OK, I know I need the frame number, and contract number.

Do I add the contract number to the Frame number, or subtract it?

Or, is that way off base? LOL

Do I add the next door neighbors wifes age to the wind speed at midnight, multiply by 6 and divide by 3?

email (option): britool51@hotmail.com

It doesn't matter what you do, Robb. Either work out how many frames after the first one of the contract yours was and add the same amount to the first census number or calculate how many before the end your frame is and subtract that number from the last census number.

It's worth mentioning that this doesn't work for early-war confusing contracts like the ones with multiple models in.

On later war contracts, the last two digits of the census number should match the last two of the frame number so this is a handy check that you've got it right. This would seem to apply from S1048 (WM20 81818 / C5115218 onwards).

You can work the whole thing out without even needing to know whether the lady next door has wind or not.

tread carefuly about mentioning next door wife's age as you must know these numbers are still protected by the official secrects act and could land you in hot water or at a minimum a slap round the face

For all Matchless G3 and G3L contracts I have this now in an Excell spreadsheet, (My Census Enigma Machine) made by someone very good at mathematics on the forum here, and even with the most difficult "broken up" contracts I can find the numbers for those, but still wondering if they were so meticiously at the factory when applying the numbers??

Is there still many missing blocks of numbers with the M20's ??

Cheers,

Lex

email (option): welbike@welbike.net

All the occasional evidence points to the numbers being 'married', at least after the initial confusion.

I took stills from the army motorcycling film and the engine number matched the census number there. I have seen Ariel numbers quoted in war diaries and they fit too.

The best guide would be to run surviving original census numbers (not rebuilds) in the key cards against the frame numbers shown.

I've done this with my Norton contract C5109 (the first wartime contract)and although they missed a quantity in the middle when the two blocks of numbers changed over, there is clearly a consecutive pattern on the first 4000 machines.

There will of course be mistakes but the fact that the numbers always come back onto the correct line shows that they must have been issued in order. There are too many for it to be coincidence.

I believe that Jan has even found Enfields with the correct census number stamped on them.

Judging by photos of early-war deliveries, the bikes were shipped without numbers (maybe on the cardboard tag on the handlebars ?) and it would seem that to start with at least, numbers were applied by RAOC / RASC.

Rik, maybe you eyes are better then mine??



Do you have more pictures of such labels? were they the same for all WD bikes??

Cheers,

Lex

email (option): welbike@welbike.net

To be honest Lex, I've only ever wondered what's on the label and never been able to read it in that sort of detail.

I can read under TEST LABEL

Engine No.
Side ? Frame
Testers S(ignature ?)

and 'Plumstead Road SE14

Matchless, I guess ?

email (option): welbike@welbike.net