Freddie Williams (12 March 1926 – 20 January 2013) was a motorcycle speedway rider from

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

who was World Champion on two occasions. He was the winner of the

Speedway World Championship The World Championship of Speedway is an international competition between the highest-ranked motorcycle speedway riders of the world, run under the auspices of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). The first official champions ...

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

and

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yug ...

and runner-up in

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

Career

Williams grew up in

Port Talbot Port Talbot (, ) is a town and community in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, situated on the east side of Swansea Bay, approximately from Swansea. The Port Talbot Steelworks covers a large area of land which dominates the south ...

, where he was a classmate of

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable pe ...

, and they played together in the school

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

team.Rhys, Steffan (2011)
Richard Burton's school days recalled by speedway star
, '' Western Mail'', 25 June 2011, retrieved 2011-11-27 In 1941 he moved to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

where he started an apprenticeship in the dockyards as an engineer-fitter.Morgan, Tom (1949) ''Who's Who in Speedway'', Sport-in-Print, p. 74 He was a despatch rider in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and began his speedway career as the war ended, after initially competing in

grasstrack Motorcycle Grasstrack is a form of track racing which typically, in its current form, takes place on a flat track consisting of two straights and two bends usually constructed in a field. It is one of the oldest types of motorcycle sports in the ...

. After attending training sessions at Rye House, he was signed by Alec Jackson for the

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 ...

, and in 1948 got a regular place in the team after injuries to

George Wilks George Wilks (born 1908, date of death unknown) was a British motorcycle speedway rider who rode for Harringay and Wembley, and also rode in test matches for England. Born in East End of London Wilks was riding motorbikes before he was a teenag ...

and Bill Kitchen.Chaplin, John (2013) "Freddie Williams", ''Speedway Star'', 26 January 2013, pp. 3–5 Williams rode for the

for his entire career, from 1947 until 1956. Williams became the first British rider to win two World titles (in 1950 and 1953), a feat only matched by Peter Craven (in 1955 and 1962) and Tai Woffinden (2013, 2015, 2018). Williams represented

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in test match series, gaining his first cap in 1949.Foster, P. (2005) ''History of the Speedway Ashes'', The History Press Ltd. In 1953 he married Olympic skater

Pat Devries Florence Patricia Devries (born 6 July 1930, date of death unknown) was a British figure skater. She competed in the ladies' singles event at the 1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ...

. His two younger brothers, Ian Williams and

Eric Williams Eric Eustace Williams (25 September 1911 – 29 March 1981) was a Trinidad and Tobago politician who is regarded by some as the " Father of the Nation", having led the then British Colony of Trinidad and Tobago to majority rule on 28 October ...

, were also speedway riders, and Freddie acted as Ian's mechanic at the 1957 World Final. Williams presented the winner's trophy to Australian rider

Chris Holder Christopher Robert Holder (born 24 September 1987 in Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian speedway rider currently riding for Lejonen in the Swedish Elitserien and for Apator Toruń in the Polish Speedway Ekstraliga. He became the Austra ...

at the

2012 Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain The 2012 Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain, also known as the 2012 FIM Fogo British Speedway Grand Prix for sponsorship reasons, was the ninth race of the 2012 Speedway Grand Prix season. It took place on 25 August at the Millennium Stadium in C ...

held at the Millennium Stadium in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. Like Williams, Holder would go on to become the World Champion at the end of the 2012 Speedway Grand Prix season. Williams finished second behind ( Jack Young in the 1952 World Final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...

. Williams died on 20 January 2013, aged 86, in the

Great Western Hospital The Great Western Hospital is a large hospital in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, near junction 15 of the M4 motorway. It opened in 2002 and is run by the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History The original hospital in Swindon was ...

in Swindon following a stroke the previous day. Williams is the only Welshman, to win speedway's ultimate individual prize.

World Final appearances

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

- Winner - 14pts *

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

- 9th - 7pts *

- 2nd - 13pts *

- Winner - 14pts * 1954 -

- Res - Did not ride

Grasstrack racing

* Southern Centre Champion 1948.

References

External links

Freddie Williams at BBC Oxford

Freddie Williams interview at BBC Oxford
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Freddie 1926 births 2013 deaths British speedway riders Welsh motorcycle racers Welsh speedway riders Individual Speedway World Champions Wembley Lions riders Sportspeople from Port Talbot