This is a bike from RAF contract C/S12800. Matchless made 2 RAF contracts shortly after each other: C/S12428 (200 bikes) and C/S12800 (812 bikes). Unfortunately the documents with RAF census number information have all been destroyed. So it is impossible to find out the exact census number of WW2 RAF vehicles...
But... I am currently working on a list with all the RAF census number information from war time photographs and early post war WD vehicle auction catalogues. Especially the latter are difficult to come by. In the info that I have found so far there is 1 Matchless G3L that must be coming from one of these two contracts (C/S12428 and C/S12800). The census number is RAF128906. I'm pretty sure that your bike must also have had a number somewhere between RAF128000 and RAF130000.
In the mean time I would like to take advantage of the opportunity to ask if anybody on this forum would have catalogues of the 1945, '46, '47, '48, '49 and 1950 public auctions (e.g. the Ruddington sales) with ex WD vehicles. If you would have any of these catalogues, I would really appreciate if you would take contact with me, see email address below.
