It's quite humbling when you reread about the tremendous exploits of Beryl Burton What a rider and what an incredibly pleasant woman she was - except when beaten in a time-trial by her own daughter.
I was born just about one year before Beryl and was active in cycling in the West Riding of Yorkshire, around Morley, where Beryl was born and brought up. Club runs often used to meet up at tea-houses such as "Ye Olde Bent Poker" in Otley, or at the Clarion tea-rooms near the top of the west Chevin hill, if you felt you needed to sprint for the prime before earning your pint of tea.
I don't recall seeing Beryl on those runs in 1952 , a year when Peter Kohler suggests Beryl was even at that time, at the age of 15, a star rider, being feted by companies such as Hercules which. as he correctly states was a real powerhouse in British cycling at that time.. If Beryl had been riding a Hercules we would have seen it propped up with the hundreds of others - all built by local frame-builders- in the yard at the back of "The Poker". Certainly Eileen Sheriden was on the racing scene at the time and riding as a sponsored rider for Hercules. In the company's adverts for 1954 Eileen is promoted as being "Britains Greatest Woman Cyclist. Holder of 15 official long-distance road records" In the ad. she is in the company of well-known male riders such as Ken Joy, Dave Bedwell and Fred Krebs.
I think it unlikely that Beryl was hitting the real high-spots in 1952, particularly as young riders were discouraged from racing until they were at least 18. She didn't win her first Best All-Rounder title or World Pursuit Champion medal until she was 22 in 1959.
as for her bikes it is likely that she started off on something like a JRJ - Bob Jackson's original brand. These were made about 5 miles from her home. The mention of a Johnny Berry bike rings true as well, because Johnny built these over in Manchester, about 50 miles from Beryls' home - just a pleasant afternoon's ride over the Pennine hills. Berry's bikes were very highly respected in the 50s.
As for the Carlton International track bike - there could be little doubt about that as Carlton frames were made about 50 miles to the south of Morley, and were very much sought after It is probable that Carlton actually gave her the bike as they tended to support up-and-coming, as well as established racing cyclists.
It was towards the end of the 60s/early 70s that Beryl started riding Anquetil frames. This happened when Charlie ,her husband and mechanic ,took a job as warehouse foreman at Ron Kitching's cycle company - a job he had until Beryl's death or thereabouts. The Burtons - Beryl wouldn't have had that surname in the 50s - lived quite near Ron in the Harrogate area and were close friends. I got to know Charlie and through him, Beryl, when I traded with the Kitching company. She was a very unassuming person,- just a lass lucky enough to be gifted with a good pair of legs. The last time I saw her was at a race in the Lake District in northern England, about two weeks before her death. She and Charlie had driven out there in the big old delivery van he had converted into a very basic mobile home. They had parked it up and were just doing what they like best - trundling about the back roads on their bikes, complete with Carradice saddlebags with their capes rolled up and held on with two leather straps. Beryl's later racing years were always on bikes bearing Ron Kitching's transfers after he had dropped the "Anquetil brand from his lists.
Oh, happy days!
Norris Lockley