Welcome To The Armstrong`s Website.

People, things and places in my memories. Fond thoughts of them all. W.T.Armstrong.

I race in the Isle of Man races from 1964 to 1971, best place 11th. In those days hundreds would start and only a very lucky few would finish. The factory bike would usually win, the privateers were lucky if they made it round the course for the six required laps, over 225 miles of racing. Those that did get to the end of the race were worn out, but exhilarated. No finer test of man and machine could be experienced than to ride in the TT. Difficult to explain the thrill of taking Handley's Corner or the bottom of Begarrow flat out. Or even the rush down Bray hill.



Arthur Jones East View Wheatley Hill. BSA. Billy Middleton and Joe Butler.Apprentice Blacksmiths, Thornley. Dave Levene, Miss Westlake and Andy Lamont, Bisley.





The most wonderful machine ever made by man the unaproachable Manx Norton.
This is the first Manx I ever owned, definitely my first love, a 1958 349cc Manx Norton, the kind of bike dreams are made of. For the enthusiast. Note the lay down 1956 gearbox, elephant foot oil tank, 5 gallon I.O.M petrol tank 2LS 8”Magnesium front brake, 1/3/8” GP Amal, small tower, plate clip ons, reverse cone mega, fly screen, balance weights on the front spokes, sponge on the tank for your chin. The picture was taken in 1962 at Wheatley Hill Co. Durham. With a Brownie 127. Cost me more than money.


Good old Ginger Hawthorn acting as my mechanic at a very cold Brands Hatch about 1965. Team Armstrong van in the background, the bike is the double overhead cam Pasco triumph, with a new 650cc engine fitted. The other bike is a 350cc Manx. The chap with the beard was regularly in camp, but I never knew his name.


Above left a young lady is determined to do something to me. However that is ok as she was one of the best shooters I have ever seen.That is John Rolf holding her off. Yet another great shooter. In the middle Is Margaret Thomas and myself (Tom Armstrong) in Italy Bolgna 1991. On the right Mike, Jay oustanding all round shooter enjoying himself at my expense in Finland. That is Paul Leatherdale and Steve Pengelly on our right.The other chap is a Fin, who`s name escapes me.


Above the Bologna Medal.

Margaret Thomas or Dr Margaret Thomas was one of the most successful shooter in the GB squad. Dr. Thomas, who represented Great Britain in the women’s sport pistol events during the 1988 Summer Olympics, was nominated to be one of the 8,000 torchbearers who carried the Olympic flame 8,000 miles in 70 days to its final resting place in the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. Dr. Thomas holds the British record in the women’s sport pistol events and competed in more than 50 international matches with both the .177-caliber air pistol and the .22-caliber sport pistol. During the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Thomas came in 11th in target pistol shooting. In 1994, she took the silver medal in pistol shooting at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada.


Well done Margaret, your a winner.Hows that elbow?

However, just as Dr. Thomas was reaching her zenith in the sport, tragedy struck Great Britain. In 1996, Thomas Hamilton rampaged through a school in Dunblane, Scotland, killing 16 children and their teacher. Following in the wake of the deaths, Great Britain enacted the 1997 Firearms Act, a strict gun-control law that prohibits ownership or purchase of handguns for all British citizens. With the law curtailing her access to the sport, Dr. Thomas stepped back from the competitions and focused, instead, on her newly established orthodontic practice in Salisbury.



The lovely Jean.
A wet sail and a flowing sea, A wind that follows fast
And fills the white and rustling sail And bends the gallant mast
And bends the gallant mast, my boys, While like the eagle free
Away the good ship flies, and leaves Old England on the lee.




The picture above shows the coal drawing winder and pulley wheels of Thornley colliery sometime after 1965. Originally the large pulley legs were made out of 4” angle riveted together with 3”x 1/2” iron straps in typical laced up fashion of the time, you can still see them in the diagonals. If you look at the structure of the legs, above you can see that 10”x 3” channel iron has been placed all of the way up the legs and struts, bolted to the original straps and welded on to the gusset plates. I did this before 1965 with a group of eight other blacksmith. It was a difficult dangerous undertaking in the middle of winter. We had to do it quickly as it was in danger of falling down and moved from side to side under cage loads. The team on the job had the nickname of the Golden Eight,” as we were paid double time due to the danger and long 12 hour shifts. From 6 o clock in the morning until 6 at night in howling gales and snow storms, seven days a week until the job completed. Hard but enjoyable work. In the team were eight men. Tom Armstrong Tommy Nicholson, Arthur Bosomworth, Billy Thompson, Bob Farnsworth and others, who`s names escape me.

Tommy Nicholson and I also built the structure on legs with a ramp, seen just underneath the large pulley structure. It was a long ramp from the timber yard, on the right of the picture, to the shaft entrance so that wood props could be easily sent down the mine.


Laura training, note the picture of two sons half painted, but now lost?



The lovely Eileen, childhood sweetheart, wow is she beautiful.



The last racer I ever road.



A great trip 3000 miles in 3 days on a Norton.



Family and friends. Marion, Cousin Barry Armstrong. Sister Doreen.


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