I bought a copy of this picture which I'd not seen before. Great photo of a 16H and lots of Big 4's This is a large scan of it if you want a copy.



Its the 1st Battalion, Queen Victoria’s Rifles (QVR), a TA regiment affiliated to The King’s Royal Rifle Corps, training as a motor-cycle reconnaissance battalion in the New Forest near Beaulieu in 1939.

I also found this picture of them

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

Great pictures...What are the white lines for on the front mudguard?..or is this an alternative style for applying gas paint?...and why do the mechanics in these publicity shots always pretend they are actually doing something with those screwdrivers... ....

Nice to see a total lack of 'patina' on these new bikes..a guide for the keen restorer perhaps?...Ian

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

Yes, I bought a copy too last year, the white line is a sort of QVR recognition mark, have not seen it like that with other regiments (yet)

And yes, mine will look like that in Normandy, but only the first couple of days!!

Cheers,

Lex

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

1 QVR were sent to Calais as part of 30th Infantry Brigade without their transport or motorcycles. The chaps in these photographs almost certainly went 'into the bag' for five years.

I've never seen any photographic evidence of what happened to the pre-war swd Big 4s after May 1940. There are plenty of images of the later production.

The recognition mark also appears when the outfits were bronze green so is unlikely to be gas paint.

Are you going to play dirty in Normandy, Lex ?

Could you send me a scan of those please Dave.

Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Yes sure Ron. But you should be able to get them from my Photobucket as they are scanned as big as I can get them.

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

Ah, I tried downloading it from Photobucket and it's nowhere near as big as the picture I put on there, so I've sent it to you Ron

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

Got it, cheers Dave.

Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com