My father, George "Race" Witting, used to tell me how he rode the Wall of Death for a £5 bet when he was 21.

He died in 1979 and in later years I became interested in family history (long before the internet explosion), tracing the Witting family back to the early 18th century at Edgefield.

Both my great and great-great grandfathers were innkeepers in Cromer. My grandfather, Frederick Witting, was a journeyman carpenter who moved to Lynn about the time of the First World War.

He was also a part-time rent collector with "copperplate handwriting" according to Dad. They lived in North End and my grandmother, Margaret, perished in the 1918 flu epidemic. She was breastfeeding baby Doris when they found her.

It was only a couple of years ago that I finally traced this article in Lynn library.

'VALIANT'

He used to say that you just kept your revs up. It appears that none of the four riders (all mechanics at Brookers in Tower Street) completed the task, although all "made valiant attempts"; Cliff Alexander "in particular". None made the elusive red line at the top of the wall – £5 during the Depression years would be a month's wages.

I wondered whether any descendants of Jack Williams, Walter Barrett or the aforesaid Cliff Alexander were aware of this and whether they had any information?

Dad used to compete at grass-track racing – hence his nickname – and I know he knocked about with the likes of Cliff Alexander.

On one occasion the motorycle gang were winding up a police cyclist in hot pursuit who had summoned them to halt.

They slowed down time after time merely to lure him on after them.

Dad was pillion behind Cliff and he made a point of covering up the rear numberplate with his great-coat. That must have amounted to a local crime wave back then.

Robin Witting, 10 Agard Avenue, Scunthorpe, email: robin.witting@ntlworld.com