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Jack Clements - Who Was He?
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Jack Clements
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Jack Clements was the longest-serving president of the
Beacon RCC who is remembered with much affection. The Mountain
Time Trial, with which he was long associated, was renamed
in his honour and as a tribute to his many years of service.
The club also provided and maintains 'Jack's Bench' which
can be found in Stanford-on-Teme churchyard. The bench still
overlooks the current Little Mountain course so that all riders
taking part in the race today ride past it. It stands in a
beautiful place much loved by Jack himself.
John Banks Clements (always known as 'Jack') was an Irishman.
Born in Wicklow in 1917 the son of a comfortably affluent
Protestant family, Jack moved to England in 1938. Amongst
his luggage he carried the gentle Irish accent which stayed
with him for the rest of his life.
His first occupation in England was as a government appointed
inspector, ensuring that aircraft were being supplied to the
RAF in airworthy condition. Important though this work was,
it clearly didn't take up all of his waking hours as he managed
to find time to court Jeanne (whom he married in 1943) and
to maintain a racing career which had begun in his native
Ireland.
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One of Jack's cycle shops
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The war over, Jack moved into the cycle trade opening shops
in Wolverhampton and Walsall. However, through no fault of
his own, this venture was not successful and another source
of income had to be found. So, in the early 1950s Jack went
to work for Dawes Cycles in Tyesley. His immense charm made
him a natural salesman and he was to stay with the firm until
his retirement, moving through the sales team to become manager
and the man responsible for all trade shows. He also ran the
Dawes Professional Racing Team.
Meanwhile his cycling career continued and he joined the
fledgling Beacon Roads CC in the late 1940s and became the
club's second president in 1947. This position he held, being
re-elected annually until being made Life President a few
years before his untimely death in 1987. Amongst his club
activities he was chairman of the Birmingham Division of the
BCF, a commissaire and a track judge. With his wife Jeanne
he was also a busy RTTC and RRA timekeeper.
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'Jack's Bench' overlooking
the course in Stanford-on-Teme churchyard
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Jack Clements' relationship was not that of a remote, titular
president. Rather, he regarded the membership as an extended
family and urged the rest of us to do the same. His door was
always open and he was a fund of thoughtful, quietly considered
advice to anyone who sought it. His steady guidance at meetings
steered the club through many difficult times.
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