Hi all,

Being an ex Signaller who formally served with 3rd (uk) Division, I am going to dedicate my M20 to the Royal Signals of the 3rd Division that landed in NW Europe on D-Day.

In 2004 as a young 23 yr old Soldier, I was very privileged to have been the minibus driver at the 60th anniversary in Caen for our Corps 'D-Day' veterans. It was on this trip a close friendship began with my late friend Les Write.

Les was a Wirless Operator with 'Montys Iron Division' (3rd Div) and regulary doubled up as a dispatch rider on BSA's!

He gave me a lovely photo of him sat on a 1939 KM20 that I swiftly shared with Henk a few years ago! Henk kindly put it on the website for all of us to enjoy. :-) It's under (dispatch rider equipment) and is the very top left pic.

Les admired his M20 and shared stories with me of how he used to de-coke it, and a time when his Commanding Officer let him ride his bike ahead of his regiments convoy whilst on an exercise in South East England in order to have a cup of tea with "Mum"(He was given permission to catch the regiment up the following morning at a given location!

I will soon receive my 1941 WM20 and need help/advice as I can't decide what to do


As stated above I will be dedicating my bike to Les in North West Europe, But I also want to be faithful to the bike too!

1. Is it possible that an M20 served in Normandy with an 8" DU142 head lamp ??? Or should I stick with a 6"DU42?
2. Is it also possible that an M20 would of gone over to Normandy without pannier racks ???

I've spent hours looking on the net for any pictures or clues but to no avail!

My bike has not got pannier racks or pillion provisions as it's dated Jan/Feb 41. Contract C7827....

Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated

Regards,


Mark

email (option): towersmark84@yahoo.co.uk

Mark, That's an interesting dilemma.

In my view, the answer to both questions is 'almost certainly so'...but I suspect not with a front-line infantry division.

What little surviving documentation that I've seen which provides census number evidence suggests that the majority of units were issued recent production for the invasion. Logically perhaps they weren't going to risk failures with vehicles needing overhaul.

Does your bike have matching engine and frame numbers ? Does it appear in the post-war 'Key Cards' with a 'rebuild' census number ? If the answer to either is 'yes' then using such a number (or the correct one if known) would actually give you the possibility to build whatever you like...but the archetypal NW Europe machine certainly has the small headlamp, canvas panniers and all the rubber replacement bits.

On a personal level, the panniers are practical...but they're expensive to find genuine and the bike is easier to pull onto the stand without them...and they're so much more stylish with the 8" lamp and small carrier.

Hi Rik,

Thanks very much for the tips

Interesting facts.

I will go the the Key cards ( is that the transport museum at Deepcut?)

Many thanks


Mark

Ps Frame and engine are not maching in my case.

email (option): towersmark84@yahoo.co.uk

No, don't go to Deepcut...ask Henk (or Lex) ! There is a database of M20 key cards which no-one else has. The majority of the motorcycle cards were, luckily, saved within the hobby.

Matching engine and frame numbers are not as rare as some publications and articles suggest but the majority are probably non-matching.

I sometimes wonder if it is more appropriate to 'spec' a rebuild to the engine rather than the frame number (particularly if engine is later). The engine numnber is visible for all to see, but the frame number is painted over and out of the line of sight.

What year is your engine ?

Ok that's great!

Going off the list from the website, I presume my engine is dated 1941 .... (WM2042244)

It's all rather addictive this hobby don't you think :-)

email (option): towersmark84@yahoo.co.uk

42244 is very early in contract C9310. Henk will be able to give you exact production date from the factory ledgers. I'd put it somewhere around August 1941.

You're right. It is addictive. I'd forgotten that I had an interest in military history until I acquired a Norton rolling chassis to build a girder-forked green-laner...

Norton !!!

I was a close friend of Jimmy Wilde (Winston Churchills dispatch rider who delivered the VE+VJ messages to King George.

He lived just out side Blandford Camp and would attend our RSA parade days as a guest of honour. He was a Royal Signals Don-R on Nortons! .. He once told me that he preferred the Norton over the other bikes!

I was a Pallbearer for him at his little funeral. Loads of bikers attended from all over. He was head of the White helmet display team also.

email (option): towersmark84@yahoo.co.uk

Hi Mark...Welcome to the WD forum...

I enjoyed my visit to the Signals Museum..I arrived early in the morning on the M20 and they let me in for a wander about before the museum opened for the day...

On the subject of pannier carriers and bags...They were 'retro fitted' to many early bikes using a complete kit of parts supplied for the conversion..(including 'clamp on' rear footrests...)

So, many early machines would have had them fitted at a later date...

If you want to use the bike at any time for a trip to Normandy for example, they are a 'must have' fitment to carry all your kit...

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This pic was taken on the 55th. Anniversary D Day Tour....

As far as the M20 goes I find it much easier to get onto the rear stand with the rear carrier used for the pannier bags fitted....Ian

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