FAREWELL TO TOMMY HUGHSON

NEWS Sunday 26th January 2014, 6:34pm

by Mike Hunter

  Edinburgh Monarchs

With the sad passing of Tommy Hughson this weekend, Monarchs have lost a man who played a unique part in the club’s history as mascot, team manager and friend to many riders.

Tommy was 75 but could easily have passed for much younger. He had been ill last year but when he visited Armadale towards the end of last season, he seemed right back to his best, full of his usual enthusiasm for life.

He came into speedway through the involvement of his dad who was manager of JR Alexanders (Lothian Road) and supplied many of the early Monarchs with parts. As a result Tommy became the team mascot right from the start and led the team round on their first ever parade at Old Meadowbank on 17th April 1948, prior to the opening match against Glasgow.

He rode a 150cc JAP with no brakes, and was also presented with a cycle speedway bike by the supporters club. Dick Campbell took the young Tommy under his wing, and he was great friends also with Jack Young and Bill Maddern.

In the sixties Tommy had a motorcycle shop just up the road from the track and helped many of the riders – Wayne Briggs, Alf Wells, Oyvind Berg, Reidar Eide, Bengt Jansson. Tommy was best man to Alex Hughson, Bernie Persson and George Hunter.

On Facebook Alex has told us that Tommy was his cousin, something no-one seems to have realised. When Bernie Persson came over for the 2008 Diamond Jubilee, the first thing he said was “Where’s Tommy?” and once he had tracked him down, he spent the whole of the weekend with him.

Tommy was team manager for the last year at Meadowbank (1967) and also for the two Coatbridge years, even though he was very busy with his shop. Many of the southern trips started with the trailer being loaded outside Tommy’s shop.

Tommy rated George Hunter his favourite rider to watch – “Poetry in motion when he wanted to be, though he was a wee bit moody!”

In later years Tommy worked successfully with Kwikfit and did some trials and scrambles riding. He also rode in the Ice meetings at Murrayfield in the early seventies. He was a regular at the WSRA Scottish Dinner along with his pal Ralph Forbes and will be sadly missed at next month’s event.

To his wife Sheila, son and two daughters, plus the grandchildren, we send our condolences and best wishes. Tommy’s funeral is on Monday Feb 3rd at 11am at Warriston.