Whilst doing a bit of local history research I came across an interesting press cutting. From October 31st, 1941.
“Private Jack Hutchinson, a Canadian dispatch rider …. was alleged to have passed a police car on a cross roads at a speed of 50 miles per hour, and to have driven through Grayshott at between 65 and 70 miles per hour. Defendant said he was delivering an urgent dispatch at the time and was trying to make up for lost time, as he was late in starting. He was fined £3.”
Can anybody suggest what bike issued to the Canadians at that time could realistically have achieved 70mph? The road in question is straight for well over a mile, with a slight gradient. Even so, I feel that private H may have been hard done by.
TIA, John.

Could have been a Harley 45? and I imagine a Matchless G3 or Ariel WNG could be pushed past 65 OK?

Was it downhill?

Rob

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

If he was heading for the Canadian camps in Headley then yes, a slight downhill gradient.

Matchless G2WO, will easily reach 70, Hardley's not so much!

Cheers,

Lex

email (option): welbike@welbi**.net

Thanks for your suggestions. As far as I can find Canadian riders were generally issued with Harleys in Canada and Nortons in the UK, at least for training. Perhaps my man had been lucky and got his hands on a G3WO.

Plus the fact that a cop back then wouldn't have had a radar gun and just estimated/exaggerated the speed from his own speedo. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

The Police Wolseley would have been pretty near its limit too, at 70 mph on pool petrol !

Based on my 16h, unrebuilt since the war, something around those speeds is quite possible, though neither comfortable nor safe...

I found an interesting article on Canadian DRs in Legion magazine.

https://legionmagazine.com/motorcycle-messengers/

I had not appreciated the casualty rate, both of riders and their bikes.

There is a book on the Canadian DR called "The Wing Wheeled Patch" It highlights the strange tradition a lot of them had for riding whilst sat on the tank. I can only imagine it was the nearest position to riding a Harley?? The article states that it was outlawed by the authorities, which was certainly ignored by some. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Just out of interest and as it's vaguely related, I donwloaded this from an eBay sale back in 2007. In my opinion the motor-cyclist was pretty much at fault here. He overtook at a junction and then claimed that both himself and the vehicle turning were travelling at 35 mph !















Unfortunately, the serial number C4200124 was from the Canadian re-issue batch and more correctly CC4200124 so doesn't identify the Norton involved.

The habit of riding on the tank by Canadians is interesting. A friend of mine who has now passed had taken his motorcyclist course in Germany in the 60’s. Using a TRW at the time, he said the instructors who were trained during the war or had been trained by veterans were still telling students to ride as far forward as possible right up on the tank. The reason given to him was that the further forward you were the farther away you were from the bucking action of the rear of the bike. Whether or not this was an effective way of minimizing the rattling of kidneys, it’s interesting to see it was actually being taught to motorcyclists long after the war.

I've always understood from WW2 motorcyclists that the riding position on the tank had to do with the prevention of pinched veins.
With a higher and more upfront riding position the legs are more in a 45 degrees instead of a 30 degrees position.
Canadian soldiers were significant taller than European soldiers, therefore you only see these riding adjustments with Canadians.

Sven

Ref Ron’s comment. The Winged Wheel Patch and The Dispatch Rider by Harry Watts - the former only seems to be available second hand at premium prices, the latter not at all. If anyone has copies looking for a good new home at reasonable prices, I would be interested. I’ve always been interested in the Canadians because they were billeted in my home village and also the village where I now live. Their concrete roads and foundations of huts still exist. The generations of my parents and grandparents were full of tales of their exploits. Such as my grandfather having to lock his teenage daughter (my aunt) in her bedroom on several occasions to keep her away from them. I still use Canadian tools on my Jeep that he traded for his garden veg and poached game.

Sven, you tall Dutchies better start learning a different Riding technique. :smile: Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com