 1938.Fenn, C.(2003). ''Hackney Speedway, Friday at Eight''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. He signed for

Crystal Palace Glaziers Crystal Palace Glaziers were a British Motorcycle speedway, speedway team that existed from 1928 to 1939. History Speedway at Crystal Palace was first held on 19 May 1928 during the pioneers days of the sport which had been brought over f ...

for the

1939 Speedway National League Division Two The 1939 National League Division Two was the second season of British speedway's National League Division Two. The season was never completed, due to the outbreak of World War II. Summary As with the previous season, there were several tea ...

season but the team withdrew from the league after 10 matches. After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Appleby returned to the UK and was signed by the

Birmingham Brummies Birmingham Brummies are a British Motorcycle speedway, speedway team founded in 1928. They were inaugural members of the Southern League (1929–31), Southern League in 1929. The team have twice finished runner-up in the highest tier of Britis ...

. He was enjoying a steady season but on 7 October he was involved in a crash at Brough Park. 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Appleby, Charlie Canadian speedway riders 1913 births 1946 deaths Hackney Wick Wolves riders Expatriate speedway riders in England Birmingham Brummies riders Crystal Palace Glaziers riders Motorcycle racers who died while racing Sportspeople from Saskatchewan Sport deaths in Canada

Career

See also

References