LMM
at the March Auto-jumble
Kempton
Park.
It
certainly was cold! Early morning fog chilled everything and did not
clear until early afternoon. Fun for the punters to brave this
morning as Frank, Peter and myself set up the stand at seven in the
gloom. It seemed an odd day with fewer people coming and going.
Everyone was supporting us in our efforts to keep the doors open at
Ravenor Farm. As usual you are not able to stayed glued to the spot
and need to take a little walk for refreshments. On the way thee are
always some interesting machines. I like to see some of the foreign
bikes that are around with strange names.
Some look from the “Dark
Ages” and others surprisingly modern for their year. The Ducati
that was there in January appeared again but there was a lot more new
stuff. I did like the Douglas T35, a late forties Mk 1 but what
prompted me to take a photo was this Gold Star Sealey. Having the
wooden Matchless G50 Sealey on show I was drawn to this model.
The
day ended in warm sunshine, I could do with a bit more of that. This
winter has got the cold into my bones and I want to get warm again. I
had lost my voice from talking too much. A very warm feeling came
from the collection boxes. With the sale of a special bike helmet of
£100 the tally for the day was £370.38p. A Very Big thank you to
all who contributed. A reminder that if you present your flier with
the pound off for Monday entrance you will get your pound back!
I
was at the Museum on Monday riding the LE and we had a visit from the
VMCC. There was much discussion about the bikes we had, what they had
and who they had raced with! The Museum is more than just a
collection of bikes. My voice was not good to start the day and went
again later in the day. I need to rest it. Tuesday I did just that
and finished off reading the second book on Despatch Riders. The
first one was Adventures of a Despatch Rider by Captain W.H.L. Watson
and he covers the start of World War One from 1914 to 1915 and the
retreat from German advances.
Note: Sergeant Simpkin is on a Triumph model H. His comment was that it was much heavier than the Douglas he took with him when he enlisted.
The second book Despatch Rider on the Western Front 1915 to 1918, The diary of Sergeant Albert Simpkin. This concludes the war and is a good narrative on the major events that brought the war to its conclusion. I have great admiration for what these guys did to get the messages through against the hardships of freezing cold, rain and snow that turned the cratered roads into a quagmire while being shot at, bombed, shelled either blown to pieces or cut to pieces by shrapnel in the dark with no lights! How these men survived it all is amazing. It was not all about blood and guts, although featuring heavily on the atrocities of war there were some good time too at riotous Christmas dinners where food and drink were in plentiful supply, rest periods when pranks and tricks helped pass the time of day. The Despatch Riders were almost a law unto themselves as the freedom of the motorcycle gave them opportunities to take time out and explore. I found both books fascinating reading. One thing I did read is that the Germans had Gotha bombers. One was very large with 124ft wingspan and four engines. The aircraft had a crew of eight and a small engine and dynamo for supplying electricity to the wireless, the engine was a direct copy of that used on the Douglas motorcycles of that time. I wonder who made that engine? Could it have been Bosche or BMW or was it just borrowed? Something to search for when I visit Germany later in the year.
Note: Sergeant Simpkin is on a Triumph model H. His comment was that it was much heavier than the Douglas he took with him when he enlisted.
The second book Despatch Rider on the Western Front 1915 to 1918, The diary of Sergeant Albert Simpkin. This concludes the war and is a good narrative on the major events that brought the war to its conclusion. I have great admiration for what these guys did to get the messages through against the hardships of freezing cold, rain and snow that turned the cratered roads into a quagmire while being shot at, bombed, shelled either blown to pieces or cut to pieces by shrapnel in the dark with no lights! How these men survived it all is amazing. It was not all about blood and guts, although featuring heavily on the atrocities of war there were some good time too at riotous Christmas dinners where food and drink were in plentiful supply, rest periods when pranks and tricks helped pass the time of day. The Despatch Riders were almost a law unto themselves as the freedom of the motorcycle gave them opportunities to take time out and explore. I found both books fascinating reading. One thing I did read is that the Germans had Gotha bombers. One was very large with 124ft wingspan and four engines. The aircraft had a crew of eight and a small engine and dynamo for supplying electricity to the wireless, the engine was a direct copy of that used on the Douglas motorcycles of that time. I wonder who made that engine? Could it have been Bosche or BMW or was it just borrowed? Something to search for when I visit Germany later in the year.
The
sun is still shining this week and I'm getting warmer following the
exploits of Richard and Mopsa English with their around the world
adventure on a Triumph Thunderbird with Squire sidecar. More on that
to follow.
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