Marguerite Wilson

Marguerite Wilson
Personal information
Full name Marguerite Wilson
Born (1918-01-01)1 January 1918
 England
Team information
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Amateur team(s)
?–1937 Bournemouth Arrow CC
1938 West Croydon Wheelers
Professional team(s)
1939–1941? Hercules[1]
Major wins
1939 — Land's End to John o' Groats
Infobox last updated on
25 September 2008

Marguerite Wilson was a record-breaking cyclist from Bournemouth. In 1939 she broke the Land's End to John o' Groats and 1,000-mile (1,600 km) records. When World War II stopped her efforts in 1941 she held every Women's Road Records Association (R.R.A.) bicycle record.[2] For her achievements she was celebrated in the Golden Book of Cycling[2] and received the Bidlake Memorial Prize.[3]

Career

Wilson started racing in 1935, when she was 17.[4] She broke three records riding as an amateur in 1938.[2] Then in 1939 she turned professional[4] and broke 11 records (including two of her own from 1938). The pinnacle of her year was completing the End to End ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2d 22h 52m, continuing to complete the 1,000 miles in a record 3d 11h 44m. When World War II stopped her efforts in 1941 she held all 16 Women's R.R.A. bicycle records.[2] In her career she won over 50 medals and trophies,[5] including the Frederick Thomas Bidlake Memorial Plaque for her End-to-End record.[4]

Palmarès

1935
21/07/1935, 10 Mile Solo Record — 29 minutes 14 secs[6]
1936
26/07/1936, 10 Mile Solo Record — 28 minutes 54 secs[6]
05/09/1936, 10 Mile Solo Record — 28 minutes 02 secs[6]
1937
06/06/1937, 10 Mile Solo Record — 27 minutes 57 secs[6]
1938
19/06/1938, 10 Mile Solo Record — 27 minutes 15 secs[6]
1939
29/08/1939–2/09/1939, Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2 days 22 hrs. 52 mins.[2]
29/08/1939–2/09/1939, 1,000 miles in 3 days 11 hrs. 44 mins.[2]

Honours

In 1939 she received the annual Bidlake Memorial Prize that has been awarded from 1934 until the present in honour of Frederick Thomas Bidlake. Her citation says:

Marguerite Wilson for her bicycle records, Land’s End to John O’Groats in 2 days 22 hrs. 52 mins. and 1,000 miles in 3 days 11 hrs. 44 mins. accomplished in one ride, 29th August – 2nd September 1939.[3]

On 30 April 1947 her achievements were celebrated in the Golden Book of Cycling.[2]

Personal life

Marguerite Wilson was a stewardess for British Overseas Airways Corporation (B.O.A.C) in 1948, working Short Flying boats from the Marine Airway terminal, Solent, Southampton, Hampshire.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ Spoke — Quarterly Magazine of the Meridian CC, September 2008
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Road Records Association — Marguerite Wilson page from The Golden Book
  3. 1 2 Bidlake Memorial Recipients — 1939 — Marguerite Wilson
  4. 1 2 3 The Bicycle, UK, 5 March 1941, p11
  5. ↑ Museum of American Heritage archive — Social history of the bicycle
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Cycle Time Trials — South DC — Records
  7. ↑ Journal, Fellowship of Cycling Old-Timers vol 143 p9
  8. ↑ British Pathe library 1249.07 | Airways Girl (1:08:21:00 - 1:09:29:00) 05/07/1948 - 14 images (and 68 second film clip) of Marguerite Wilson as B.O.A.C. stewardess and track cyclist.

External links


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