Well known photo here........bike(s) probably impressed civvy Ariel sidevalves.......either Model VB's (600cc) or the rarer VA (500cc)............

A similar picture appears in "Ever Faithful", the history of the 1st (Loyal City of Exeter) Battalion Devon Home Guard, so it would appear that these men belong to "D" (Mobile) Coy of that unit.

Apparently all their transport along with several Home Guardsmen was lost in one night when Exeter was blitzed.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

Do you think the sidecars were "home made" Rob ?

Yes, they are all slightly different, one of the ones in the other picture looks like it may have a doorway in the side, I will try to scan it but its very small and right in the crease of the book.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

This is about as good as I can get it without damaging the book.

We don't know how many of these outfits were built, but it looks like there were three or more, and we don't know if they were all Ariels.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

Hi
The side car looks exactly like mine, it is a late thirties watsonian if that helps
For sale if anyone is interested
Regards steve

email (option): S.johnson658@btinternet.com

Stev, is it complete, have you the fittings to the bike Andrew

email (option): warbikesAT GEE Male .com(think about this)

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

Perhaps I should have said mine has a different body,but the sidecar is the same, sorry I didn't mean to confuse
There are some pictures of it in the for sale section from a few weeks ago

email (option): S.johnson658@btinternet.com

Hi Steve, I see what you mean now.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

I'm having a go at making an Exeter Home Guard Sidecar body, so far there are no pictures from the back so that has to be guesswork, also I have been generous with the width and made a cunning opening front so my 75 year old father can get in, here are a couple of pictures of it so far.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

Going back to the original photo, looking at their faces you can see they are all just lads, not reached enlistment age yet. Not just a Dad's Army in Exeter!

email (option): cruiserchooserAThotmail.co.uk

You've done a good job there Rob, it looks just like the photo

email (option): horror@blueyonder.co.uk

Have you road tested it yet Rob?...

I'd be interested to know how the engine pulls on lower gearing and with Barry in the chair..err..I mean the additional weight of a sidecar....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

Well done Rob,superb looking outfit. Dont suppose youve got a spare Lewis gun ?

email (option): Fuzzyempire@hotmail.com

No road test yes, I'm still fiddling with the fittings and painting.

The gearing will probably have to be adjusted, I can't remember which front sprocket is on at the moment, its either a 20 or 21.

I would really like an aircraft Lewis, there was one at Stoneleigh for nearly 5k, but I would have to sell the outfit to afford it. Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

You should have snapped it up Rob, there is an Aircraft Pattern Lewis on Gunstar at the moment for just under £8000!! If you want the standard Lewis Gun, there is also one of those at £8,950!

Took the outfit for a ride up the lane today, I had forgotten how much fun they can be.

Now for some experiments in camouflage, green and brown would seem to be the best option for the Home Guard but I'm probably basing that assumption on the Dads Army episode with the two Rolls Royce staff cars. Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

And because curio minds need to know.
Are they Lewis guns sans cooling schrouds fitted or was there another LMG that used the round Lewis type magazine.

email (option): wariron@tpg,com,au

They are a WW1 aircraft version of the Lewis, often fitted above the top wing, they were issued to the Home Guard with various bipods and front wooden grips added on, originally they had a deeper, larger capacity magazine but the standard narrow magazine seemed to be used more in the second war.

And of course they were made by BSA.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

96 and 48 rounds respectively I believe.

It just seems curious that they were not fitted with the schrods which i was always led to believe was a vital part of the barrel cooling mechanism.

email (option): wariron@tpg,com,au

I think the standard Lewis with the steel "chimney" and alloy fins was more suited to the infantry role, the idea being that the barrel stayed cooler and didn't have to be swapped on a regular basis like other air cooled machine guns such as the later Bren or MG34, as an aircraft gun the Lewis was being air cooled by the motion of the plane and the "chimney" probably caught the wind with unpleasant side effects.

When it came to issuing guns to the Home Guard cooling may not have been considered such a problem, firstly they weren't given enough ammo to get the gun hot, secondly any gun is better than no gun?

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

In the early days at least it was just a scam, or 'whistling in the dark'..

The government giving the impression they were doing something meaningful about our dire situation...

Same thing with the 'inter channel stop line' and other defensive lines constructed around that time...

If the Germans had actually invaded those defensive lines (and the Home Guard) would have held them up for about 5 minutes...

By the time the Home Guard became a fully equipped and trained force the threat of invasion had past anyway...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

We'll have none of that bolshy defeatist talk here! Take that man's name Sarn't Wilson! A Fifth Columnist I shouldn't wonder......you can tell by those shifty eyes.

email (option): Fergusanckorn@icloud.com

A work in progress.

Bit of a mix of colours

Bike - SCC Brown No.2 (mixed myself matched to original headlamp)
Sidecar chassis/mudguard - Khaki Green No.3 (Frank Burbery paints)
Sidecar body - Cobbaton Dark Olive Drab Green & Jeep parts Dark Camo Brown

No. "4" I picked at random, there were alleged to be 4 outfits and "2" was an Ariel.

Now I'm trying to decide if I should paint on the grey Home Guard Diamond marking which was officially only for Military Vehicles loaned to the Home Guard, whereas this is a Civilian vehicle locally procured.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

And a little hinge up windscreen if you really want to spoil Barry! Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

['And a little hinge up windscreen if you really want to spoil Barry! Ron']


I'd make him wear the cape he lent me in Normandy!.. .... ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com