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But let’s go back to my initial question: why did Royal Enfield use Burman gearboxes all of a sudden? Enfield (and Albion) had mainly been making WD/C bikes (and gearboxes) until the WD/CO came out. Approximately 19.000 in two years and three months time. All of a sudden the Army starts ordering WD/COs, also with an Albion gearbox. But these WD/CO contracts are much bigger contracts than what they had been producing until now. The first WD/CO contract C/11081 was for 5.000 motorcycles, and the demand for the second WD/CO contract C/12425 soon followed: another 5.000 bikes. It looks as if Enfield argued that they were unable to deliver as they could not guarantee gearbox supply (and I’m pretty sure that this had nothing to do with the blitz, as we were already one year later by now!). The M.o.S. then took the decision to approach other suppliers, to effectively stock the boxes as a buffer and loan them to Royal Enfield for installation as needed (this is known as the “embodiment loan” system). So it was agreed that the gearboxes for C/12425 were to be built by a subcontractor, who had to deliver the 'boxes to Chilwell. The Army would then send the gearboxes through to the Enfield Works, who would put them in their frames. The subcontractor who had to make these Albion gearboxes was Kitson Pease Ltd. (Kitson Pease was making high-pressure hydraulic couplings until then, so for the War Effort they now also had to make (assemble?) Albion gearboxes under license). The Kison Pease contract demand date (contract A/2551) was November 4th 1941, the Royal Enfield contract C/12425 demand date was November 10th 1941. In the Ministry of Supply contracts ledger (Source: National Archives) I found the following quote in the contract C/12425 information: “Gearbox equipment (assemblies): Albion types. These assemblies are required to be produced pari-passu with the machines at item 1 (these are the 5.000 motorcycles, ed.) and are required to be delivered to the chief ordnance officer central ordnance depot Chilwell.”. In the same book it can be found that the C/12425 bikes only costed £50-3-6, whereas the C/11081 WD/COs costed £57-16-9. No doubt because the price of the gearbox was not included for the contract C/12425 motorcycles... A few months later (March 14th 1942) the Army wanted to order another batch of 6.000 WD/COs. Once again, the problem of producing enough gearboxes arose. This time they found another solution: the contract was split in two smaller contracts of 3.000 motorcycles each. Burman (who was another well known gearbox manufacturer) and Albion will each make 3.000 gearboxes of their own design. So this batch was split up in a 3.000 WD/CO models contract C/13869, and a 3.000 WD/CO/B models contract C/13870. In late March 1942 Enfield starts producing the first contract C/11081. But when they should start producing the second contract (to be produced pari-passu with the gearboxes), they notice that Kitson Pease hasn't started making the gearboxes yet. So this contract has to be postponed, and Enfield starts making the Albion contract of the two sister contracts instead. (They had already started the Burman contract during the C/11081 production). Here we see that Albion coped very well, but it was Burman that couldn't deliver their gearboxes fast enough, as that contract took ages to complete... During the summer of 1943, it was decided that Enfield didn't have to wait for the Kitson Pease gearboxes anymore. They were allowed to build complete (inclusive gearbox) contract C/12425 motorcycles now. Then in 1944 all of a sudden Kitson Pease announced that they would start to build the Albion gearboxes, so these were now reserved for contract S/3357. In the Ministry of Supply contracts ledger (Source: National Archives) I found the following quote in the contract S/3357 information: “Delivery is to commence not later than May 1944 at 1,200 per month or alternatively as soon as Embodyment Loan Gearboxes are available.” Well, it would actually take Kitson Pease until 1945 before the boxes were ready! It also looks as if this 5.000 gearbox contract was the last thing Kitson Pease ever did before finally closing their doors, as their “Last annual return” was on March 31st 1945... Jan (hope you didn't get bored too much... 😊)

But there is more: Maybe the urban legend was based on the fact that Burman had been bombed...? Burman had two factories during WW2: Ryland Road and Wychall Lane. Unfortunately neither of these premises is within the reach of my bomb census maps… But I recently received this scan from a friend of mine: And in the Burman Archives (that I found in the Birmingham Library), I found the illustrations below:

