South Yorkshire Times, December 17, 1955
Training as a Jockey
Training at Newbury to become a jockey is 15-year-old John Clewer of Montague Cottage, Wellgate, Conisbrough. In a letter to his mother this week he told is expecting to get his first mount in the flat racing season starts again next March.
A former Northcliffe modern schoolboy he went to train near Newbury when he left school. His mother was rather surprised when he told her he had written for a job as an apprentice jockey, but he told her it had always been his secret ambition to ride in the races.
The third son of Mrs Alice Clewer and the late Mister R Clewer, he first became interested in racing as a schoolboy when the offer went to Doncaster races during school holidays, but had never had the chance to ride until he went to Newbury.
He told his mother in his letter this week that he had passed all the steps to become an apprentice jockey and was looking forward to getting his first ride in the spring.