Royal Enfield by Anne Bradford

To add to the list of books about the history of motorcycle manufacturers and the people who worked for them, I have just finished reading Royal Enfield by Anne Bradford (edited by Ray Knight) and found it to be a fascinating story and one which gave many details about the company which I did not previously know.

Although it gives details about all aspects of the diverse items that they manufactured it is mainly focused on motorcycle production and the people who worked for the company who give detailed descriptions of their experiences, some of them extremely amusing, while they moved through various departments within the company.

One thing that is obvious from the interviews is that, although the pay wasn’t very good, they all enjoyed working there. Some who went on to work for BSA found a very different environment from what they were used to. Others moved to employers who paid more but they missed the social side of work at Royal Enfield.

I recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the history of motorcycle manufacture. It makes enjoyable reading, I particularly liked the interviews with former employees.

Chris Rayment