A Colourful Character
Despite riding in only about twenty league and cup meetings in a career spanning over fifteen years, Jack “Red” Monteith has his place in Scottish speedway history
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Jack, front row right, pictured in the 1964 Tigers team at The White City
A Colourful Character
Jack Monteith, known as “Red” due to his hair colour – in the days when he had hair, was one of the group teenagers who started the cycle speedway league in Glasgow in 1948. He was the winner of that years Olympique Trophy, a three day event , featuring all the leagues top riders. This was something of which he was really proud and he donated a trophy on the 60th anniversary for a similar though one off event.
He subsequently graduated to speedway and got second half rides at Glasgow’s White City where he was quite a character. He asked senior riders when to shut off when coming down the long straights to the bends. One told him to count to three after you became scared then to shut off. He went out with this advice in mind and went straight into the fence. On returning to the pits, he was asked why he hadn’t shut off and replied that he hadn’t been scared!
Fellow junior rider Gordon Mitchell remembered him as being fair but very forceful, though not everyone agreed with this assessment. Some supporters called for him to be banned for his “bull at the gate” tactics, though possibly this was promoter Hoskins dreaming up a story for publicity purposes. He is certainly remembered for being very determined, being dragged almost the length of the White City home straight, hanging off the side of the bike but determined not to let go of the handlebars and to finish the race.
With injuries hitting the Tigers in 1952, he was in the team for challenge meetings at Wigan, where he scored 1 from three rides and at home against Motherwell in the Lanarkshire Cup when he took a paid win from his only start, but it would be more than a month before another opportunity arose – at Liverpool where his point played a part in Tigers narrow 43-41 victory at the Stanley Stadium. He continued in the second half into 1953 when he got a solitary outing as the sport began to wind down in Scotland, with Motherwell being the last to close at the end of the 1954 season.
While the brief revival at the White City in 1956 saw him have a couple of second half outings, he played a more prominent role in the short season at Motherwell two years later, when he raced in all five meetings scoring 25+5 from 20 rides giving him a healthy 6.00 average. The Lanarkshire venue didn’t reopen the following year and Jack drifted from the scene, later to reappear at Edinburgh in 1963, when he took his bike through to Old Meadiowbank in a sidecar, with his mechanic on the pillion. He was reserve for the World Championship Qualifying Round and scored 2 from his only ride and got his chance in the Monarchs side after beating Shorty Schirmer in a premeeting Vultures Race for the reserve slot ahead of the meeting against Newcastle at the end of June. His 6+2 was pivotal in the home side’s narrow 43-35 win. He retained his place for the away meeting at Poole a few days later but wasn’t included in the Exeter / St Austell trip the following week, possibly due to work commitments. Scoreless meetings at home to Sheffield and away to Poole ended his slot in the team though he did feature as reserve for Scotland meetings against The Kiwis and The Rest towards the end of the season.
When Trevor Redmond reopened Glasgow in 1964 he rejoined the Tigers and rode in most their Northern League meetings, missing the meeting at Edinburgh due to a gashed head sustained in the match against the Monarchs at The White City. He rode in the early Provincial League fixtures, though missed the Exeter /Long Eaton trip with promoter Redmond talking his place, but was carried off after crashing in the home defeat to Wolves in early June and, after a couple of weeks out, never regained his team place. However, he continued with second half races into 1965 and 1966.
He had a couple of outings at Cowdenbeath in their ill-fated and limited open licence season in 1965, scoring 4 and 3 for the Fife Lions in their meetings against Colonial Tigers and the Charlie Monk Select respectively, getting two rides in both meetings. contested the final of the Scottish Junior Championship, finishing runner up to Bill McMillan.
He was called into the Tigers team for the KO Cup quarter final against Swindon at The White City when Willie Templeton was ruled out with whooping cough and Bruce Ovenden broke down en route and didn’t let the side down, scoring 4 points and twice beating opposite number Frank Shuter as Tigers progressed 49-46. His third race saw him line up against Barry Briggs when he was the only other finisher, some way behind the former World Champion and one which he would later recall that thankfully he didn’t get lapped. While he wasn’t required for away meetings at West Ham and Poole when Manchester based Bernie Lagrosse was preferred – promoter Redmond knew how to keep his travel bill down! – he turned out for the Tigers against Newport in Glasgow and again outpaced his opposite reserve, Ray Harris. This would be his last team outing of the year.
