Edward Frend (3 November 1916 – 6 September 2006), born in

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

, was a British

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

sports competitor from the late 1930s to the early 1950s,

road racing Road racing is a North American term to describe motorsport racing held on a paved road surface. The races can be held on a race track, closed circuit—generally, a purpose-built racing facility—or on a street circuit that uses temporarily c ...

with the AJS works team from 1948 to 1954.

Early years

In 1932, employed as an apprentice sheet-metal worker at

Hawker Aircraft Hawker Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer that was responsible for some of the most famous products in British aviation history. History Hawker had its roots in the aftermath of the First World War, which resulted in the ban ...

, he bought his first motorcycle, a 250 cc Dunelt. On completion of his apprenticeship in 1936, he found employment with General Aircraft in

Feltham Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston (UK Parliament constituency), Felt ...

, and bought a 350 cc Ariel Red Hunter motorcycle for competition. Soon after attending the 1936 Olympia motorcycle show he part exchanged his

Ariel Square Four The Square Four is a motorcycle produced by Ariel Motorcycles, Ariel between 1931 and 1959, designed by Edward Turner (motorcycle designer), Edward Turner, who devised the Square Four engine in 1928. At this time he was looking for work, showing ...

for the just released new

Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

1000 cc V Twin Rapide for £138 to use on the roads. In 1937 he joined the

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

& District MCC, and competed in

trials In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal, wh ...

. (He later became the Club President.) In 1938 he competed in the South Eastern Centre Championship meeting Unlimited class, and might have won if his exhaust had not fallen off.
TimesOnline ''Edward Frend Obituary'' (Retrieved 6 November 2006) In 1939 he lapped Brooklands' outer circuit at 110 mph on his 1937 Vincent HRD Rapide winning the three lap race and earning the acclaimed Brooklands GoldStar for lapping over the ton. He also joined the British Motorcycle Racing Club.

World War II

During

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 ...

he was in a reserved occupation, an engineer manufacturing aircraft parts.

Post War competition

In 1947 Frend came fourth in the

1947 Isle of Man TT The 1947 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the first race festival since 1939 due to the interruption of World War II. With the restart of racing, the ACU decided to add three Clubman-class races for production machines in Lightweight, Junior and S ...

, and

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

offered Frend a place in the 1948 AJS works team. He proved an all-rounder, not just competing in road racing, but also in grass track, hill climbs, trials, and scrambles. His business, Paramount Sheet Metal,Title: Classic Racer, Issue: 122, Publisher: Gerard Kane, Printer: William Gibbons & Son, Wolverhampton November–December 2006, pp 10. in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

providing aircraft and motor cycle parts was more important to him than racing, and when it grew, demanding more of his time, he cut back on racing. Frend came eighth in the Junior on an AJS 350 at the

1949 Isle of Man TT The 1949 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy was the first round of the Grand Prix World Championship that was held in the Isle of Man. At the FICM (later known as ''FIM'') meeting in London near the end of 1948, it was decided there would be a moto ...

, and came fifth in the Junior, and fifteenth in the Senior at the 1950 Isle of Man TT. In the

1953 Isle of Man TT The 1953 Isle of Man TT, Isle of Man Tourist Trophy saw Ray Amm (Rhodesia) win both Senior and Junior TT races. Bob McIntyre (motorcycle racer), Bob McIntyre retired for his first TT, the Junior. The event was marred by the death of five people, ...

he rode a Norton to seventh. In 1954 he rode his last TT. He continued to ride motorcycles after, in the end riding a

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

550 until he no longer could. Ted was a member of the Brooklands Society, president of the Streatham & District Motor-Cycle Club, and a member of

West Byfleet West Byfleet is a village in Surrey which grew up around its relatively minor stop on the London & South Western Railway: the station, originally '' Byfleet and Woodham'', opened in 1887. More than from the medieval village of Byfleet, the ...

Golf Club.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frend, Ted 1916 births 2006 deaths Motorcycle racers from London British motorcycle racers English motorcycle racers Isle of Man TT riders 350cc World Championship riders Sheet metal workers 20th-century English sportsmen