NORTON 16H,in wintery weather,there are at least three steel lattice structures in the photo,look to small to be radar,no date or location known on this unused/unsent postcard.

Thanks for posting, Steve. I'm pretty sure that this is a BEF Phoney war shot.

C51256 is another one of the Norton 16Hs which look like standard WD models but which have serials outside of the official contracts and within the batch C48301 - C58301 - Impressed Motor-Cycles, Various makes. The WD serials on these are always crudely painted too.

It's clear from the Norton factory records that some frame numbers intended for contract batches were used fitted during September 1939 with Model 18 engines. Presumably everything that was left was assembled and sold off-contract.

There is a not-yet-overpainted movement serial on the front mudguard. Based on how it is centred, I suspect 16257. I haveb't yet found it in my lists, but there are a number of 1625x numbers that were allocated to R.Sigs DR andf Line Maintenance sections. I'll investigate further.

He doesn't seem to be bothered by the cold, anyway !

I've had a chat with Andrew Foulkes (of "Vehicle Markings of the BEF" fame) and he has confirmed that the only possible movement serial from the BEF scales is 16257.

This was used by No.16 Despatch Rider Section who were allocated to GHQ Arras. They sailed to France on 5th November 1939, departing from Catterick. They were part of the B.E.F. "Second Contingent".

Thanks Rik, great information, because the back was blank I didn't think much information could be gleaned from it, usually the postcards have a persons name and date and sometimes location.

Steve, probably sent along inside a letter during the winter of 1939 / '40 with no information due to censorship regulations. The snow came early in 1939, and as the movement serial hasn't been overpainted, I'd imagine that this was late 1939. They arrived Cherbourg 6/11/39 and were allocated immediately to GHQ Arras. It must be somewhere in that area.

The lattice structures are for power cables I think, see attached link to BEF photos, go down to the Bren carrier picture at Orchies and there are more in the background.

https://garystockbridge617.getarchive.net/amp/topics/the+british+army+in+france+1939

Wonderfull picture. I should have bought a 16H long ago, now they are hard/impossible to find