Hamilton, Evelyn

Evelyn Hamilton is perhaps best known as the pre-war long distance cyclist, friend of Claud Butler and owner of a cycle shop in Streatham, London during and after World War 2. In addition some may have heard of her exploits in occupied France, and a very few may possess one of her bikes or frames. All of the above are true – at least in part – but there is much more to Evelyn than the reports in pre-war cycling magazines or the rather sensationalist local newspaper stories written in her retirement.

Then on 15th September 1934 Evelyn set off from Old Palace Yard, Westminster to ride 1000 miles in seven days. She was sponsored by Claud and rode one of his silver bikes equipped with the then new Constrictor Osgear. In 84 hours of actual riding she covered the distance at an average speed of over 12mph. Her success in this, her first really long distance record, encouraged Claud to launch a new replica bike in his late-1934 catalogue which he called the Miss Modern Model . It featured H.M. butted tubes, a short wheelbase, serrated quick release frame ends, Resilion ‘A’ cantilever brakes and , of course, the option of the Osgear or Simplex 3 speed to order. Interestingly a Brooks S.25 saddle was standard (others could of course be supplied) but Evelyn herself always rode a Mansfield.

A year later, on 23rd September 1935, and again seen off by Claud, Evelyn rode from London to John O’Groats – the 700 miles covered in just over four days. By now she was famous enough to be introduced to the crowd by Labour leader Ben Tillet and for Pathe News to take an interest – they filmed the start for their News in a Nutshell programme to be shown in cinemas (and still available to view on the Pathe News website www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=6215). Pathe filmed her again the following year giving tips on cycling, fashion, massage and what not to do on a bike! In this film (again available on line) she rode a Hetchins – a big boost, according to Mick Butler, to their then infant frame building business.

From 1970 to 1984 as E. Hamilton Ltd. the shop sold scooters, mopeds and motor bikes, but not with Evelyn at the helm. It is quite possible that she wasn’t involved much during the war years either as she had spent a lot of time in France just prior to the outbreak of hostilities. A choice rumour has it that she rode a wall of death side-show in a French circus. Whatever the truth of this she appears to have been trapped in Paris when it was occupied by the Germans.

Now the story becomes both interesting and problematic with fact and fantasy inextricably interwoven. In her many post-war interviews (mostly in the 1970s and 1980s) Evelyn told some tall stories: she worked as a waitress in a café frequented by Gestapo officers, lived with a Frenchman called Fernand Maurice Helsen and assumed the identity of a dead woman as she herself was on the wanted list. Becoming a courier for the Resistance she ferried allied personnel across Paris on a tandem until an informer led to her being captured. Wearing her hair in a bun to conceal a small pistol she pulled it out, shot her captor and escaped to England and safety. Just how much of this is true and how much embroidery we shall probably never know, but she was awarded the Cross of Lorraine by De Gaulle after the war and this became the motif on her frame badges together with the name ‘Lorraine Cycles’.

Many more of Evelyn’s tales appear suspect – her son was taken by the Germans and was never seen again – she had no son (although perhaps Helsen did); her grandmother (sometimes her mother) was French – I can find no evidence of a French connection in either her mother’s, father’s or step-mother’s families. So questions abound – who ran the shop while Evelyn was in France? What happened to Jack Hamilton? Who was Fernand Helsen? Colin Skipp, a V-CC member says he was told the shop was a front for the Free French and the SOE and was run by three Frenchmen including one of the Pelissier brothers. Was this the origin of the ‘cousin’ who won the Tour de France? It seems likely although Henri, the victor in 1923 was murdered by his lover in 1935. I have been unable to track down Jack Hamilton but Fernand Helsen did exist and Evelyn may even have married him as she always maintained. She certainly changed her name to Helsen and it appears on her death certificate. Helsen himself worked as a clerk in the French Embassy in London. He died aged 50 from a heart attack in 1950. Evelyn had no children by either Jack Hamilton or Fernand and she never remarried after the latter’s death (although local gossip in Swaffham where she lived in retirement maintained that she had several boyfriends including the landlord of one of the many pubs!).

In 1947 Evelyn Hamilton sponsored (for one year only?) a team of four (some reports say five) Independents, Richard Wells, Ray Stevens, Ron Baker and John Raines. Raines finished second on GC in the League’s 1947 Brighton to Glasgow stage race and won both stage three and the King of the Mountains classification. There is a picture in Chas Messenger’s book ‘Ride and Be Damned’ which appears to show Evelyn sitting in front of some of her riders at the finish of the race. However the money seems to have run out at the end of the season.

The Hamilton Cycles/Lorraine Cycles shop continued to supply club cyclists with frames although the actual builder(s) of these remain a mystery. Following requests in various journals for information on the subject the best that can be said at present is that there were probably many builders involved. Several correspondents have identified the lugless frames as originating from Ray Cooke (who also seems to have built for Allins). Mick Butler in the V-CC magazine for April/May 2011 suggests that Stuart Purves may well have built some of her frames from his premises down the road at Streatham Hill or later from Ephgrave’s Aveley Works where he was then works manager. Bill Grey is another mentioned by some as a possibility as he was supposed to have built the frames for the short lived Hamilton-Butler venture (see elsewhere on this website). Further research is obviously required on this topic.

Researching Evelyn’s history is far from over and the writer wishes to express his gratitude to members of her family for their assistance, and to the various    V-CC members who have cheerfully helped with their reminiscences. Corrections and additions to the above are invited and will be incorporated as revisions at a later date.