A great deal of the findings & facts can be acknowledged to be from ex Rider Arthur Williams, he currently is researching plus browsing through his own records along with those of his late friend Bill Roberts who passed on in 2006 & whose ISDT data collection has been kindly onpassed by his widow for us to place online for others. 

Anyone who can spare information on the ISDT?  kindly send it along, nothing is not returned & does not get wasted here, thank you.

So nice when all these years after, there are albeit hard to find parts to even upgrade the Works Machines of those Days.   Here, Arthur Williams respectfully completes a gem of an Ariel owned unrestored by his late friend Bill Roberts, this has been done for the family & has been a delight for Arthur to bring such a modified machine to this state.

Bill Howard & the younger of the Martin brothers as sidecar passenger, signing on day, before the mudbath!!!  (Courtesy of the V Emery collection)

V Emery collection again, what a lot of officials or are they BSA etc  folk around that outfit. JON 558 Reg. any info please?

Llandrindod Wells the weekend prior to the event, photographer could not resist an angle with Gilera Team machines in the foreground.

Brian, the elder Martin & brother Michael far right, does anyone have more info for this pic. please, (This is from the V Emery collection) Thanks to Michael Martin we find this pic is the Scottish Six Days pic of winners of the Meteor Trophy.  Awarded to the best team not entered by any manufacturer.

McNulty the Scrutineer at work on German rider U Pohl's MAICO.

Start, 62 is Frank Darrieulat's 348 BSA sc. 

B Hugh M Viney, Capt. of the British side on his AJS 500 twin shown in the ISDT 1953 but with 246 as his number or

B Hugh M Viney, Capt. of the British side forcefully flying his AJS 500 twin through "Farmers" sector?.

A Gipsy lad in clogs leads the family wagon past the Llandovery Check point oblivious to the ISDT in progress.

The Rumi Team, so conscious of the Colds & Flu which seemed to hamper earlier Italian Teams bought Duffle Coats & Chequered "Dai Caps" as they are called in Wales to keep warmer in preps & during stops. 

A gloomy brooding Eppynt Mountain can be seen from this Checkpoint as H Pelikaan of Holland takes his 175 DKW in through a rare patch of sunlight.

Through Crychan forestry stretch near Ystradfellte J. Aufreiter of Austria on a Zundapp leads M Banks on a 197 Villers engined TANDON.

Brand new make, ARDIE of Germany has a 171 cc item which pleases the eye plus goes well. 

 That all conquering Czech Trophy team, all on JAWA!, from left V Sedina, J Kubes, S Klinu, J Pudil, B Roucka

Holland "B" team took the Silver Vase, 10 is Simon Schram on a 175 Maico, far right is 36 Bennie L Jansema on a 150 JAWA & 152 centre is Martin Den Haan on a 250 Puch, I hear that out of this Highly talented  Team only Simon Schram remains, let there be fine memories.

Martin Den Haan came into the Trials Racing Scrambling Scene in Netherlands immediately after WW2 with family support he plus brother Pieter became two of the top Racers & number 152 in the 1954 ISDT in what I am told is the 6th Day Speed Trial shows style & a little extra speed effort to help the team obtain that Silver Vase. This picture was recently sent here,out of respect, Martin Den Haan, an absolutely great Competitor plus person passed away a short while ago so we first confirmed with his family whether to exhibit these pictures. They are here with respect to a great rider. 

Britain's "No Penalty" Team, the very first to complete the course unpenalized, from the left B H M Viney 500 AJS, S B Manns 500 Matchless, P H Alves 650 Triumph, J V Brittain 350 Royal Enfield & J W Stocker 350 Royal Enfield.

Brecon Beacons leg shows B P Emmelkamp taking his 600 Zundapp sidecar outfit on loose going ahead of 173 S Stastka on his 250 JAWA, A Hartner brings up the rear on his 350 twin TWN, number 219.   

Austrian 175 Puch rider F. Gnaser ahead of British entry J.C.L. Bodenham on his 175 DMW, with a low cloud blanketed Bwlch y Groes behind them.

