wdbikemad

That's going to be a really nice restoration......! If it helps, Ariel used cadmium and/or dull chrome plating on very few parts, mainly fork spindles, fork damper, exhaust system, filler caps, push-rod tubes, tool box knobs, etc........but they seem to have used black-finished (Parkerised or Cosletised finish) on many of their nuts and bolts unlike other manufacturers.....when I rebuilt my W/NG I had a lot of NOS Ariel stuff in this finish......and a check of original close-up factory photos confirms this....... One other point.....if you have the alloy primary chaincase, this was also factory-finished in paint and not left in bare alloy......

Some good observations Ted......one of the other problems though of course, is the simple fact that even the official colour shades, BS or otherwise, that can be examined on NOS parts, colour cards, etc, is that even with these standards due to wartime demands, multiple production across many companies and locations, etc, shade variations exist between the official specifications...... I long ago gave up attempting to achieve perfection in paint matches, settling on the best match (in my mind at least) to something that looked right and was close to the NOS items examined... After all, who is really going to find fault after all these years.......? Both my Norton and Ariel were painted with decent colour matches several years ago now, and age + usage + sunlight, dirt, oil, etc, have all changed the original shade to a greater or lesser degree.....plus, I use dead-flat matt paint (sprayed) that is arguably far more prone to wear & tear......

This just may be a New Zealand issue 68 pattern smock, British made by the usual suppliers but with the odd detail difference (usually the label)... I've never seen the NZ smock, but have seen a pair of British-made 68 pattern DPM trousers for NZ forces.......apart from the label detail (white label) they are identical in every other aspect.....

This could be one of the CS95 trial items.......the overall construction resembling the issue CS95 Goretex smock liner that was made without external pockets but still featuring the concealed hood in the collar........I can't see any MoD or trials label present so it could also be a commercial garment...? Mind you, I have heard of some of the trial garments being made in this pocketed style......this item featuring the baggy buttoned packets found on the pre-CS95 wired-hood goretex jacket although this particular garment had chest pockets only, no lower ones.....(although one surplus dealer apparently modified these earlier issue garments by adding lower pockets in response to customer demand) Some trial garments do feature the Goretex brand name on seam tapes, zips, etc, a practice not generally seen on subsequent production items......

Rick and Ron are completely correct in their observations...........but it is generally thought that the brown shade didn't make an appearance on motorcycle production lines until at least 1942....the caveat being that existing stocks of paint had to be used up first...thus, the larger volume manufacturers such as BSA, AMC, etc, probably started to use it earlier than others....... The best mixing guide is to obtain samples of NOS wartime parts and get a colour match from there....even then, there are distinct variations..........but in my experience the SCC No.2 brown is a close match with British battledress uniform, or, the brown colour used on Battle of Britain era RAF aircraft cammo patterns........the Humbrol model paint range may provide a decent sample of this colour, often termed "dark earth"......

I'm no expert on US bikes, although I did think that the earlier WLA's/WLC's (pre-42 ?) had the horn and lamp positions reversed....? Later bikes look far more "snug" at the front end........the definitive book on the subject would seem to be "How to Restore Your Military Harley-Davidson".......so much detail on US and Canadian versions......

If the heavy pixie suit did appear on limited issue during 1943 then I suspect that field usage probably occurred during the Italian winter of 1943-44 and the UK......... I am all for personal memoirs of clothing worn, but the years can blur accuracy of dates.......even I struggle at times to pinpoint exact dates from when I served almost 30 years ago ! The best reference is always attributable photos that can be accurately placed and dated......and with WW2 photos running into probably millions, there will always be the odd vital image waiting to be found from some obscure archive........

Hi Jan, I haven't seen the bike advertised and agree with you that there are always a number a detail differences between models depending very much upon the intended usage.......some of the early wartime non-standard Enfields are a study in their own right, and compared to other manufacturers they offered a fairly wide range of models to the War Office, perhaps matched only by BSA with AMC a close second.....

The denim tank suit had a long life, odd examples still being seen in service during the 1970s.......... It was also produced in a tropical version ("jungle" tank suit)....essentially the same style, but made from a lightweight khaki-green poplin........some NOS examples were around a few years ago........and it is worth mentioning that some wartime Indian made examples also exist.....