I have started this study in 2017, on the Birmingham History Forum. Fortunately one of the moderators (thanks, Mikejee!) had a detailed 1950’s map of the area, and on top of that the Albion factory (“Tower Works”) was clearly marked! This allowed me to search on the bomb map for Upper Highgate Street. The bomb map is not an Ordnance Survey map, and it is very low res, so unfortunately I couldn’t use it as an overlay in Google Earth. But in the end I did find the exact location of the Albion factory: Then I made an overlay of the detailed 1950’s map in Google Earth: On this map I put pins on the locations where bombs fell in the vicinity of the Albion factory: Apparently no direct hits on the factory, although the unexploded bomb was very close. But on the Birmingham History Forum I also found a testimony of an eye witness: “First hand info. run downstairs to ask hubbie. Hubbie lived at 37 Upper Highgate Street. In the entry next to his back garden was Millars. his house and then the girls school plus entrance then continuation of houses down the street. The Albion was demolished many years later. The opposite corner got bombed. He said that as he was young it was called a landmine ??? it cleared the whole area on the opposite side all around the Cromwell Passage area to the corner. He said some of it may have got damaged but not that much, it continued production for many years. His family lived at no. 17 Upper Highgate Street before he was born (1936)” I have added a yellow pin on Hubbie’s house (number 37) and on Cromwell Passage, and a black pin (Landmine?) where the bomb that "cleared the whole area on the opposite side all arond the cromwell passage area to the corner” must have fallen. Please note that “incendiary bomb 3” must have fallen on Hubbie’s house, or at least very close! Hubbie didn't talk about that… On the other hand, when we look at the 1945 aerial photograph, it is clear to see that “a landmine ??? cleared the whole area on the opposite side all around the Cromwell passage area to the corner.” Then I found a cropped version of another Birmingham bombing map. The Albion factory can just be seen, just above halfway on the left hand side: The difference with my first bomb map is that there was no incendiary bomb on Hubbie’s house, no UXB on the corner of Angelina Street and Upper Highgate Street, but there was a bomb at the beginning of Cromwell Passage. Could this be a more correct map I wonder? This would correspond with Hubbie’s witness. But anyway, in both maps the Albion factory was not hit. And last but not least: the demand date for the Burman equipped motorcycles was 14/03/1942, this was almost a year and a half after these air raids… Quod dicere volebam.

It was time to make a study of the Birmingham Bomb Census Map that I found on the Internet: Unfortunately the map is only a low res version, so I had a problem: where is Upper Highgate Street? We all know that Google (Earth) is your best friend, 48 Upper Highgate Street is here: Hmm, looks like a weird place for a gearbox factory… But in Google Earth there is a slider to go back in time. This is the oldest aerial view (1945), it is clear that the complete area has been redeveloped. And that the current Upper Highgate Street is no longer where it used to be...

As promised: the Albion story... As many of you know, I’m doing a never ending research job on the Royal Enfield motorcycles that were built during WW2. Since the early 1930’s Royal Enfield had always used Albion gearboxes. These gearboxes were produced by the Albion Engineering Company, Tower Works, Upper Highgate Street 48-56 in Birmingham. But in 1942 Enfield introduced the new WD/CO model, the prototype of this model having a Burman gearbox. The first contract bikes (C/11081) still used an Albion gearbox, but very soon Enfield also made a contract with Burman equipped bikes (C/13870). For a long time it has been unclear why Enfield suddenly opted for the Burman gearboxes. It has been a long standing urban myth that the Albion factory had been bombed and therefore they would have had capacity problems. I have always had my doubts about this theory, and I’ve now debunked this myth… The “Demand Date” for the contract for which Enfield built the Burman equipped prototype was July 3rd 1941. Question is: was the Albion Engineering Company bombed shortly before this date?

Just did an interesting overlay on the Coventry map: In the war time "bomb damage map" it is difficult to see where the Triumph factory was located: So I did another overlay: the Triumph factory is at the right hand side of this map detail: I think the aerial view must be orientated like this on the bomb damage map... Found these pictures on eBay. Apparently they also show the Priory Street factory:

Hi Adrian, You made me curious... Apparently the Matchless factory was at the crossing of Burrage Grove and Maxey Road, in Plumstead. When I check this address on the bomb damage map, it looks as if there was no (serious) damage to this factory...

That is correct Ron, the WM20.70000+ books have disappeared from planet Earth...

Hi Adrian, Thanks for the compliment! Yes, feel free to use my research as well… 😊 Jan

The "Morris Works" was also hit by several German bombs (thought all Morrises were made in Oxford...?). I wonder why the Morris factory was hatched in the German photograph...?

