South Yorkshire Times, May 19th 1933
A “Fairy” Tale
Darfield Child’s Bold Ride
“Showing” Dad
Some day perhaps, little Jack Shepherd, (picture) of 24, John Street Snaps Hill, Darfield will fly the Atlantic. Either that or he will swim the Channel, climb Everest, or go over Niagara in a barrel.
At the age of eleven—and a very diminutive eleven—he has ridden from Darfield to Atherton in Lancashire on a “fairy’ cycle, alone and without any previous experience of long-distance riding. One day his father kicked his pants gently, pretending to be angry; later in the day, when Jack turned up unexpectedly at Atherton, his father still pretended to be angry, but really he was very proud. Jack had accomplished something which few boys of his age would be capable of.
The facts of this exploit first came to light through the appearance of an obscure paragraph in a Lancashire newspaper. It said:
52 MILES ON A FAIRY CYCLE. Among the records this Easter must be placed the performance of an eleven-year-old boy who lives in a small village near Barnsley. On Saturday be travelled alone from Barnsley to Atherton, a distance of about 52 miles, on a fairy-cycle. The boy followed his father, who had turned him back earlier in the ‘day. A “South Yorkshire Times” reporter followed up this clue and discovered the “hero” at the address given. He is the third and youngest son of Mr. Jack Shepherd, (picture) a miner at Darfield Main, and Mrs. Shepherd.
THE STORY
When our representative called, Jack had come home from the Darfield School, and in the odd moments allowed in the dinner hour was busy polishing the bicycle which “dad” bought him for his birthday in January. On the small side for his age, he is nevertheless a lad of grit and gumption. The difficulties he got out of in the course of his long journey showed him to have his head well screwed on.
Really it happened on Good Friday. Shepherd had a few days off from week and decided to go over to Atherton, “twelve miles t’other side o’ Manchester,” to see his sister. He set off early on his bicycle, taking with him an older son, James, for company. Father and son had reached Stairfoot who. looking back casually, they saw a little cyclist pedalling away in the distance. It was Jack. Sidling out of the back door with his little mount he had followed in the hope that he would get to Atherton before he was noticed. “Dad” was angry, gave him a “love-tap,” and sent him home crying. Was Jack dismayed? Not he. He betook himself to Darfield, like the good lad his father had told him to be, but it was only to think matters over. His father had said it was too far. Would “dad” be angry if he proved that he could do it? It was worth risking. So, Jack set off on his adventure, and turned up at Atherton at 9.30pm the same evening. After many interruptions by police and others, he had accomplished the journey in about ten hours!
Mr. Atherton said he was never more surprised in his life than when the lad walked in. “You could have knocked me down with a feather. We could not believe it until we saw his cycle. We were resting our legs after the long and tiring journey, but Jack was ready to take his cycle out again. He said he was not a bit tired.”
OVER THE HILLS
Jack was “dumb” at first, but eventually was persuaded to take up the story. He had always been fond of cycling, but before his “dad” bought him his cycle used to “monkey-ride ‘ a big machine belonging to his brother, putting one leg through the frame, and pedalling around a that way. He thought if he could show his father that he was capable of the journey he would not be angry. And besides, he wanted to see his auntie. So, he set off and was soon leaving Barnsley and climbing the hills toward the moors. Once before he had been to Manchester by ‘bus, and so far as direction was concerned that part of the journey did not trouble him much. He took his time over the moorland hills and nobody stopped him to ask awkward questions. He was not afraid of bandits, because he had no money. But once among the traffic of Manchester he got a little bewildered. What did he do? This is where he showed intelligence. He rode to a ‘bus station, where previously he had alighted with his mother, and looked out for a ‘bus marked “Atherton.” he followed on as fast as his little legs carry him. All went well until he reached Belle Vue. where a big policeman glanced at the spanking new machine suspiciously and then put his big hand up. There was nothing for it but to stop. Where are you going? How far have you come? Where did you get that machine? And many more questions.
A KINDLY POLICEMAN
Jack told him the whole story. and when the kind-hearted policeman had given him a cup of tea, pointed out the way and slipped threepence into his hand. Jack rode of again, this time straight for Atherton. In the meantime, Jack’s mother was anxious. She knew he had not gone with Mr. Shepherd and the other boy, and could not understand his long absence. Many times between Barfield and Ardsley she trudged, returning home at last to find there was a message for her. It relieved her anxiety partly. The policeman at Manchester had set the wheels going, and a ‘phone message to Darfield had proved Jack to be a bona-fide traveller. Finally, he got to Atherton, where another reassuring message was put through to his worried mother, Jack’s mother says that Good Friday was the most anxious day she has ever spent in her life. But all’s well that ends well. Like “dad,” she also is proud of Jack. Jack is probably wondering what do next. There are many big things in the world left for him to tackle. and no doubt he will attempt some of them. In the time he has surely set up a record for eleven-year-olds.