Bill Dash - Greyhound Trainer

Bill Dash was born in 1912 in Malton, near Orwell, Cambridgeshire which is located close to the Herts/Cambs border.  He developed a love for dogs from an early age and after moving temporarily to Canada as a teenager, he developed an interest in stag hounds which later transferred to greyhounds on his return home.  By the late 1930's he had moved to the nearby village of Meldreth to start up a road haulage business and then established himself as a greyhound trainer. He went on to be ably assisted with the help of several local people from Meldreth, including his younger brother Bert who was often the unsung hero quietly making things work in the background.  A local gentleman named Harry Pearce also played a big part during the early years.  

Bill's wife Vicki, a butcher's daughter from Luton, supported him over the years and in the run up to the Derby when he was very successful. He was regularly racing dogs at far and wide places in Britain and Ireland, and was never one to turn down a good business deal.  He built up a good network of contacts at regular places such as Slough, White City, Harringay, West Ham, Catford, Perry Bar in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.  Bill and Vicki both shared a great love for animals and the welfare of the greyhounds was always a top priority.

Bill would never, ever share any of his pre-race thoughts and always studied a greyhound carefully before selecting it for a race.  He finally retired from greyhound racing in the mid 1980's but held his trainer's license for over fifty years! Bill sadly passed away aged 88 in September 2000, followed by his wife Vicki in April 2014 aged 94.