What's the frame / engine number of your BSA Richard? I may have additional information...

I can see it now, spot on! Thanks Adrian! I've done a similar research of the bombing of the Albion gearbox factory in Upper Highgate street, Birmingham, but I'll keep this for another thread... 😊 (unless you've already got some information...)

Looks as if the Germans invented the word "Coventriert" (or "Coventrate"). I have been searching for the exact location of this aerial photograph. I can't recognise it as being Coventry.

Research in the BSA ledgers has revealed that the motorcycle production didn’t stop or wasn’t delayed shortly after the August 26th air raid. It looks as if the factory where the guns were made had been hit on August 26th, rather than the factory where the motorcycles were assembled. The situation was different after the November raids. When I look in the ledgers, the production of the M20 was going strong until November 19th 1940 (approximately WM20.30000). Some bikes were despatched the days after the raid, but then we have a gap until the end of December! It looks as if the production of the WM20 was halted for a month due to this air raid! This is the daily production before and after the November air raids: 1/11: 82 2/11: 49 3/11: none (Sunday) 4/11: 65 5/11: 85 6/11: 81 7/11: 82 8/11: 89 9/11: 39 10/11: none (Sunday) 11/11: 59 12/11: 59 13/11: 92 14/11: 87 15/11: 80 16/11: 50 17/11: none (Sunday) 18/11: 57 19/11: 67 20/11: 33 (this is just after the air raid of 19/11) 21/11: none 22/11: 20 From November 23rd 1940 onwards (this is just after the air raid of 22/11) the production was delayed until December 22nd 1940: 22/12: 6 23/12: none 24/12: 24 25/12: none (Christmas) 26/12: 49 27/12: 23 28/12: 53 29/12: none (Sunday) 30/12: 46 31/12: 58 1/1/1941: 24 (New Year) 2/1: 50 3/1: 46 4/1: 36 5/1: none (Sunday) 6/1: 50 7/1: 47 8/1: 52 9/1: 50 10/1: 57 etc... The November air raids clearly had an effect on the production: not only had the production been delayed by a month, but the average production of 70 motorcycles per day had dropped to an average of only 35 bikes per day when the production resumed in late December 1940 - early January 1941. Also interesting to see that production continued on New Year's day! It is unclear to me how the 1940 air raids can be responsible for the loss of the 1943 onwards factory ledgers… 😕 Any further comments or additional information would be gratefully received!

Thanks to Google I also found some information on these bombings: On https://www.bsatrust.org I found the following quote: "Inevitably, the Small Heath BSA works was marked on Luftwaffe maps of the area as one of their main targets. In 1940 the factory was bombed 3 times in 3 months, killing 53 people, injuring 89 injured, and destroying more than 4 acres of the factory." On https://thebirminghampress.com/2010/11/53-killed-at-bsa-works-19th-november-1940/ I found this: "On the night of the 19th November 1940 Birmingham suffered one of its worst air raids of the blitz when a German bomber dropped two bombs on the Armoury Road site of the Birmingham Small Arms factory at Small Heath. Many night shift workers that night had stayed at their machines when the sirens sounded. When they did decide to vacate the factory floor the intensity of the raid made it impossible for them to reach the air raid shelters safely. That night they chose to shelter in the basement of the reinforced concrete factory, only one worker would be pulled out alive after being trapped for 9 hours, the rest were crushed to death when the complete factory building collapsed on top of them after two direct hits. Wartime reporting restrictions meant that the raid could not be reported by the media." More information about the November 19th air raid on https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/32/a2116432.shtml (very interesting article!!!). No doubt these are the two bombs (one HE, one incendiary) that fell on the entrance of the New Factory (left hand side in the previous illustrations). On https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/misc/misc_bsa&singer337.htm I found this: "a major air raid on 26th August 1940 damaged the main barrel mill and 750 machine tools causing disruption to production. Serious damage and loss of life was caused during heavy air raids on 19th and 20th November 1940, destroying the machine shops in the reinforced concrete building. The damage affected 1,600 machine tools and halted rifle production for three months, after which armament production was dispersed to shadow factories.” Also according to the same website, August 26th 1940 was another black day for BSA ("a major air raid on 26th August 1940 damaged the main barrel mill and 750 machine tools causing disruption to production.”) Could this have been the incendiary bomb that fell on the “Small Arms Factory” I wonder? (see previous illustrations).