Squire Francis Waterman (27 July 1923 – 8 October 2019), better known as Split Waterman, was an English

speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...

rider who twice finished second in 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 championsh ...

final.Bamford, R. & Shailes, G. (2002). ''A History of the World Speedway Championship''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing. Waterman took up speedway while serving in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in Italy and went on to become one of the top riders of the post-war era. He made the headlines again in the late 1960s when he was convicted of gold smuggling and firearms offences.

Biography

Born in

New Malden New Malden is an area in South West London, England. It is located mainly within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Merton, and is from Charing Cross. Neighbouring localities include Kingston, Norbiton, Raynes ...

, Waterman worked as a

toolmaker Tool and die makers are highly skilled crafters working in the manufacturing industries. Variations on the name include tool maker, toolmaker, die maker, diemaker, mold maker, moldmaker or tool jig and die-maker depending on which area of concent ...

's apprentice after leaving school.Burford, Brian (2019) "Squire Francis 'Split' Waterman (1923–2019) ''Speedway Star'', 19 October 2019, pp. 43–45

Wartime service

Waterman applied to join the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

when the

Second World War 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 ...

broke out but was unable to do so as his job as a toolmaker was classed as a

reserved occupation A reserved occupation (also known as essential services) is an occupation considered important enough to a country that those serving in such occupations are exempt or forbidden from military service. In a total war, such as the Second World War, w ...

.Davies, Trevor (2008) ''Warzone Speedway'', Trevor Davies Publishing, , p. 143-150 He joined the Local Defence Volunteers (the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

) in 1942, before joining the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

, and was posted to

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

before being involved in the

Allied invasion of Italy The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place from 3 September 1943, during the Italian campaign (World War II), Italian campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General (Unit ...

. Shrapnel wounds that led to him being declared unfit for front line service saw him transferred to the

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is a corps of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's Professional Engineers". History Prior to REME's for ...

and posted to a workshop in

Pozzuoli Pozzuoli (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Naples, in the Italian region of Campania. It is the main city of the Phlegrean Peninsula. History Pozzuoli began as the Greek colony of ''Dicaearchia'' ( el, Δικα� ...

, near

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

. Waterman acted as a despatch rider, and motorcycle racing events became a regular occurrence, and Waterman was involved in building a speedway track at

Vomero Vomero () is a bustling hilltop district of metropolitan Naples, Italy — comprising approximately and a population of 48,000. Vomero is noted for its central square, Piazza Vanvitelli; the ancient Petraio, its earliest path up and down t ...

Stadium.Morgan, Tom (1949) ''Who's Who in Speedway 1949'', Sport-in-Print, p. 71-2 He became a proficient racer on his adapted

BSA M20 The BSA M20 was a British motorcycle made by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. Although initially viewed as a near failure by the War Office in 1936, the M20 evolved into one of the longest servin ...

bike and it was from speedway racing that Waterman gained his nickname. After falling in a race he split his racing leathers down the back, after which his colleagues referred to him as "split arse", which was later shortened to "split". After a tour of duty in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, Waterman was posted to Germany where his commanding officer, a Major Fenwick, wrote to 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 ...

manager, Alec Jackson, with whom he had served earlier in the war, to recommend giving Waterman a trial.

Speedway career

Waterman began his career with the Wembley Lions in 1947, moving up from reserve to the main body of the team within two weeks, and winning the National League Championship.Jacobs, Norman (2001). ''Speedway in London''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing In 1948 the Lions won the National Trophy and Waterman won the prestigious

London Riders' Championship The London Riders' Championship was an individual Motorcycle speedway, speedway competition for top riders of teams from London. It was a very prestigious competition, especially in its early days. However, as the number of teams from London dwind ...

