The funeral of Arthur Lampkin
Attending a funeral is never an experience that one looks forward to but there are occasions when one feels obliged to join the mourners (writes Mike Rapley).
Such an occasion was last Friday, March 13 when well over 100 friends, family and associates of the late ArthurLampkin gathered together at St James Church, Silsden to honour the passing of the great man, known universally throughout the world of motor cycling as Mr TV following his exploits as a scrambler in the days when Saturday afternoon winter TV featured the sport on both BBC and ITV.
Following a wonderful eulogy by Alan (Sid) Lampkin, now the only surviving brother following Martin’s passing some years ago, the wake was held at Coniston Hall where many memories were shared among the friends and associates of the Lampkin family.
Of course, many of those people there never actually had the privilige of actually seeing Arthur racing – or trialing – in his prime, but fortunately I have had that experience and saw Arthur in both scrambles and trials events as a child growing up. As an indication of how much the Lampkin family as a whole is respected, amongst the riders and others there, were obviously the entire Lampkin family, as well as Steve Saunders, Derrick Edmondson, Dan Clark, Caroline and Martin Sandiford, Nigel Birkett, John Dickinson, Wayne Braybrook, Roger Williams, John Shirt, Stuart and Keith Blythe, Ron and Kath Eddings, Martin Jackson, Nick Jefferies, Mick Grant, Robin Luscombe Yrjo and Diane Vesterinen, Tony Calvert, Peter Cartwright, Blackie Holden, Alan Clough, Peter Remington, Tony Holmes, Chris Griffin, Boyd Webster, father and son, and many other riders and enthusiasts of the sport who had gathered there to recognise the passing of a Great.
At such gatherings there is the rare opportunity to photograph groups who would not normally be seen together and the lead picture used here is of Yrjo Vesterinen, Nick Jefferies, Tony Calvert and Mick Grant, four friends and great competitors who share a common love of the sport, just as Arthur Lampkin did throughout his life.