Mystery m/c photos

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I cam across these in the ILIFFE & SONS collection and suspect they were from MOTOR CYCLING or MOTOR CYCLE.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Photo 2 and 3!

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Can anyone i.d. the m/c please, and also especially the vehicles, particularly the one on the right that looks like a Tillie? C 4102632..and it looks brand new! So I would date it to 1940ish? The contract date for the m/c may well date this photo. I suspect it's an RASC driving school again.

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward

Can anyone i.d. the m/c please, and also especially the vehicles, particularly the one on the right that looks like a Tillie? C 4102632..and it looks brand new! So I would date it to 1940ish? The contract date for the m/c may well date this photo. I suspect it's an RASC driving school again.

The motor cycle is a Norton 16H, Contract no. C.5109. Not sure about the van, do not think it is a Tilly as body is too large.

[Rich Payne]

No doubt about the Triumph ID The picture reappeared quite regularly in the motorcycling press during the war years (as did much of their material !)

You have showed the Norton pictures before and I liked them so much that I bought decent copies. The bike that I am rebuilding is probably C4102617 so these detail shots are about as close as I'm going to get.

I have been looking to see if the pictures were published at the time but haven't found anything yet. I think they would have been because they liked these technical / maintenance pictures. The Norton is likely to have been produced in January 1940 and mine found its way to France with the BEF. The men in these pictures have Royal Signals cap badges and my guess would be a training establishment during the summer of 1940.

The van in the picture is numbered H4137395 which is listed as Local Purchase, various makes and types and the Utility (Definitely an "M" prefix to the census number) looks to be from the same sequence - M4137*** I think so no help there.

[Steve Guthrie]

Hi there

Early in the war, the British produced a vast range of 'box vans' by converting large automobiles. The body was cut and removed just behind the front seats and a simple wooden box body added.

This is probably an example.

Steve

[Richard Farrant]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward

Photo 2 and 3!

David,

The m/cycle in the previous post and one on left here is a Triumph 3TW, which was only in prototype stage, I think the Coventry bombing put paid to that model sadly.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Hope this is better!