, as well as making his debut for England against Australia.Belton, Brian (2003). ''Hammerin' Round''. Stroud: Tempus Publishing Waterman earned more than £3,000 in his second season as a speedway rider. The Lions won the League Championship again in 1949. In February 1950, Waterman transferred to the

Harringay Racers Harringay Racers refers to multiple British ice hockey teams based in Harringay, London, United Kingdom. Harringay Racers The first team to use the Harringay Racers moniker was founded in 1936 and initially played alongside Harringay Greyhou ...

for a then world record transfer fee of £3,000 (£1,000 more than the previous highest fee, paid for

Alec Statham Alec George Statham (30 May 1912 Coventry, England - 8 March 1977) was a Motorcycle speedway, Speedway rider who won the London Riders' Championship in 1949 whilst with the Wimbledon Dons, and also represented England many times.Belton, Brian (2 ...

), and qualified for his first of five World finals, finishing seventh. In 1951, he qualified again and, after finishing level on points with Jack Young and Jack Biggs, the three had to race off against each other to decide the championship. Young headed home Waterman followed by Biggs. He won the Match Race Championship in August 1951, taking the title from Jack Parker. He successfully defended the title twice (against

Aub Lawson Aubrey "Aub" Lawson (born 5 April 1914 in Kelly's Gully, Warialda, New South Wales - died 20 January 1977) was an Australian international speedway rider who featured in ten World Championship finals including the 1939 final which was never run ...

and Jack Young) before relinquishing it due to injury. Waterman began the 1952 season by winning the W. J. Cearns Memorial Trophy at Wimbledon. He qualified for the World Final again in 1952 but only managed twelfth but did win the National Trophy with Harringay. His career was almost ended in 1952 by a crash at

Odsal Stadium Odsal Stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, is the home of Bradford Bulls Rugby League team. It has also been used by the Bradford Dukes speedway team, BRISCA F1 and F2 stock cars, the football team Bradford City, following the Valley ...

in which he sustained two broken teeth and a badly broken kneecap. The first doctor he saw suggesting amputation of the leg. A second opinion disagreed, and he was able to ride a few days later with the leg heavily strapped. His kneecap was later replaced with an artificial one. In 1953, he again finished in second place in the World Final, with his last appearance in 1954, finishing fifth. In early 1954, Waterman was elected as vice-chairman of the Speedway Riders Association, amid a dispute between second division riders and promoters over pay. A riders' strike was averted after Jack Parker resigned as chairman, with Waterman taking over that role in April. At the end of the season, Harringay closed and he transferred to the

West Ham Hammers The West Ham Hammers were a speedway team, first promoted by Jimmy Baxter in 1929. History They operated from the West Ham Stadium until the outbreak of World War II under several different promotions, most successfully under the control o ...

, but only stayed a season, returning to the Wembley Lions in 1956 after being allocated to the team by the

Speedway Control Board The Speedway Control Bureau (SCB), known as the Speedway Control Board between 1948 and 2002, governs the sport of motorcycle speedway in the United Kingdom on behalf of the Auto Cycle Union (ACU). The directors are appointed by the ACU and Br ...

. In 1957, he was on the move again to 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 ...

. After six appearances for the Dons he was dropped from the team in July and as a result announced his retirement from speedway. He returned, however, in 1958, riding in five meetings for the

Southampton Saints Southampton Saints were a speedway team which operated from 1928 until its closure in 1963. Its track was located at Banister Court Stadium in Southampton, Hampshire. History Southampton was one of the founder members of the 1929 Speedway Sout ...

. Waterman did not ride at all in 1959 but made a surprising return in 1960 for the

New Cross Rangers The New Cross Rangers were a Speedway team which operated from 1934 until their closure in 1953. They also rode as the New Cross Lambs from 1934 to 1935 and then the New Cross Tamers in 1936. The team were League Champions in 1938 and 1948. His ...

. In January 1961, he took out a writ alleging misrepresentation against Premier Promotions, who had billed the wrestler Bert "Split" Waterman as "Split Waterman, ex-speedway star" in an advertisement for one of their wrestling events, which reportedly attracted hundreds of New Cross speedway fans as a result. He rode for the Rangers again in 1961 before finally ending his career after a couple of short spells with the

Ipswich Witches The Ipswich Witches are a British speedway club based at Foxhall Stadium near Ipswich, Suffolk. They compete in the British SGB Premiership. Meetings are staged on most Thursdays from March until October, normally commencing at 7.30pm (first ra ...

and the

Belle Vue Aces The Belle Vue Aces are a British motorcycle speedway, speedway club, based in Manchester. The club hold the record of having won the top tier List of United Kingdom speedway league champions, League championship 13 times. They currently compete ...

in 1962.Pavey,A. (2004) ''Speedway in the North-West'', Tempus Publishing Ltd. Waterman rode in thirty Test matches for

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 ...

and captained the team in the 1953 series against Australia.