Sippery Cynala where E Deike of Germany leads S Schram (a well known family name in ISDT even pre WW2) of the Netherlands.

Night riding & Belgian rider Roger de Jonek-heere make way on his 250 NSU, the night run on the second day after the 161 miles 9am day start in squalls & sunny patches with a strong cold wind, FIM rules had reduced morning maintenance from 15 mins to 10!

German "A" Vase Team rider W Sautter at Tregaron driving his 250 NSU Sidecar Outfit.

BSA B team member W T Howard BSA Sidecar Outfit  with a bent sidecar wheel spindle precedes George Buck's Ariel outfit through picturesque Corris. A youthful Michael Martin, a BSA apprentice aged 17,  is in #50, Michael now 70 wrote in to advise us that the B team consisted of BSA Bantam mounted George Pickering, themselves plus Frank Darrieulat 500 sidecar, only Frank Darrieulat finished out of that B Team.  Brian Martin was Michael's elder Brother and British VASE Team and also prominent in the BSA setup. 

The river crossing at Blaen y cwm, Hercules mounted German competitor, W Brosamle gets guidance from a countryman

J Weingartmann of Austria's Trophy team lifts the front wheel of his Puch through a muddy section at Bwlch Sarnau.

Cader Idris section Holland's C Van Ewijk pushes his Victoria followed by T B J Stronge of Ireland with his BSA & A Hartner of Germany with a TWN. 

Belgium rider A Colin shown here at a barren sector achieved a "Special Gold" at his first attempt on a 250 NSU. Thanks again to Arthur Williams for identifying it to be Devils's Staircase Section, in case you (like myself) are not as sharp as Arthur to notice the headlamp plus handlebars are askew!.

Here we are again at the Llandovery town centre Check stop, a photo from upstairs at Castle Hotel

B Roucka winds his JAWA through the Staylittle section.

Foreground shows H Pelikaan of Holland wheeling his DKW down the narrows at Eunant Pass, Czech rider J Kubes manhandles his JAWA along and in the background CZ rider, Czech J Hoffman waits for a clear run at the gulleys

Lady rider Molly Briggs on a Triumph twin at the tricky Brecon Beacons sector, trying to get past the Francis Barnett of Irish entrant D L Martin.

Cyril Quantrill, ever the journalist alongside his OHC Norton, watching competitors on Eppynt, here he has German entry H Oelerich ploughing his way on his 350 Victoria.

First and second away at the start on amazingly quick Italian 98cc Ducati head along the Tregaron tracked road, a 07:00am start for a 238 plus a half mile course

Eddie Crooks at speed during the event with a Elan Valley Background too. printed from the Crooks Collection with permission.  Eddie actually won 3 Golds & one Silver & honestly loved the 6 Days events.  Martin Crooks gently pointed out that after all, the ISDT in it's earliest form did actually emerge from Ambleside & Carlisle location (Thanks to Martin too)

British Army Team Representing the Royal Artillery was:
On BSA: Captain Eddie Dow, Lance Bombardier Eddie Crooks & Private Terry Cheshire.
On Triumph:Captain F.Miles, Corporal M.Waller & Staff Sergeant Nicholson.
On Matchless: Captain Betty, Corporal Norton & Sergeant Challinor. the Team achievements became legendary.

A Master of all from Trials to Road Racing, the great Eddie Crooks has allowed us to print this via his son Martin who runs the family business, Crooks Motorcycles  Barrow-in-Furness     www.crooks-suzuki.co.uk  you can see so many more pics of EC's fine achievement if you simply click the preceding underlined address, many thanks, Eddie currently in semi retirement & our thanks to all concerned, bits of history are a pleasure to display to people. Many thanks to all.

6th Day arrived, Madley Airfield with Speed tests underway

86 Comparatively easy Miles from Llandrindod Wells to Herefordshire Airfield, Madley had the 6th Day Speed Trial, Jack Stocker somehow dropped his Royal Enfield en route to the venue

Artur Williams found this was Jack Botting the highly respected Francis Barnett Rider well known in Trials & such information appreciated to www.six-days.org ISDT & Enduro web run by Roberto Biza & Marcello Grigorov