Horace Albert Burke (24 July 1912 – 29 January 1975), better known under the alias Paddy Mills, was a motorcycle speedway rider whose career spanned World War II.[1][2]
| Born | 24 July 1912 Leicester, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 29 January 1975 (aged 62) |
| Nationality | British (English) |
| Career history | |
| 1937 | Leicester Hounds |
| 1938-1939 | Sheffield Tigers |
| 1946-1952 | Norwich Stars |
| 1953 | Stoke Potters |
| Team honours | |
| 1950, 1951 | National League Division Two Champion |
| 1951 | National Trophy (Div 2) |
| 1951 | Southern Shield |
| 1946 | A.C.U. Cup (Div 2) |
Career
editBorn Horace Burke in Leicester in 1913,[3] he adopted the name Paddy Mills and began his career at Leicester in 1937, riding for the Hounds in the Provincial League. In 1938 he joined Sheffield, spending a season there before joining the Royal Air Force.[4] He served in the RAF for six years, and was awarded the British Empire Medal.[4] After the war he joined the Norwich Stars, for whom he was the third highest points scorer in 1946, with 348 points in total.[4] He went on to be the team's leading points scorer in both 1947 and 1948[4] and the club captain.[5]He was picked to represent England in second test match in 1949, but suffered a fractured skull a few days before.[4]
In 1952 Mills became president of the newly formed Leicester Amateur Speedway Club, which had a training track at Syston.[6] In the late 1960s, Mills ran training sessions for the Long Eaton Archers.
References
edit- ^ "ULTIMATE RIDER INDEX, 1929-2022" (PDF). British Speedway. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
- ^ "Paddy Mills". Sheffield Evening Telegraph. 14 June 1939. Retrieved 29 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Dalling, Philip (2007) Nottingham and Long Eaton Speedway, Stadia, ISBN 978-0-7524-4163-4, p. 155
- ^ a b c d e Morgan, Tom (1949) Who's Who in Speedway, Sport-in-Print, p. 53
- ^ "Speedway Ace wants to join Leicester". Leicester Evening Mail. 24 February 1951. Retrieved 29 September 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Bamford, R & Jarvis J. (2001) Homes of British Speedway, ISBN 0-7524-2210-3, p. 150