He got called up again in late April 1966 to ride against Edinburgh at Old Meadowbank when both sides were without their Swedish riders, Monarchs missing Runo Wedin and Tigers Bengt Brannefors was still awaiting clearance (which never was received) and both sides promoted their number eights. Monarchs Jimmy Tannock proved an inspired choice, scoring eight as they triumphed 46-31 in the local derby. Red also rode at Old Meadowbank and the White City in the Superbike Event, an individual for Scottish based riders staged at both tracks. With an emerging Jim McMcMillan displacing him as the teams number eight, this would be his last hurrah and he retired towards the end of the season.
However that wasn’t the last we saw of Red! Being a Paisley man, the opening of the Lions at Love Street in 1975 reawakened his interest and he bought a bike that he subsequently rode many times in the Men in Black demonstration races some years later. But perhaps his finest achievement was the prominent role he played in finding a new owner for the Tigers when they looked like folding in 1997. He enjoyed attending many Scottish veteran functions until he passed away in 2010 at the age of 78.
A colourful character by name and by nature!
Jim Henry's ode for Jack follows
We turn now to our second guest, who’s been a Tiger and a Golden Eagle,
And in between the Tigers stints he was a Monarch regal
However you may not know this about Jack Monteith,…and this is really a stoater!
He rode one night in the red silver and black as one-off Yarmouth Bloater
Our hero started out astride a bike in 49, on the famed White City track
In Aussie his flame red hair would have earned him Blue, but here he’s Red, not Jack
Before Tigers fans went home early, giving the second half a bye
But when Jack appeared on the scene he really caught the eye
Place Jack Montieth on a powerful speedway bike and, boy, what a transformation,
From a mild mannered lad,…the quiet type,.. we had a speed sensation
His novice years at Paisley Road West were a story of travail
Often he part company from the bike and arms and legs would flail
Many others would have packed it in but not our Honoured Guest
Jack was quite determined…. he’d become one of Scotland’s best
With national service interruptions and but for speedway’s sharp decline
There’s no doubt that Jack would have made it, given a bit more time
A few years passed and Scottish speedway fought for it’s survival
A growing resurgence in 56 saw a Glasgow Tigers’ brief revival
A few more outings in red and white for Jack as he rode for Tommy Miller
Jack did well but despite sport’s demise he was still a speedway thriller
A couple years later Ex-Tigers man Hoskins, ever an eager beagle
Was responsible for Jack’s return as in 58 as fully fledged Golden Eagle
Ever the innovator he set to upgrade his bike…well.. improve the carburettor
Sadly the jets from a speedboat carb he tried didn’t help on track either drier or wetter
The brief fling in 58 didn’t last for long and Jack’s trusty JAP went into store
But bug that bit didn’t let go and some five years later he was back aboard once more
The Edinburgh Monarchs were well established but suffering from an injury spate
Who should the desperate Ian Hoskins find knocking on the Edinburgh pit gate
Across the great and distant East - West gap we saw Jack manfully stride
And after some really impressive second halfs… for the Monarchs we saw him ride
Unlike most who travelled miles in a car on their journeys near and far
Jack came with his speedway bike strapped to a motorbike sidecar
Now it wasn’t just Jack who came this way,…. he had a mechanic as well
In these pre motorway days the journey from Glasgow must have been absolute Hell
Suspension, .. or springs if you like,…on these British old bikes was equivalent to nil
So crossing over the Edinburgh bumpy cobbles could leave you feeling ill
One night when running late, Jack’s commute turned from farce to follies
They hit a bump,… the mechanic gasped …and out shot his precious wallies
On went the brakes a halt was secured and now here comes the rub
The mechanic ran back,.. retrieved his teeth…. and a just stuck them in his gub
Come the winter of 63 we knew the Tigers were coming back
With his heart in white and red our Monarch Red… now was Tiger Jack
Tigers’ fans were pleased to see Jack back at Paisley Road West
For the new team in the Provincial League he really rode his best
Times moved on, Jack retired, but the sport was still his love
He even tried to bring Russian Jawas here with a letter to Gorbachov
A few years back with his Tigers dying, Jack did us all a favour
He led his fellow fans with zeal to find a promoter and Tigers’ saviour
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