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Origins of this WM20 (Canadian army??)

Hi all!

Last week, I purchased a BSA WM20 with frame number 95318, engine number MS8213 and tank number C5128718.
Henk (Joore) already confirmed that this bike was built in 1943 under contract number S1048.

Henk provided me with some pictures as well of other bikes with tank numbers of the same contract as my WM20. (Thanks again for the service Henk!) However, I did notice that every bike on these pictures has a Canadian rider on it. Would this mean that every bike of the contract number S1048 was used by the Canadian forces, including mine? Or is this just coincidence?

Thanks in advance!

Regards
Jeroen

email (option): jeroenvanwijnsberge@gmail.com

Re: Origins of this WM20 (Canadian army??)

All motorcycles by this time were sent to RAOC Chilwell and distributed as necessary. They could literally have ended up anywhere.

21st Army Group was very much mixed with Commonwealth and European units alongside British....I suspect though that the large numbers of Canadian troops in areas liberated late in the war has resulted in a disproportionate number of photographs showing them and their transport.

Re: Origins of this WM20 (Canadian army??)

Thank you Rik! Clear answer!

Re: Origins of this WM20 (Canadian army??)

S1048 ran from C5115218 to 5130217 (WM20 81818 to 96817).

I've had a delve in my photo files.

This one's in British Service (30 Corps)

C5115490-HEXHAM-1943



So's this one (11th Armoured Division)


C5116109

...and this one (50th Infantry Division)

C5125070-WOT2-plus-mcycle-v2-edited

Obviously, vehicles in the background don't provide a definite identification but they look likely in these cases.

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