Betty Debenham – AGW Member (1938 – ?)

Betty Debenham – One of two women to be founding members in 1938 of the AGW.

NB – The page still being researched – Bernie Feb, 2021 – If any member has details of Betty Debenham please contact me

The Debenham Sisters

Betty and Nancy Debenham (born c. 1906) were twin sisters, motorcyclists, and sports journalists in the United Kingdom. The sisters were heirs to the Debenhams department store fortune, and were both attached to the BSA Works Team

Debbenham Sisters, 1925, BSAThe Debbenham Sisters and their dog on a BSAMotor-Cycling for Women – B & N DebenhamTwin sisters Betty and Nancy Debenham were keen motorcyclists often seen in promotional material for BSA, accompanied by their dog, Poncho. They competed in trials events and Nancy won a Gold Medal at Brooklands in 1926. Their book, Motorcycling for Women (1928) contained a wealth of information for aspiring lady riders, as did their magazine and newspaper articles on the subject.

  • Motor-cycling is an ideal hobby for the tired business girl. She can seek health and pleasure during her precious week-ends by exploring the countryside and the seaside. She can gather her violets and primroses from the woods instead of buying them in jaded twopenny bunches, and her whole week-end’s holiday need only cost her the price of her return fare to Brighton.
    Debenham
Betty & Nancy Debenham twin sisters on their #BSA #motorcycles which they promoted with #dog Poncho
1928 they published Motorcycling for Women describing #motorcycle as the “magic carpet of the town dweller” They competed in trials events & Nancy won gold medal

Book Review: A Rare Piece of Women and Motorcycling History
A book you have to own!
By Genevieve Schmitt, Editor
6/14/2013

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Here’s a fun book that provides a rare peek into the history of women and motorcycling. Nancy and Betty Debenham, two spunky British sisters with a love of motorcycles, wrote “Motor-Cycling for Women” in 1928, a time when women rarely wore pants, let alone rode around on two wheels. Only four copies of the original book are known to exist, but Steve Brown of ClassicMotorcycleManuals.com recently republished this rare manuscript and is making it available to one and all. 

The 80-page hardcover book gives readers a unique look at the life of a woman rider in the 1920s, with great photographs and accompanying text. Chapter titles include “Holiday Tours,” “Weekend Rambles,” “the Solo Rider,” “Two-Up on Tour, “Learning to Ride,” and “Choosing a Mount.” 

You can see from the photographs that Nancy and Betty were attractive, adventurous and happy young ladies who thoroughly enjoyed motorcycling. The book was written during a golden period when there were more motorcycles than cars on the road and anyone over 14 could ride a motorcycle without taking a test or wearing a helmet. This book is downright fun to read! 

This photo including the sisters’ ‘much accompanied’ dog, Poncho, is in the chapter labeled “Camping Weekends,” which shares tips on camping with a motorcycle.

The caption for this photo from the chapter titled “Choosing A Mount” reads, “A 2 1/4 h.p. machine is quite powerful for ordinary everyday use.”

This photo of the two sisters is from the chapter about passengers. The caption reads, “The worst offender is the one who sits coyly sideways.”

“Motor-Cycling for Women” measures 5 by 8 inches and can be purchased at ClassicMotorcycleManuals.com. It’s priced at  £21.99, including shipping, which converts to about $34.21 (PayPal will do the pounds-to-dollars conversion for you). For more information, contact Steve Brown at email hidden; JavaScript is required. 

From a ‘Biography of Golf Literature’

Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   Bournemouth Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   Carlisle & Silloth Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   The Chestfield (Whitstable) Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   Delamere Forest Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   Epsom Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   Goring & Streatley Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   The Hallowes Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   The Northampton Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   Painswick Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   Peterborough Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   The Royal Epping Forest Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   The Scarcroft Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   South Staffordshire Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   Thorpe Hall Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   Worsely Golf Club.  
Debenham, Betty. c.1950.   The Wyke Green Golf Club.  

Ben Wright in his book ‘Bad Lies’ & reference to Betty Debenham and dog named ‘Poncho’.

See also: https://harleyte.wordpress.com/2021/06/20/nancy-et-betty-debenham/