Hello,

My colleague recently bought this bike from Baxter and we are looking for provenance. Specifically, do the serial numbers tell us where this bike was deployed after manufacture? Do we know where or when this bike was used and what for?

This website was recommend to me on another more general forum. So glad I found it. Thank you for any information or leads.

WM20 111576 was delivered under Contract S5209 for 10,000 machines, numbered WM20 104818 - 116817 with WD serials C5545518 - C5557517 which means this frame was originally fitted with a matching engine and carried the WD Serial Number C5552276.

Delivery was scheduled at 2000 per month commencing July 1944 but it looks as if it may not have begun until September which would make it a late 1944 / Early 1945 build.

Most of the machines in the U.S.A. were taken over by the container-load from surplus sales held at the British Army of the Rhine reserve depots around Antwerp.

A bike of this date is likely to have arrived in Europe as the war was coming to an end or afterwards for peacekeeping duties.

Lex who posts here has the original BAOR "Key Cards" and if he can find the number in the surviving records may be able to give you more detail about the last (post-war) user. Unfortunately, the wartime allocation documents no longer exist.

This is information is very helpful thank you. I will reach out to Lex as well.

Reading your reply again, it seems this engine is not the original or was rebuilt?

According to the KeyCards the bike with frame number 111576 was registered 71YC94 in 1949 (when the old census numbers were replaced by the new VRM numbering sequence). It demobbed in February 1970. With a service life of 25 years it is logical that this bike went through a REME rebuild. Are there any data plates on this BSA indicating such a rebuild? (https://hmvf.co.uk/topic/46047-the-rebuild-identification-thread/). During these REME rebuilds frames and engines almost always got mixed up. The bike with frame number (and duplicated frame number on the engine) 116651 is one of the last bikes from contract S/5209. It would have had census number C5557351.

Here's a photograph that was taken at the BSA factory, during the contract S/5209. This is how your bike would have looked like when new.

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

Again, thank you for this insight and expertise. I will look for data plates and report back.

The canvas dummy grip on these m20’s look longer than usual or is it my rubbish eyesight
Jo’b

email (option): Jonnyob1atgooglemail.com

Thank you all for the links and information. We are making headway into the history. I asked the owner if there were rebuild plates and he said no. The only other marking he found were these stamps. Do these mean anything to anyone?

They are Quality Control Inspection stamps to indicate work has been completed to the required standard....Ian

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

Hi all,

As mentioned above the C number was C5552276, as shown on Key Card 28a, a full scan of the card is available from me, for 20 euro's, there are appx. 17 bikes on one card.

Cheers,

Lex

ps, replace ** with ke for my email.

email (option): welbike@welbi**.net

Sorry my email as stated in my other posts doesn't work anymore, please us welbike@outlook.com from now on.

Cheers,

Lex

email (option): welbike@outlook.com