Ernest Arthur David Kempster known as Jim Kempster (9 October 1900 – 29 June 1945) was an international speedway rider from England. He was the first captain of the England national speedway team.

Education

Kempster attended Beaudesert School.

Speedway career

Kempster earned the nickname 'Smiling Jim Kempster' and came to prominence in 1928 when he won a race against Roger Frogley, in a match deemed to be the English Championship. Kempster had raced against the early Australian pioneers. He earned significant prize money during 1928 and won an International title in front of 45,000 at the new Wimbledon Stadium. Kempster was given the title of World Champion after the success because he had beaten the former title holder Sprouts Elder, of the United States. He joined the

Wimbledon Dons The Wimbledon Dons were a professional motorcycle speedway team who operated from the Wimbledon Stadium, Plough Lane in London.Jacobs, N. ''Speedway in London'', The track opened in 1928 and the Dons operated there from 1929 until 1991. They w ...

for the inaugural speedway season in England. He soon became their club captain and finished fourth in the riders league averages during the

1929 Speedway Southern League The 1929 Southern League was the inaugural season of speedway in the United Kingdom for Southern British teams. There was also a Northern League called the 1929 Speedway English Dirt Track League that started during the same year. Summary Stamfo ...

despite the fact that Wimbledon finished bottom of the league. He captained England against Australia on 30 June 1930, for England's first test match. Kempster continued to ride in the top tier of British Speedway from 1929 to 1933. He signed for Clapton Saints in 1933. After retiring he coached novice riders at Luton and made a brief comeback 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 ...

during 1936 as a backup rider.

Personal life

Kempster married Hilda Thompson in 1930. He was killed in a plane crash on 29 June 1945, while serving with the Air Transport Auxiliary during

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 opposin ...

and is buried at the

Rheinberg War Cemetery The Rheinberg War Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Rheinberg, Germany. It was established in 1946 and is home to 3,330 graves from the Second World War. History The site for the Rheinberg War Cemetery was selected in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kempster, Jim 1900 births 1945 deaths British speedway riders Wimbledon Dons riders Lea Bridge speedway riders Air Transport Auxiliary pilots British civilians killed in World War II Burials at Rheinberg War Cemetery People from Leighton Buzzard