Above Photograph taken at Wembley South Africa 1972

Desmond Haswell always known as Des, at least during his riding career, was born an Englishman and first rode in 1951at Halifax, it was also at Halifax he won the Forest Cottage Speedway Trophy for the best junior rider in the Halifax team 1951.

Des also rode at the following tracks Leicester & Bradford (UK) and Pretoria Eagles and Wembley Lions (South Africa)

To the left is a portrait taken of Des in 1956 whilst he was riding for Bradford in the days when the team symbol was the white rose.

It was whilst he was riding for Bradford that he was honoured by his fellow riders and the management when he was made Captain of the Bradford team, this was in 1960 and Des recalls it as the speedway achievement of which he is most proud.

When asked about which of all his riding achievements he remembered with the most pleasure he listed riding in international matches against Rhodesia and the USA for South Africa.

Des regrets that he has no sons who may have continued his interest by becoming speedway riders, but adds with a rye smile of affection that his daughter has her own road bike.

The photo above was taken on the track of Wembley South Africa 
during the 1972 season

Like so many of the riders to whom I have put the question what is your worse memory the answer involves an injury that required hospital treatment, in Des's case it only had a tenuous link to his riding career. After a successful nights racing as top scorer at Meadowbank (Edinburgh) in 1960, he was taken out on his way home whilst waiting at traffic lights by a drunken driver the accident rendering him unconscious and with a broken left leg. Officially retired in 1976 (age 48) but says he last rode in a oldies when he was sixty at Corubrick Stadium Johannesburg.

Des now living in S. A. is a member of the World Speedway Riders Association but is no longer actively involved in speedway.

JH 2006