Betty (30 November 1895 – ) and Nancy Warner Debenham (1897 – ) were English sisters, motorcyclists, and sports journalists. The sisters were heirs to the Debenhams department store fortune, and were both attached to the BSA

works team A works team (sometimes factory team, company team) is a sports team that is financed and run by a manufacturer or other business. Sometimes, works teams contain or are entirely made up of employees of the supporting company. Association footb ...

Motorcyclists

By 1923, the two were already well-known colourful figures, sometimes working as

stunt rider A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

s to promote

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 ...

sales at events such as the

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

Motor Show. In 1924 Betty Debenham completed a 500 mile trial on a 1.25 horsepower motorcycle from London to York and back, and then to Brighton and back. By 1926, they had both become formidable racers, and were competing in events across the country. They competed in their first

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, w ...

in February, winning gold (Betty) and silver (Nancy) cups. Each earned a silver cup in August's London-to-

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

trial, riding 2.25 horsepower BSA motorcycles. A few weeks later, Nancy Debenham came out on top in a 200 mile reliability trial organized by the London Motor Cycling Club involving about 40 riders, mostly men. In 1929, the pair made a wager with racing driver

Kaye Don Kaye Ernest Donsky (10 April 1891 – 29 August 1981), better known by his ''nom de course'' Kaye Don, was an Irish world record breaking car and speedboat racer. He became a motorcycle dealer on his retirement from road racing and set up Amba ...

that they could complete a 2,000 mile tour without spending any of their own money. They set off south from London in February, but were forced to turn back due to snow. Having already completed 600 miles in wintery conditions, and earned a few shillings helping stranded motorists, they headed north and encountered better weather. They made more money by posing for photographs and writing about their journey, and at one point delivered a tyre for a local garage in exchange for petrol and oil.

Writers

In 1928, the Debenhams published a book entitled ''Motor-Cycling for Women''. Based on their extensive experience, the slim book is part travel guide, part manual, and part shopping guide. Betty Debenham was press secretary for the London Ladies' Motor Club.

Later life

Betty Debenham went on to become a golf writer for the ''

Daily Sketch The ''Daily Sketch'' was a British national tabloid newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1909 by Sir Edward Hulton. It was bought in 1920 by Lord Rothermere's Daily Mirror Newspapers, but in 1925 Rothermere sold it to William and Gomer Berry ...

'' and, in 1938, was a founding member of the Association of Golf Writers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Debenham, Betty and Nancy 1895 births 1897 births Year of death missing English sportswomen English motorcycle racers British motorcycle pioneers Motorcycle trials riders Women motorcyclists Female motorcycle racers English non-fiction writers English women non-fiction writers Motorcycling writers English travel writers