Autographs of Split Waterman
Squire Francis Waterman (27 July 1923 – 8 October 2019), better known as Split Waterman, was an English speedway rider who twice finished second in the Speedway World Championship final. Waterman took up speedway while serving in the British Army in Italy and went on to become one of the top riders of the post-war era. He made the headlines again in the late 1960s when he was convicted of gold smuggling and firearms offences.
Born in New Malden, Waterman worked as a toolmaker's apprentice after leaving school.
Waterman applied to join the Royal Air Force when the Second World War broke out but was unable to do so as his job as a toolmaker was classed as a reserved occupation. He joined the Local Defence Volunteers (the Home Guard) in 1942, before joining the Royal Fusiliers, and was posted to North Africa before being involved in the Allied invasion of Italy. Shrapnel wounds that led to him being declared unfit for front line service saw him transferred to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and posted to a workshop in Pozzuoli, near Naples. Waterman acted as a despatch rider, and motorcycle racing events became a regular occurrence, and Waterman was involved in building a speedway track at Vomero Stadium. He became a proficient racer on his adapted BSA M20 bike and it was from speedway racing that Waterman gained his nickname. After falling in a race he split his racing leathers down the back, after which his colleagues referred to him as "split arse", which was later shortened to "split". After a tour of duty in Palestine, Waterman was posted to Germany where his commanding officer, a Major Fenwick, wrote to the Wembley Lions manager, Alec Jackson, with whom he had served earlier in the war, to recommend giving Waterman a trial.
More about Split Waterman Wikipedia
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Traded items with a signature of Split Waterman
The most expensive item with a signature of Split Waterman (autograph book with 30 speedway rider signatures split waterman,jack parker,etc ) was sold in July 2020 for £29.99 while the cheapest item (Signed Split Waterman 1923-2019 Bob Wells Wimbledon Wembley Lions England 1940s) found a new owner for £0.99 in January 2020. The month with the most items sold (3) was March 2016 with an average selling price of £6.55 for an autographed item of Split Waterman. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in October 2015 with £19.20 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £0.99 was January 2020. In average, an autographed item from Split Waterman is worth £5.50.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Split Waterman were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | 1923-2019 SPLIT WATERMAN (Wembley, Harringay), colour photo, ORIGINALLY SIGNED! | £2.99 |  |
| 1923-2019 SPLIT WATERMAN, colour photograph, ORIGINALLY SIGNED! | £3.00 | |
| autograph book with 30 speedway rider signatures split waterman,jack parker,etc | £29.99 | |
| Glossy b/w press photograph, ORIGINALLY SIGNED by SPLIT WATERMAN! | £5.99 | |
| HAND SIGNED SPLIT WATERMAN SPEEDWAY PHOTO | £2.00 | |
| HARRINGAY RACERS--SPLIT WATERMAN-1950'S---7X5---AUTOGRAPHED--ACTION PHOTO | £10.50 | |
| Original Hand Signed autograph Of Split Waterman Wembley Lions Signed Photo | £3.00 | |
| PHOTO OF SPEEDWAY RIDERS SIGNED BY SPLIT WATERMAN OF HARRINGAY & ENGLAND | £1.99 | |
| Signed Split Waterman 1923-2019 Bob Wells Wimbledon Wembley Lions England 1940s | £0.99 | |
| Speedway signed letter Wembley Stadium Geo Wilks plus a card Split Waterman | £2.99 | |
| SPLIT WATERMAN & ERIC SALMON HAND-SIGNED ALBUM PAGE - 1940's > HARRINGAY etc | £2.49 | |
| SPLIT WATERMAN (Harringay), 1954 A & BC card, ORIGINALLY SIGNED! | £3.99 | |
| SPLIT WATERMAN, ALLAN QUINN, DUNTON HAND-SIGNED MAGAZINE PHOTO-1950's HARRINGAY | £5.00 | |
| SPLIT WATERMAN, JACK BIGGS SIGNED SPEEDWAY PHOTO | £12.00 | |
| VINTAGE PHOTO OF SPLIT WATERMAN SPEEDWAY RIDER WITH SIGNATURE | £8.99 | |
