If you’d like to share an old picture or two with Old Bike Mart readers, or can add anything to recent ‘Unearthed’ topics, write to me: Blue Miller, OBM, Morton Way, Media Centre, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR email OBMfeedback@gmail.com
A few years ago Paul Hogarth bought a box of AJS Model 18S bits and has since been building and restoring a complete machine out of those parts.
Including with the parts was a dating certificate for frame and engine confirming the factory dispatch in January 1954 to dealer Lilliotts of Sherborne, Dorset.
Only two of this model were registered by Lilliotts in 1954,
GPR 497 in May, and GPR 918 in July. A visit to the Dorset Archives confirmed that, by coincidence, GPR 497 was registered to Roy English of North Wooton, and
GPR 918 to Kenneth English of Alweston. Paul even worked through the Ancestry web site to find any family in Dorset nowadays, but both men appear to have passed away, and the trail has run out, although he believes Kenneth and Roy English were brothers, and that the machines were bought from Lilliotts within two months of each other. He would dearly love to find any information which would confirm which of the English brothers – from the Gillingham area of Dorset – owned his bike, or to hear from any reader who may even have owned either of these 500 singles.
Paul has clearly already done some sterling research in tracking down the history of his AJS and says; “Because this goes back to the 1950s, it would be too much to hope any of your readers knew either of the English brothers, but it is just possible someone has a photo of one of these bikes, and a dusty logbook would be better than a Lottery win! (well, almost!)”.
Wouldn’t it be amazing is one of you out there can add a little more to the story? Please let us know and we will pass any information onto Paul.
Barry Stickland was given this vehicle plaque (Pic. 1) some years ago of the Reading Aerodrome Motorcycle Club (or it could be Motor Club?). Would anyone know anything about the club and its history? The aircraft, suggests Barry, probably depicts a Miles aircraft, manufactured at Woodley, near Reading by Phillips and Powis Aircraft (Reading Ltd). He adds that Phillips and Powis had originally started as a motorcycle business in Reading, sometime in the 1920s and was an agent for Rudge Whitworth. The company was taken over by former salesman, Charles Bloomfield, in about 1933 and the name eventually changed to Phillips and Bloomfields’ motorcycle shop in Reading, which lasted until the 1970s. Reading Aerodrome officially closed on March 31, 1963. We are delighted to see that the plaque is still being used for its intended purpose on Barry’s own machine (Pic. 2)
Alan Adams is a long-time subscriber to OBM (thank you Alan!) and says he always turns to Feedback first. We are hoping you can help us reward his loyalty to Feedback and OBM. The first photograph Alan sent us is of his mother (Pic. 3) on the pillion. He knows the picture was taken in Long Walk, Scarborough, but can anyone tell him what the motorcycle was? Pic. 4 is of
Alan’s uncle in Eastbourne Road, Darlington, astride an Excelsior, but Alan would like to know what model. He also sent us a photograph of his father posing on a Douglas (Pic. 5) on an allotment in Abertillary and once again asks if, as with the previous two motorcycles, anyone can identify the model and possible year of manufacture.
Tim Bolton contacted us to make a correction to the entry on Hesketh [Pic.6] in last month’s
A-Z of British Motorcycles. He told us: “It [was] stated that Hesleydon acquired most of the assets at the liquidation sale, this is untrue. Hesleydon, represented by Mick Broom, bought only one item at the sale, a unique piece of kit, a jig for setting gearbox clearances. This fairly simple device cost them in the region of £35 (I can't exactly remember after 40 years whether they paid £32 or £35). What they did do is wait for the euphoria to die down and enthusiastic buyers to realise that they would have absolutely no use for 1000 widgets and Hesleydon slowly bought in what parts they wanted at their price.” We are indebted to Tim for that interesting correction, although this does also demonstrate a certain danger. Our Blue will always take advantage of folk who are knowledgeable and so Tim has been sent away to do some homework and, we hope, there will be a more comprehensive history of Hesketh in a future issue, courtesy of Mr Bolton.
As has been mentioned in past Feedbacks, we have – with the help of Mike Meadows – been trying to identify the ‘Melanion’ ridden by our editor’s father in scrambles in the 1960s. Now, thanks to Barry Yallop, it seems very likely it was a Greeves engine in a BSA frame (although Blue’s mum still can’t remember why she christened it with that name). Barry sent in two copies of scrambles in which he, his brother Adrian and Mick Miller competed, including this list [Pic. 7] from the BSA Grandstand Television Trophy Scramble at Herringfleet Hills, Somerleyton, Suffolk [Pic. 8] in which the Yallop brothers and Blue’s dad had consecutive numbers. You will all recognise the name of one D Bickers in the class above, but does anyone remember any of the other riders that day?
Mr A D Waterton from Kent is trying to identify two gearboxes. One was on the lathe (Pic. 9) when he purchased it some 50 years ago, while the other (Pic. 10) came with the lathe. One bears these markings (Pic. 11) and Mr Waterton adds that the lathe used a leather belt driven by steam.