+VIDEO Geoff Duke was one of the most successful British motorcycle racers of all time, winning six world championships and six Isle of Man TT races during his racing career from 1948 to 1959. He rode factory (‘works’) bikes for Norton and Gilera.
Here’s a video from the 1954 Dutch TT where Duke won riding a 500cc Gilera. It’s worth watching not just because of the sight and sound of multi-cylinder Italian exotica racing against single-cylinder British singles, but also for the rural nature of the race circuit and tremendous enthusiasm of the crowd.
“The film,” says the blurb from the Shell Film Unit which shot it, “captures the essence of the event, as riders raced past serene pastures with grazing cows and horses, while spectators eagerly watched from behind rustic straw bales.
“Assen, a charming town in the northern Netherlands, served as the perfect backdrop for this unforgettable race day. Over a hundred motorcycles gathered at the ten-mile circuit, showcasing the latest models from renowned factory teams and privately owned machines.
“With a crowd of 150,000 spectators, the day featured four separate races for motorcycles of various capacities, ranging from 125cc to 500cc.”
Shell Historic Film Archives
Shell’s Historic Film Archive dates from 1934 and covers a rich mix of topics from technology, science and engineering to craftsmanship, motorsport and travelogue.
The Shell Film Unit, responsible for the content, was a highly celebrated part of Britain’s Documentary Movement. While many films covered technological themes related to Shell’s activities, others were entirely unrelated and served purely to educate the general public.
While the name and the medium has changed over the years, the documentary tradition lives on at Shell. Its contemporary film team is part of Shell’s multi-disciplinary in-house agency, Creative Solutions. It continues to make factual content now usually released on social media platforms.
Click here for the Shell Historic Film YouTube channel.
Croydon Airport: London’s main airport of the 1930s
Another film from the Shell archives is this 1935 glimpse into the bustling life at Croydon Airport, the primary international airport serving London at the time. The film explores the intricacies of airport operations, including meteorologists who record and analyze local and international weather data to offer advice to pilots.
On the tarmac, engineers inspect a 42-seat Handley Page aircraft while a tanker refuels the aircraft.