Harley Model J in Papua New Guinea

 

Bit beaten around this photo but it's a cracker. The bike is a Harley Model J which looks to have had every bit as hard a life as the photo itself. I genuinely would be at a total loss as for the location but for the fact that someone has written Kokopo, New Guinea April 1919 on the reverse.

Kokopo was part of 'German New Guinea' until the start of the First World War when in 1914 it quickly fell to Australian forces. Presumably these chaps in the photo are Aussie military.

DR Douggie

Printed on to a French postcard this First World War image on a despatch rider on his Douglas.

The image is unusual for the uncleaned bike and ad hoc nature of the photo with the chap walking across frame in the background. It's almost as if the subject has just delivered a telegram and is about to depart. I wonder if he survived.

First World War Douglas mounted Despatch Rider.

Great Dorset Steam Fair 2022 pt1

Some pictures from a lengthy meander around The Great Dorset Steam Fair way back in August when the sun was blazing.

The majority of the pictures in this post are from the World War 1 display area, always a poignant and impressive display. If you have never been the Steam Fair is well worth a visit though it's having a fallow year in 2023. Set the August Bank Holiday in your diary for 2024...

What it's all about. Steam engines. Lots of them.

Model T Ford in the WW1 display area.

Triumph despatch rider bikes.

'Trusty' Triumph Model H.

Veteran era Triumph in the WW1 display.

And another Model H.

From the 'Blitz' display area.

And finally for now, always a favourite of mine,
the road building camp.

Military BSA Model K

This unusual photo is of a WD issue BSA with its pith helmeted services rider. Usefully there is an annotation on the back 'Feb 1st 1918. Daressalamm' (sic).

At that point (1918) Tanzania was still officially part of German East Africa. Having rebelled against German rule just over ten years previously presumably Tanzanians were less than pleased that their country was passed on to the British Empire after the Treaty of Versailles came in to effect at the beginning of 1920.

Note the military contract number painted on to the petrol tank.

BSA military Model K in Tanzania.

Excelsior Super X Model 19

Excelsior Super X Model 19 combination on
a family outing.

 This would have been an extremely rare and imposing machine on the roads of Britain back in the day just as now. It's a Excelsior Super X Model 19 61cui ioe engine made from 1915 to 1919. Excelsior were suppliers to the American military alongside Harley Davidson during the Great War. The Excelsior Motorcycle Company sold machines under the Super X brand and from 1912 onwards were part of the Schwinn empire. Schwinn shut the brand down in 1931 at the height of the Great Depression.

Given that Super X were used by the American military it seems that there is a good chance that this example was sold military surplas after the war and hitched up to a British sidecar (they were used as solos by the military).

Excelsior Super X Model 19 on the road.

The White Helmets motorcycle display team

The White Helmets as they were popularly known or, to use their official title, The Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team were based locally to me as I grew up and very ocassionally you would see one of the Harris Triumphs with a reg plate on it blasting through town.

The Team was wound up in 2017 as being outdated. Sad, but history moves on and really the decision seems fair enough as there are no motorcycles in the British army anymore. Perhaps the Team was a good promotional and recruitment tool for the signals but how can you really justify spending so much tax money on a display team that has little relevance to modern operational competencies?

Originally formed in 1927 the Display Team had different nicknames through the years, 'The Red Devils', 'The Mad Signals' before 'The White Helmets' was settled on in 1963. The purpose of the Team was initially to promote riding skills amongst despatch riders. Machines used over the years varied and did not necessarily correspond to bikes that were in regular military contracts. Most recently the Team was known for flying the flag with their Devon built Harris Triumphs which were all auctioned off shortly after they disbanded.

Happy Valley Ariel

Recently I got hold of the photo album of a moto enthusiast who was stationed in Kenya back in the early post war era. I'll post up snippets from it over the next while. First up this page contains images of the protagonist with his '43 ex-WD Ariel in the Gilgil and Naivasha area.

Gilgil is a town in Kenya halfway between Nakuru and Naivasha and became infamous as one of the hubs of the 'Happy Valley set' of high living colonial aristocrats.

Broken down with a puncture on the 'short' Gilgil -
Naivasha road. Aug 1950.

