Beryl_Swain_-_Waltham_Forest_Heritage_blue_plaque

Beryl Swain (née Beryl J Tolman, 22 January 1936 – 15 May 2007) was a female road racer of solo

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

s from the London area. In 1962, she was the first woman to compete in a TT race for solo motorcycles on the

Isle of Man TT The Isle of Man TT or Tourist Trophy races are an annual motorcycle racing event run on the Isle of Man in May/June of most years since its inaugural race in 1907. The event is often called one of the most dangerous racing events in the world ...

course.

Early life

Beryl Tolman was born on 22 January 1936 and brought up in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...

, in North East London. She worked as a senior secretary at P&O in the City until she married Edwin Swain, a motorcycle shop owner, in 1958.

Racing motorcycles

She was noted for being the first woman to compete in a TT race for solo motorcycles on the

course,Beryl Swain The first woman solo motorcyclist to finish in a TT race
''www.thetimes.co.uk'', Retrieved 2021-03-10 a rare occurrence to this day on one of the world's most famous races held on closed public roads. This 1962 upset led the male-dominated world of motorcycle racing to revoke her international licence via the introduction of a minimum weight limit which she could not meet, due to the perception of the sport being too dangerous for women, and the resulting ban on female entrants persisted until Hilary Musson competed in 1978. Swain finished 22nd on a

50 cc The 50 cc class was the ultra-lightweight class in Grand Prix motorcycle racing, and formed part of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) World Championships from 1962 until 1983; when the class was replaced by 80 cc. History a ...

race-prepared

Itom Itom (acronym for Industria Torinese Meccanica) was a motorcycle factory founded in Turin (in Via Millio, at number 41), in 1944, and transferred to Sant'Ambrogio di Torino in 1957/58 where it produced motorcycles until the close of 1975. The own ...

after two laps of the

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

circuit in the 1962 Race. Her average speed was 48.3mph after her bike lost top gear on the second lap. This was the first time a 50cc event had been included in the Island's programme as from 1962 the class carried World Championship points.History: The TT Goddess of the gas pedals - by the Isle of Man BBC.
''www.classic50racingclub.co.uk'', Retrieved 2021-03-10

Motorcycle Grand Prix results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Later life

After her racing career was cut short, Swain, who was previously an office worker, embarked on a retail management career with

Sainsbury's J Sainsbury plc, trading as Sainsbury's, is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom, with a 14.6% share of UK supermarket sales. Founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Drury Lane, London, the company wa ...

grocery supermarkets around the London area. She retired to

Woodford Woodford may refer to: Places Australia *Woodford, New South Wales *Woodford, Queensland, a town in the Moreton Bay Region *Woodford, Victoria Canada * Woodford, Ontario England *Woodford, Cornwall * Woodford, Gloucestershire *Woodford, Greate ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, and later

Epping Epping may refer to: Places Australia * Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Epping railway station, Sydney * Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...

, becoming secretary to WI local branches of the

Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being th ...

and helping organise meals on wheels for the elderly. Laterly she suffered from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

, and died on May 15, 2007, aged 71.

Commemoration

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

was erected in Beryl Swain's honour at her former home at 18 Grosvenor Park Road, Walthamstow, London E17 9PA by Waltham Forest Council as part of the local Waltham Forest Heritage scheme on 31 May 2019.

Sources

External links

Girl Racer - Beryl Swain at British PathéTimes Obituary - Swain, Beryl
(non-public access, transcript of content can be foun
here

History of women in the TT
1936 births 2007 deaths Sportspeople from Walthamstow English sportswomen English motorcycle racers Isle of Man TT riders Female motorcycle racers {{England-motorcycle-racing-bio-stub British motorcycle racers Women motorcyclists