Wall of Death History

HORACE PARKER

Horace Parker was some eighty years of age when I interviewed him in 1993. He must have been one of the very earliest riders of the wall, having started in 1930 and riding the Wall for over thirty years, finaly retiring in 1964.

Pictured right, Horace Parker in the 'Hell Riders' Race.

He began riding for Arthur (Ace) Handley and Jack North, who he also recalled had what was known as a "Monkey Drome", a small Wall of Death with the motor bikes ridden by monkeys. During his career he rode for many of the famous names associated with the Wall of Death.
He also recalled the French rider, Henri Corbierre, who had a Globe of Death under the name "The Globe Infernal" and a German girl he had with him called Frauline Schmidt. Horace recalls taking the girl home on night and being chased by Henri Corbierre over the railway lines, Corbierre emptying the magazine of his gun at Horace!
Horace had a brother, Len Parker, who during the second world war acquired a Wall of Death for the holiday at home fairs. His partner was Johnny Parr, one of the old riders of the time, and while open at Lincoln Johnny suffered a fall and broke his leg. The takings at these fairs were good and so Len contacted his brother Horace to go and ride for him.
Horace ran away from his job (quite a serious thing to do during the war!) and joined his brother and they became partners, travelling the Wall together for many years with Marshalls Modern Amusements, whose name the Wall carried.

Horace Parker's Wall, seen here under the Marshall's banner

Horace travelled the length and breadth of the country under the Marshalls Modern Amusement banner including the Isle of Man for the TT races, where he found himself roped in as a Marshall - he had many friends among the TT riders, sharing a common interest in motor bikes.
They also were regular attenders at Hull fair where he recalls being between Shufflebottoms on one side and Tom Norman with his marvellous show with its big fairground organ on the other.
Despite it's name there have been relatively few deaths while riding the Wall but there can be none whose death was as unfortunate as that of Len Parker, who was killed when a panel of the wall fell on him while building up in high winds.
Horace continued riding until their Wall was virtually worn out and had played the same towns too many times, when it was scrapped.
For a time Horace rode Roy Cripsey's Wall when it was presented by Charles Skethley and John Hart at Aberavon in Wales and it was here that Horace first recalled a go-cart being used on the wall.
The kart was built especially for Roy Cripsey and was described by Horace as "a killer kind of thing - it had a 350 Triumph Tiger engine in it - miles too fast"! As recalled by both Charles Sketchley and Horace Parker, the kart was first taken on the wall by John Hart, although he did not ride in public, and both believe he was the first man to take a go-kart onto the Wall of Death.

The Wall at Aberavon - Charles Skechley is the man with the microphone

The crowning moment in his career was certainly when he was the trick rider for Wall of Death at Olympia in 1951.

Todd's impressive Wall at Olympia, 1951