1932 Douglas T6 Airedale

This Douglas sidecar outfit caught my eye, as it looked just right. After talking with the owner, it turns out the 1935 Pride & Clark 'Sports' model sidecar is a recent addition, having been added six years ago for touring purposes. The choice of the Pride & Clark carriage is in a way periodcorrect, as Douglas did actually offer their sidevalve model with a similar Pride & Clarke sidecar a couple of years later.

The 1932 Airedale has had an interesting life as a solo machine, having been bought in late 1932 by Canon (at the time Reverend) James Llewellyn Grice-Hill MC MA, the Rector of St Margaret’s Parish Church of Hawes, Wensleydale. Llewellyn Grice-Hill had won a Military Cross in the First World War and had received his calling afterwards, using the Airedale for his parish rounds during the 1930s and into the war years. After his death in 1980, the Airedale was sold to a scrapyard, from where it was saved by Richard Matthews, who went on to perform a sympathetic restoration.

Shortly after its restoration, it was sold to its current family, where it has continued to have an active life working as a solo tourer and now outfit. The touring has been quite substantial for the Airedale and the long runs have kept the machine in fine fettle. Recent trips have been from Cornwall to Tiree in the Western Isles and back; this is one of many long distance runs that this faithful Airedale has done and continues to do. Shortly after the rally, the Airedale set off on a run from Oxford to the Tallyn Railway in West Wales and on to Cornwall. The reliability is clearly consistent as the current rider Jason Hearne, nephew of the owner, has aspirations to follow in the footsteps of Robert Fulton junior who rode a T6 Douglas round the world in 1932, documented in his book One Man Caravan. I for one hope this happens and look forward to hearing about these adventures.