Me and my 350cc 1943 Ariel.

Bill and I about to leave for a ride. Gilgil Aug '50.

Great War Douglas advertising

This postcard was published by Douglas to publicise the reliability of their bikes as demonstrated in the theatre of war. This particular postcard has actually been posted and the postmark is from 1922.

The caption on the card reads, 'Artificer Corp. J. Aked, Signals, Cavalry Corps, B. E. F.-"All the Douglas machines under my care have done good work" '

Personally I had to do some quick research to find out what that all means, so for others also unfamiliar with World War One military parlance here is a quick explanation... An artificer is a skilled mechanic in the armed forces. So Mr J Aked was a Corporal in the Signals Squadron of the Cavalry Corps with a responsibility for mechanics (ie the Signals Squadron was the home of the Despatch Riders and Mr Aked was more than likely responsible for maintaining their bikes). The B E F was the British Expeditionary Force and refers to the British Army sent to fight on the Western Front.

The man who looked after the Don R's
bikes was happy to recommend Douglas
machines!

DR Dougie

Armistice Day. 100 years on from the end of the First World War it seems more important than ever to remember the human tragedy and lives lost in conflict. 

The world seems to be becoming an ever more scary place as elements out there seem to be keen to re-enact the mistakes of the 1930s that led to the Second World War. People have short memories; commemorations and study of history are an important way to bring the rights and wrongs, sacrifices and tragedies of times past back in to the current consciousness.

Old images of services personnel always carry a poignancy to them as they beg the question, 'Did they make it through'. I hope this chap on his Douglas did.

BSA M20s in Germany

At a guess from the smiling faces and German writing in the background the war is at an end and these lads can relax a bit. The bikes are BSA M20s.

Many thanks to James Kelly for the loan of this cracking photo to scan and post.

The war is over and you get to ride a
BSA M20, happiness!

Fifi the Enfield and Lulu the Matchless Model X

Fifi the Royal Enfield featured a few months back and here she is with Lulu. Fifi is an ex War Department Royal Enfield Model C 350 side valve and Lulu a Matchless Model X from before the War. This photo reveals the human subjects as the Saxby Family, the image was taken in May 1946 and the location Western Avenue. Fifi has a London reg number so I'm guessing that Western Avenue could well be what is now known as the A40 going in and out of London from the West. If so it couldn't be more different from today.

Fifi the Enfield to the left and Lulu the Matchless on the
right.

Matchless G3 dispatch bike with the 6th Australian

This great image of a wartime DR with his dog and G3 has the message, "To Edna from Ron. Me and my dog." written on the reverse.

The kangaroo and boomerang insignia on the headlight denotes the 6th Australian Infantry Division. The 6th were raised two weeks after war was declared in 1939 and went immediately to the Middle East where this photo was most likely taken - the G3 is an early war spec bike with its girder forks and 8 inch headlight, it still looks in fairly tidy condition here. The 6th were moved to Greece in 1941 to bolster Greek and allied forces against the planned German invasion of Greece. The Division suffered losses in the Allied withdrawal from mainland Greece and were re-stationed to Crete where they also suffered grave losses when the Germans took the island. The Division was moved back to the Middle East where they were split between Palestine and Egypt. They saw further action against the Vichy French in Syria.

Early 1942 the Australian Government withdrew the 6th from the Middle East to assist with the efforts to stem back the approaching Japanese forces. They were stationed in New Guinea and saw service in several campaigns on the island.

Let's hope Ron made it through. It would be fascinating to know his story.

Ron of the Australian 6th, his dog and Matchless G3.

A Royal Enfield called Fifi

Another photo from a lost family album. This one an ex War Department Royal Enfield Model C, a 350cc side valve. The picture is annotated to the reverse, 'Barbara astride Fifi at Harefield. May 1946'.

Fifi the Royal Enfield Model C.

Indian 741

A nice old image of an ex-WD Indian 741 on holiday. The photo is annotated to the reverse 'Horse Shoe Pass August 1949'. Indian 741s were sold off army surplus in great numbers by Pride and Clarke in London. All Pride and Clarke ex WD bikes were re-finished from olive drab to their trademark shade of maroon.