It's a strange thing, but up until a few years ago now many hire shops and theatrical outfitters had some real gems in stock, including wartime BD blouses and trousers, RAF 19 pattern high collar jackets, etc........I bought a fair few items, the companies being only too glad to get shot of small size items that were taking up space and never hired.......my best was around 50 such garments at £5 each.....this included 7 BD blouses, 5 pairs of trousers and a dozen 22 pattern jackets..... Many schools and OTC's held stocks of the old high-collar SD jackets right up into the 1980s.......several were doubtless of WW1 origin......

Some very good observations ! It is worth noting that Davis, although a very good authority on uniform, is, like all of us, prone to the occasional error.....and in my own experience official published data can sometimes prove inaccurate..... It is possible that the tan "pixie" suit was produced and trialed amongst select units prior to universal introduction.....this process is fairly common with most UK military clothing (eg - the MK3 helmet) so must be considered..... Many units in Normandy displayed odd items of new kit that didn't make a wider appearance until later in the war.....and I should imagine that some items appeared in service prior to this (eg - Italy circa 43 - 44)....

My own W/NG was built on 10th April 1942, Contract C.11103, Serial No. C4693514, Frame XG 24366...... I'm not certain that this well-known Home Guard photo actually shows W/NGs - I can't see the details clearly enough.... But what is obvious is that the front machine appears to be a pre-war civvy Ariel with numberplate and valanced mudguard....these may be side valve VA's, VB's or OHV NH's, NG's, etc........mind you, the Home Guard did receive official issues of the W/NG during WW2 although they were to the standard military spec of the time..... The W/NG is indeed a fine bike to ride, and a pleasure on today's roads with small modifications..........the original WD gearing provided a dreadful gap between 3rd and 4th gears, so if you change the gearing to civvy Burman equivalents it markedly improves the situation...plus change one of the drive sprockets for one with more teeth...... Other sensible mods include changing the clutch plates for modern bonded resin examples, and using a 2-plate instead of a 3-plate clutch which reduces the drag, weight and inertia from the heavy 3-plate version fitted as standard to the W/NG and actually intended for larger 500cc models.....this improves the gearchange and operation of the clutch...... Engine-wise, bin the 275 carburetter for the common 276 version (with a 150 main jet) as fitted to larger Ariels and many other WD bikes, otherwise the engine tends to run out of carburetter with power still remaining to be used ! Finally, try a pre-war side valve VB cam, used in pre-war Red Hunters......this improves the valve lift opening times, again all improving performance........ The W/NG, with its one-piece frame, good ground clearance, decent forks and superb brakes is perhaps one of the nicest WD bikes produced and unfortunately often overlooked today......

Even if a genuine WD-marked engine in a civvy pre-war frame, it is still a worthy project....... After all, the 570cc side valve Model L was essentially a pre-war civvy model acquired very much under the post-Dunkirk emergency demands for anything remotely suitable......and it is thought that the WD/L's were manufactured from stocks of parts awaiting assembly at the Enfield factory alongside Model G's, (civvy) CO's, D's, J's, J2's, etc. Engines so fitted were marked with the relevant WD stampings but very little else was different from the civvy spec apart from the paint..... Good luck with this one Ron......

A decent copy, but in poly-cotton DPM rather than the original lightweight cotton-gabardine..........

At a time when hairy green KF shirts were the norm, your only alternative was a khaki No.2 dress shirt or a jungle-green aertex item.........this situation prevailed well into the 1980s........the latter was hard to source, unless you were an old sweat, as the green aertex item had been replaced since the mid-1970s by tropical DPM......thus good ol' Survival Aids stepped in with a faithful copy for private purchase..........they did similar with the 59 pattern Denison, DPM SAS Smock and jungle-green cotton-drill crossover-belt trousers....... Shame they're no longer available today.....:-(

It is indeed a US manufactured War-Aid BD Blouse for the British - "Blouses, Battledress, OD, WA"...........two labels were fitted....the standard US QM label and the British style Ordnance one...... These blouses were a combination of 37 pattern and wartime economy pattern (eg - fly-fronted but no pocket pleats, etc) and were made in a good quality "melton" woollen serge of a distinct brown-olive shade.....they were very popular and most supplies appear to have arrived in the Italian and Med theatres.....

