I think its a WD/CO OHV model.

Definitely a WD/CO Steve. Apart from the cylinder head, the tool box, rear stand and high level speedo give it away. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

I fully agree with Ron's conclusion: definitely WD/CO, but not from the RAF contract S14219 in my opinion... The RAF contract WD/CO didn't have pannier frames, and the census numbers appear to be in the region of 116000. This one has a much lower number, plus pannier frames. Must have been transferred from an Army contract. I do have other examples of Army contract Enfields with an RAF census number...

Thanks for sharing Steve!

Jan

email (option): wd.register(at)gmail.com

Out of interest Jan. Why would a bike that is transferred from army to RAF be given a lower number? Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

The RAF used its own numbering system, for which unfortunately details are no longer available. I have found contemporary pictures of military vehicles with RAF numbers as small as RAF 3071 (on an early war time vehicle) and as big as RAF 182703 (on a late war time vehicle), plus anything in between.

I also found three wartime pictures showing RAF WD/C motorcycles with recognisable RAF census numbers: RAF 28546, RAF 28924 and RAF 29181. There has only been one WD/C RAF contract (C/12429). If we assume that the RAF used one block of census numbers per contract, and we compare the census numbers in these pictures, we must have at least 635 RAF WD/Cs. Contract C/12429 was only for 250 motorcycles...

But I also discovered that the frame number of RAF 28546 is # 14162 (it is clearly visible in a very high quality picture from the IWM Photography Archive), and this is a frame number from an Army contract! This means that an unknown number of Army motorcycles have been transferred to the RAF, which makes matters even more complex...

Conclusion: it is currently impossible to tell the precise census numbers that have been used on the RAF contract WD/Cs. But it looks as if numbers around RAF 29000 are “correct”...

There were also two WD/CO RAF contracts:
- Contract C/14219 (2.826 motorcycles, deliveries from 08/01/43 until 15/12/43). So far I have only found one single war-time picture that shows an RAF WD/CO with “readable” census number: RAF 116809. But I also found six Royal Enfield RAF census numbers in post war auction catalogues: RAF 116800, RAF 116919, RAF 116924, RAF 116938, RAF 118142 and RAF 118260. If we consider that contract C/14219 was for 2.826 motorcycles, I think we can assume that the RAF census numbers block for this contract must have been approximately RAF 116000 until approximately RAF 119000.
- Contract S/7844 (800 motorcycles, deliveries from 02/01/45 until 06/07/45, when production stopped after 350 bikes, due to the end of the war). In my Register I have a contract S/7844 motorcycle (frame number # 30202) with an interesting history. The owner’s father had bought that motorcycle in “as new” condition, immediately after the war. The owner also sent me a late 1940’s picture, on which the RAF census number can just be seen. I'm pretty sure that it is RAF 179202.

So... that puts RAF 89743 in between the WD/C RAF contract (census numbers around RAF 29000, delivered in January - February 1942), and the first WD/CO RAF contract (census numbers somewhere between RAF 116000 - 119000, delivered from January 1943 until December 1943). It would be reasonable to assume that RAF 89743 dates from mid-1942. And it is definitely a WD/CO, so that could only mean a contract C/11081 bike (deliveries from late March 1942 onwards), or a contract C/13870 WD/CO/B (with Burman gearbox, deliveries from July 1942 onwards). These were both Army contracts, with pannier frames and pillion seat (the RAF contract C/14219 didn't have pannier frames and didn't have a pillion seat). The bike in the picture above does have pannier frames, the pillion seat is unfortunately hidden from sight. And unfortunately the gearbox isn't visible either...

But I stay with my conclusion: this must have been a WD/CO from contract C/11081 or C/13870, transferred from Army to RAF in mid 1942.

"And now it's your turn to get up off that couch and go into the deserts, go into the mountains, go under the lakes, rivers, and seas and search for history. You'll never find a more rewarding adventure!" (Clive Cussler)
:relaxed:
Jan

email (option): wd.register(at)gmail.com

Thanks Jan. Concise as ever. As you know, my frame is from RAF contract S14219 and I painted the number long before we ever saw the clear picture of an RAF WD/CO. (although the caption says Canadian?) My 'fictitious' number is based on the RAF Ariel's of the time of which we have several pictures. If I ever have to repaint the tank, I'll be thinking about one of those 116*** numbers. Cheers Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com