Though very desirable these days Indian 741s were seen as a wonky option in post war Britain. Rather outdated with a hand change gear lever and performance that could be described as stodgy at best, an ohv British 350cc single would leave the 500cc v-twin 741 for standing. I know someone who has stories of ownership of a 741 back in the day and he maintains that it was the very worst bike he ever owned! Times and tastes however change and I for one would love to own a 741, though I think I would tweak the motor to 600cc Sport Scout spec....

Triumph Tiger 80

Sweet posed wartime photo with a Triumph in the background. Looks like the model is a Tiger 80 350cc single from the late thirties. Note the wartime black-out headlight mask.

Wartime sweethearts posing in front
of a Triumph Tiger 80.

Don R Dougies posing

Easy enough to recognise the bikes, a brace of Douglas. They are presumably from the First World War era, the bikes, riders and uniforms all look authentic enough so the studio pose is rather incongruous. I believe the uniforms are British. Wouldn't it be wonderful to know the full story..

A pair of Douglas and Despatch Riders pose
in a studio.

The Wonder Book of Soldiers 1939

Where this book came from I cannot remember. I think I have had it since childhood, it was quite old even back then! The Wonder Book of Soldiers is a flagrant piece of war-time propaganda and was published right at the beginning of the War in 1939 when there was still the resource to print large books. The book is full of optimism for a short and triumphant war from the time before the evacuation of Dunkirk. Many of the copious images from the book were taken during exercises in the twenties and thirties. Below are scans of the two wheeler related pics.   

'To the front'. Slightly ill-proportioned drawing of imaginary
British tanks rolling through an imaginary French village.

Can't have been much fun cycling in a gas mask.

The bike looks like a Model N Triumph from 1927, just like
my one. Wonder if mine is ex-WD?

'Mechanized Cavalry'

Looks like another Triumph. Probably a Model P. 

A rag tag selection of bikes for the South African Despatch
Corps. I'd hazard a guess that they were volunteers. Four Brit
bikes that are hard to identify and one Harley to the right.
Quite a number of Model U Harleys made their way to
South Africa.

A British Cyclists Patrol.

Welbikes from India

Starting somewhere around 1998 I imported old bikes from India to the UK and did this for around four years. Most of the bikes were pre-war or ex-WD and some were in fine condition and some terrible: there were a surprising number of Welbikes amongst them. I found these photos whilst going through an old album. There was another Welbike I had that had been converted in to a bicycle as well that alas I don't have a snap of. I'm not entirely sure how so many ended up in India bit it seems like they were used as runarounds at large bases and probably continued to be used by the Indian Army too for a while too after the British left. There were both MkI and MkII variants, several had been neatly modified with a fabricated centre stand.

I think most of these below have been restored by now. You might imagine that another eight of them would satisfy demand but they have surged and surged in popularity to the extent that several batches of replicas have been made. At least one of these ones was used as a pattern for replicas.

If you aren't familiar with the Welbike there's a very brief history here.

Petrol tanks missing was the norm, mini carrier is neat!

This Welbike has its tank but the pump must have gone so it
has been converted to gravity feed.

One of the better Welbikes that came over. Neat centre stand
and gravity petrol tank from perhaps a stationery engine or
lawnmower.

Petrol tanks missing but otherwise this MkI was very nice and
original. Also with centre stand, this one kept its stand after
restoration and it is a nice part of the bike's history.

Eek! A chromed and shiny Welbike. BSA Parabikes in the
background. There were a lot of these in India too.

Another good MkI Welbike.

Last one and also in pretty decent nick.

Great Dorset Steam Fair 2016 pt2

Another tranche of snaps of diverse machinery from the GDSF.....

Not what you normally expect to see under the bonnet!
Stanley steam car.

Front view of the Stanley.

Very rare to see an American traction engine on
these shores and rather bizarre looking to unfamiliar
eyes. A Peerless.

This year there was a display commemorating 100 years since
the Battle of the Somme. There were even re-creation trenches
to walk around. I was worried it might be a bit faux and tacky but
in fact it was fantastically done. Very thought provoking.

The Somme commemoration area even included
a field workshop where these two Triumphs
received attention alongside a stripped
Thornycroft lorry motor.