It certainly looks almost identical to the 92-93 "Smock, Combat, Temperate, DPM", almost a forerunner of the CS95 smock and using many elements of the subsequent model.......not sure who "CCL" were but you occasionally find similar marked on UK webbing......this was probably made by a MoD contractor but I don't think it's issue.....the reference number on the label isn't a typical MoD example..... Since the mid-1990s the MoD have actually made a number of official-issue garments in black.......there is a smock and trousers in black ripstop based on the CS95 DPM garments but the smock has epaulettes and an attached "arctic" style hood and no front rank tab, whereas the trousers feature a long pocket on the inside right leg for a truncheon.....and therein lies the clue..... These were originally developed for MoD Police firearms instructors, subsequently adopted by Police dog handlers and civvy MoD security guards (MGS)......accompanying the suit was a black "Norgie" shirt, a T-shirt plus a pair of lightweight trousers minus the large left leg map-pocket........some of this kit was no doubt adopted by SAS, etc, and it is often sold as such, but the reality is it's MoD civvy issue......!

I might also add that WD serial numbers, although sequential by 1941-42, were allocated in blocks by the RAOC......so, a block of numbers allocated to, say a 2000 bike motorcycle contract might well be followed by a block for trailers, 15cwt trucks, plant equipment, ambulances, then more bikes.........the only difference being the preceding letter code, eg "C" for bikes, "A" for ambulances, etc........and some manufacturers, such as Triumph, Matchless, etc, in some cases used serial number blocks originally allocated a year or two earlier to them, but for a variety of reasons not actually used until much later.........such are the circumstances of war !

The first engine is from the first WD/CO contract, but delivery not commencing until 1942......the serial numbers allocated to this contract begin with "C460****" which were generally issued sequentially against contracts by this point in the war........my 16H Norton has a "C439****" serial number with the contract demanded during 1940 but delivery not really getting underway until very late that year and mine probably built during Feb to Mar 41............and my Ariel W/NG has a "C469****" serial number and factory records actually confirm its build-date of April 12th 1942 !!! Parts list was published for the first WD/CO contract during May 1942........ The problem with many wartime contract details (as listed in my book) is we published all the conflicting information from various official publications, but, in reality, due to wartime demands and circumstances, they are frequently way off the actual dates of supply........!!! Was it right to publish the specified wartime official intentions or the actual production dates....??? Food for thought......

Post-77 manufacture......colours, fabric (cotton-modal) and nylon-backed zipper confirm this......plus Jeltek did not appear to manufacture DPM gear until the very late 70s/early 80s..........my own guesstimate would be about 1980-82 for this smock...... Interesting match of colours....not common, but this did occur within volume garment manufacture.....

Careful with Enfields ! Remember, the WD/CO did not appear until 1942 so you cannot have a 1940 WD/CO engine......BUT, you can have a non-WD pre-42 CO engine !!! Around 1940-41, Enfield modified the WD/C engine to incorporate an additional oil filter in the timing cover......prior to this, the oiling system was simpler, that also affected other Enfield engines of the period..... One of the Pitmans or Pearsons handbooks on Enfields of the era mention that some WD/C engines have a revised crankcase breather arrangement.....apparently those with sealed crankcase vents being intended for desert use....hmmmmm....but, the book also notes that a different oil filler cap is used depending on which crankcase arrangement you have....basically one with and one without a breather hole...........obviously, rather important to employ the right one.....:-D

Mk1s....and in a middle-eastern area ??

Both garments shown are post-77 manufacture (later 8415 NSN)......usually of mixed 70/30 cotton-synthetic composition.......Jeltek (sadly) long out of business, Supercraft still going but taken over by a larger concern.....

The Badge is a WO Class 1 or RQMS (Regimental Quarter Master Sergeant)........WO Class 11 have a simple crown (no wreath) and RSMs (Regimental Sergeant Major) the full Royal Arms....... In the RAF, you only have the Warrant Officer rank (full Royal Arms)......some aircrew ranks are different, always accompanied by an eagle..... Army and Air Cadets seem to use certain examples of insignia unique to them and/or obsolete in the regular forces.....

Firwood paints are intended for spraying, whereas Cromadex (in Birmingham) can be brushed and sprayed.......Jeeparts used to offer both versions....... I love Enfield's.......20,000 miles on a WD/C during the early 1990s as my daily transport to work at a sedate 45mph....:-D