Split Waterman
| Born |
27 July 1923 New Malden, England |
|---|---|
| Nationality |
 England
|
| Current club information | |
| Career status | Retired |
| Career history | |
| 1947-1949, 1956 | Wembley Lions |
| 1950-1954 | Harringay Racers |
| 1955 | West Ham Hammers |
| 1957 | Wimbledon Dons |
| 1958 | Southampton Saints |
| 1960-1961 | New Cross Rangers |
| 1962 | Ipswich Witches |
| 1962 | Belle Vue Aces |
| Individual honours | |
| 1948 | London Riders' Championship |
| Team honours | |
| 1947, 1949 | National League Champion |
| 1948, 1952 | National Trophy winner |
| 1947 | British Speedway Cup winner |
| 1948, 1949 | London Cup winner |
Squire Francis (Split) Waterman (born 27 July 1923 in New Malden, England) is a former international speedway rider who finished twice finished second in the Speedway World Championship final. Waterman took up speedway while serving in the British Army in Italy and went on to become one of the top riders of the post-war era. He made the headlines again in the late 1960s when he was convicted of gold smuggling and firearms offences.
Waterman applied to join the Royal Air Force when World War II broke out but was unable to join as his job as a toolmaker was classed as a reserved occupation. He joined the Local Defence Volunteers (the Home Guard) in 1942, before joining the Royal Fusiliers (most likely the 8th or 9th, serving 167th Brigade, 56th (London) Division), and was posted to North Africa before being involved in the Allied invasion of Italy. Shrapnel wounds that led to him being declared unfit for front line service saw him transferred to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and posted to a workshop in Pozzuoli, near Naples. Motorcycle racing events became a regular occurrence, and Waterman was involved in building a speedway track at Vomero Stadium. He became a proficient racer on his adapted BSA M20 bike, and it was from speedway racing that Waterman gained his nickname; After falling in a race he split his racing leathers down the back, after which his colleagues referred to him as "split arse", which was later shortened to "split". After a tour of duty in Palestine, Waterman was posted to Germany where his commanding officer, a Major Fenwick, wrote to Wembley manager Alec Jackson, with whom he had served earlier in the war, to recommend giving Waterman a trial.
...
Wikipedia