Taking a Catchpole for a ride

Regarding John Catchpole mentioned in the June issue. John worked at Vickers Armstrong in Crayford for a short time and he lived in a large house in Bexley Lane, Crayford. I lost track of him for a few years, then, when I went into a garage in Halfway Street, Sidcup, I found he owned it and we had a good chat about his projects. One was a Scott motorcycle, one of his specials which he had given a Norton clutch. While I was looking at the engineering, he said: “Take it for a ride.” I always liked riding different bikes so off I went, gently to start until I got to the bypass and then I opened it up. Crikey! I was staggered at the power of that engine. When I got back I said that the clutch was slipping a bit and he said he’d fix it. I never rode it again, but it would leave a Ferrari and get away. He was a one-off.

Graham Eckersley,

Dartford, Kent