Another scan, but from the war, and with a question.

This one, is a photograph my dad took, of one of the bike races he used to
organize whilst serving as an officer in the REME, in Egypt.
( I'm currently archiving the family pictures)

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/album_photo.html?c_photo=15397870

I remember him telling me that, "to keep morale up during times of no
combat" he would put together bike races in the desert.

He had a trophy made by one of the locals and had a course set out, up and down
the sand dunes.

So, what are the bike in the piccie ? I was always told they were Morgans, but
the winged "M" on the tanks suggest Matchless.

 

Klaatu emerged from their own little world to say

like this?
http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_matchless_3gl.php3

 

Possibly - the seat is slightly differrent.

He always said they were Morgan's, originally with wooden frames.

Actually all three bikes are different of course.

Well there _was_ a war on.

 

looks a lot like. Father reckons they look like matchless, an' all, reckons
that there aren't many likely candidates and if they were BSAs they'd have
girders on 'em.

further reckoned that normal service-issue ones wouldn't have had the badge
on, so we reckon someone's painted that on afterwards.

 

Shite and Old and British.

 

Wash your mouth out, you faithless swine!

Correct observation though, but come on, we did beet the Japs with SOB's and
SOS(pitfires).

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the

Were they two-stroaks?

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

The one nearest the camera is a Matchless for sure, and the others look
pretty much the same. My '49 Matchless G80 has a chromed winged 'M' in the
sme position on the tank. Never heard of morgan bikes, but the confusion
may have arisen from Morgan's use of Matchless vee twins on their three
wheeler cars.

 

The moment I saw this picture it conjured up memories of watching
scrambling on Grandstand on a black & white TV back in the early 60's, with
a young Murray Walker screeching things like "and here comes Vic Eastwood
on his 350cc BSA..."

 

Andy Clews wrote

I used to watch the likes of them over Hadleigh Castle when I were
nipper.

 

swedey mistake to make.

 

It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Greybeard"

Now there's a turnup.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10

 

The Neeponese were no match for us

 

Don't you like Brit bikes ? :O)

 

He might have been my fathers batman.

If you create an account (at no cost) you can get full sized ones.

"Tough as old boots" they were back then.

 

And Chris Horsefield, who was my skoolmates dad. He won one of the first BBC
Grandstand's sportsman of the year. An impressive trophy.

 

Interesting.

 

No idea.

 

http://www.1066.net/photos/bexhill-100/020505-170.jpg

 

Morgan cars have wooden frames. Matchless motorcycles never did! They
never used two stroke engines either.