George Clifford Parkinson (1 February 1907 – 4 May 1993) was a

motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...

rider from England. He earned 17 international caps for the

England national speedway team The Great Britain national speedway team (formerly the England speedway team) is one of the major teams in international motorcycle speedway. The team is managed by former Great Britain riders Oliver Allen and Simon Stead, and captained by th ...

and 7 caps for the Great Britain team.

Career

Parkinson began his speedway career during the early years of the sport in Britain in 1930. He was a window dresser by trade in a London drapery store but gave up his job to follow his brother Ronnie Parkinson into the sport. He began to practice at Middlesbrough speedway under

Harry Whitfield Henry Whitfield (9 May 1908 - 14 September 1988) was a British motorcycle speedway rider who went on to manage Middlesbrough Bears. He earned one international caps for the England national speedway team. Career Originally from Middlesbrou ...

's training, and in April 1930, he was signed by

Wembley Lions The Wembley Lions were an English ice hockey team. History The team were founded in 1934 but showed a continuity with the London Lions team which had played at various venues since 1924. The Wembley team were based at the newly built Empire ...

for the

1930 Speedway Southern League The 1930 Southern League was the second season of speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. The Northern teams also had their second season known as the 1930 Speedway Northern League. Summary White City had left the league ...

. He went to Spain in the summer of 1930 to continue his tuition as a Wembley rider. He was retained by Wembley for the

1931 Speedway Southern League The 1931 Southern League was the third season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams, and its final season before amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Leagues. The Northern teams also had their third season ...

and was part of their squad that won the

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

and

National Trophy National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

double. The 1932 season saw the formation of the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

and Parkinson was transferred from Wembley to Plymouth Tigers but chose instead to go back to Spain to ride, where he became a popular exhibition rider. He returned to Britain and signed on with the Clapton Saints for the

1933 Speedway National League The 1933 National League was the fifth season of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom. Summary Sheffield and Nottingham joined the league but the Stamford Bridge Pensioners dropped out. The National Association Trophy was dropped in fav ...

. After the winter racing in Australia, he raced with Harringay Tigers during the

1934 Speedway National League The 1934 National League Division One was the sixth season of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain. It was also the first time that a second division/tier of racing was introduced following the creation of a reserves league. Summary Birming ...

. He rode for England against Australia in the first official test match on 15 December 1934, in Sydney, although he had taken part in unofficial internationals against Australia before. He later rode for

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 ...

(1935), Cardiff White City, and

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

(1936) before returning to Wembley. His career was interrupted by the outbreak 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 ...

, but after the war, he did ride for

West Ham Hammers The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team that raced at West Ham Stadium in London, England, from 1929 to 1971. The team were twice champions of the United Kingdom. History Origins and 1920s Speedway arrived at West Ham in 1928, the ina ...

in 1947.

Players cigarette cards

Parkinson is listed as number 36 of 50 in the 1930s Player's

cigarette card Cigarette cards are trading cards issued by tobacco industry, tobacco manufacturers to stiffen cigarette packaging and nicotine marketing, advertise cigarette brands. Between 1875 and the 1940s, cigarette companies often included collectible car ...

collection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parkinson, Cliff 1907 births 1993 deaths British speedway riders Hackney Wick Wolves riders Harringay Tigers riders Lea Bridge speedway riders Nottingham speedway riders Wembley Lions riders West Ham Hammers riders