Later life

After speedway, Waterman went into business in

sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Thicknesses can vary significantly; ex ...

working and plastic

injection moulding Injection moulding (U.S. spelling: injection molding) is a manufacturing process for producing parts by injecting molten material into a mould, or mold. Injection moulding can be performed with a host of materials mainly including metals (for ...

, making plastic goods for companies such as Woolworth and

Airfix Airfix is a British brand and former manufacturing company which produced injection-moulded plastic scale model kits. In the U.K., the name 'Airfix' is synonymous with plastic models of this type, often simply referred to as "an airfix kit" even ...

. In 1967, he was arrested at Newhaven while attempting to board a ferry to

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newha ...

, after

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

with a value of £10,000 was found in the chassis of his fiancée Avril Priston's car. A subsequent raid at Priston's family home in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

found illegal firearms. Waterman was convicted in March 1968 of attempting to smuggle gold out of Britain, as well as unlawful possession of firearms including two sub-machine guns, two rifles and three pistols, and possession of dies for forging coins. He was sentenced to four years in prison. The gold was thought to have come from a bullion van robbery in Clerkenwell. Priston was convicted of conspiracy to smuggle gold and possession of two pistols and a

pen gun A pen gun is a firearm that resembles an ink pen. They generally are of small caliber (e.g., .22 LR, .25 ACP, .32 ACP, .38-caliber, etc.) and are single shot. Early examples of pen guns were pinfired, but modern designs are rim or centerfire. ...

, and was sentenced to six months in prison. Also in 1968, Waterman was implicated in the case against the

Kray twins Ronald Kray (24 October 193317 March 1995) and Reginald Kray (24 October 19331 October 2000) were identical twin brothers, gangsters and convicted criminals. They were the foremost perpetrators of organised crime in the East End of London, Engl ...

and two other men, who were charged with conspiring to murder George Karuana. Eugene Elvey, a witness in the case, claimed that Waterman provided a "hypodermic briefcase" and poison as the means of committing the murder. Waterman married Avril on 15 September 1970 at

Caxton Hall Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and art ...

in London, and they later lived in

Nerja Nerja () is a municipality on the Costa del Sol in the province of Málaga in the autonomous community of Andalusia in southern Spain. It is part of the comarca of La Axarquía. It is on the country's southern Mediterranean coast, about 50 k ...

on the

Costa del Sol The Costa del Sol (literally "Coast of the Sun" or "Sun Coast") is a region in the south of Spain in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of Málaga and the easte ...

, Spain. In 1977, Waterman was imprisoned in Italy after being convicted of possession of forged

Spanish peseta The peseta (, ), * ca, pesseta, was the currency of Spain between 1868 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a ''de facto'' currency used in Andorra (which had no national currency with legal tender). Etymology The name of th ...

s with a value equivalent to £500,000, as part of a plot to bring down the government of

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

. He died on 8 October 2019 at the age of 96.

World final appearances

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

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

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 Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

- 7th - 8pts *

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 ...

- 2nd - 12pts + 2pts *

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 ...

- 12th - 6pts *

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

- 2nd - 13pts *

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

- 5th - 9pts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waterman, Split 1923 births 2019 deaths Belle Vue Aces riders British speedway riders English motorcycle racers Harringay Racers riders Ipswich Witches riders New Cross Rangers riders Southampton Saints riders Wembley Lions riders West Ham Hammers riders Wimbledon Dons riders British Home Guard soldiers British Army personnel of World War II Royal Fusiliers soldiers Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers soldiers British expatriates in Spain Military personnel from London