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Bill Kershaw 1925 - 2018

by Geoff Thomas

William H "Bill" Kershaw was born in Birmingham in the 1920s into a motorcycling family. His father Bert Kershaw was a well known and much respected works rider for both James and Villiers. Bert achieved success as a member of the Six Days British team and test rode two stroke outfits all over Europe 

Early in the war Bill was evacuated with his school mates to rural Monmouthshire and this began his lifelong interest in the area. Later he was called up and served in the Navy spending some time onboard the battleship Rodney.

On demob he entered Cambridge University, gaining a Masters degree in Engineering and subsequently, membership of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He worked on the development of Cwmbran New Town before transferring to the Engineers Department at Newport County Borough. He remained there for the rest of his working life, getting the greatest respect for his organisation, clear thinking and communication abilities. He was held in the highest regard by all his professional colleagues throughout South Wales and eventually became head of the Department, holding the position of Director until his retirement .

Throughout this career Bill retained his enthusiasm for motorcycling. He was an active member of the Newport and Gwent MC and represented the MCC of Wales in the Six Days on an Enfield and then a James. He was also an active member of the Caerleon and District MSC..

With the fast growing interest in trail riding and the wealth of local tracks the setting up of the Welsh Trail Riders Association in the early 1970's was a clear direction and Bill was one of the founder members at the inaugural meeting. The club benefited from his enthusiasm and knowledge over many years.

It soon became clear that the retention and safeguarding of appropriate tracks was a contentious issue with significant legal and administrative procedures. With Hearings to attend and evidence to be given Bill's lead was hugely important. He dealt with Local Authorities while liaising with other interested parties such as LARA and TRF and became a "Guru and Protector" on rights of way matters. This did not stop his enjoyment of trail runs and weekends over much of Wales in which he was always a skilled and supportive riding companion. His beloved square barrel Trophy was exchanged for a 175 Yamaha, this surprisingly gave him an extra lift of enjoyment and allowed him to support the Club's competitive events with his usual enthusiasm and energy. One of Bill's great pleasures was his organisation of his UNenduro event, a day every year when we hack riders had a wonderful fun time trying to overcome Bill's simple but tricky tests

After his riding days, Bill continued with the RoW fight for many years but eventually allowed the baton to pass to others. He lived a full life, making use of his computer and keeping active contact with his friends in both the motorcycling and wider world. He was the secretary of the local Rotary club and wrote/ provided their magazine. He did this despite failing eyesight which became a real problem. However he had recently bought a mobility scooter and was in active discussion with the highways dept to get the local kerbs dropped to give him free access to the road system! Energetic to the last and a Great man!

Photo courtesy of Geoff Charles