rewdco

Sold!

Look at this (well, when the pictures will be visible again...):

Don't think so Rik... I have found some UNRRA bikes in Eastern Europe, but not up North... Denmark was a very important export market for the British motorcycle industry in the years before and after the war! I think the bike must have been rebuilt by one of these dealers...

Hello Ron, Your frame was despatched from the factory on 17/07/1943 to the War Office in Derby, and your engine was despatched on 02/06/43 to the War Office in Sheffield. Jan

Don't know where O&M got this info from Ron... According to the factory ledgers the RAF contract bikes were despatched to these destinations: Barton: 2 Canterbury: 1 Carlisle: 314 Derby: 172 Glasgow: 61 Handforth: 308 Hartlebury: 442 Liverpool: 1 Manchester: 2 Qudegeley: 314 Sheffield: 1207.

Your bike has not been rebuilt by the factory Martin. It does not appear in the ledgers with a second despatch date, and it does not have "matching numbers" (which all the factory rebuilt bikes did have, albeit with a restamped duplicated frame number on the engine. This number was stamped with an easy to recognise number set.) It must have been rebuilt by a dealer (this was also very often the case). Black or maroon with gold lining were the most popular colors in those days. Jan

Glad to see you here Martin! 😃 Jan

Everyday is a schoolday, and this is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you very much! 👍 Jan

In the Australian video (https://streamable.com/4z655h) I noticed something that has been on my mind for a very long time... It looks as if there are lots and lots of weld beads on the armor of this tank. I have seen similar weld bead areas on other tanks as well. Can anybody explain me the function of these beads please...? 🤔 Cheers, Jan

Here we have a rare CVRT metal model, from a Belgian Officer's Mess. The model is almost 4 1/2 Inches long, and is mounted on a nice wooden plinth. I'm asking 60 Euros plus postage for this collector's item. Jan

Well, I've just checked #10798 again, and I can confirm that this bike left the factory on 03/03/1944 destination War Office, Blackpool, as part of 5000 bikes for contract C/12425. The original colour for the first part of this contract would have been SCC2, the second part would have been finished in Olive Drab. The colour of this bike is neither of those I'm afraid... The factory ledgers also show that the bike was factory rebuilt, and it left the factory gates a second time on 04/09/1946, destination Ifill (Irkbern). This name only appears once in the ledgers, and I can't find that place neither that name on Google. Anyway, the petrol tank on this bike is the more bulbous post war Model G version... In my opinion, this colour and these markings are the result of an early (1970's...?) rebuild in military guise. But unfortunately this is not the original war time finish... Sorry... Jan

Not sure who the man who's holding the bike is... Could indeed be Tony Wilson Jones, Enfields chief engineer - designer.

Here I am... 😃 EAB 331 and EAB 332 are two works registrations, for "RE 125 cycle". I can't work out the registration date, but the entries before and after are all November 1942. There are several pictures of EAB 332 in the Stilltime Archives, some of these pictures show tests in a lake, some are taken in what looks like a factory. This is definitely not the Enfield factory in Redditch, for as far as I can see... I have no idea about the man in the suit, but the officer (4th from right) is Captain J.J. Hall, who also wrote for one of the weeklies. I've also added a picture from Hall's scrapbook. The other picture with Arthur Bourne is EAB 456, another works demonstrator from January 1943.

Very clever tool making job! And some very nice results! 👍

I think the wire is for general repairs, plastic straps and ducktape weren't invented yet... The triangular toolbox was fitted at the right hand side of the bike, in the triangular opening of the frame. On the WD/CO, the supplementary kit was stowed away in a similar triangular toolbox on the left hand side of the bike. Indeed, that's a Royal Enfield funnel for topping up the engine oil... The insulating tape is cotton based, impregnated with something bitumen-like... Thanks for the compliment! 😊

And here's the Royal Enfield WD/C tool roll and supplementary kit. The tool roll goes in the rectangular toolbox, the supplementary kit was stowed away in the triangular toolbox:

Don't want to hijack this thread, just want to give some inspiration... Here's the WD/RE tool roll:

Very nice indeed! 👍

Hi Luis, I've sent you a PM. Regards, Jan

From approximately 1940 onwards the RAOC census numbers were applied in the factory where the vehicle was built, and each factory had its own unique “style”. Royal Enfield used waterslide transfers, in a font that was only used by them. As I’m rebuilding a 1942 WD/CO myself, and as I have seen many restored WD Royal Enfields with “wrong style” census numbers (and I have to admit that I’m a bit of a Rivet Counter… 😃 ), I have decided to take some action… so I made a DXF drawing of the correct font as used by Royal Enfield. (I do have an original tank that I used to measure most of the numbers, the other numbers were created on the basis of some high resolution contemporary photographs). I have been looking at having a batch of waterslide transfers made, but this isn’t cost effective. I would need to order these transfers in quantities that I will never be able to sell… Hence my idea to use low tack stencils, with the correct font. Tony Pearson at Axholmesigns has been very helpful, and Axholmesigns can now provide low tack stencils with any Royal Enfield census number in the correct font! (https://www.axholmesigns.co.uk/motor-bike) You can download a PDF file with fitting instructions through their website, so no more excuses for not using the correct font on a Royal Enfield petrol tank! 😃Anybody who’s unsure about the correct census number for his WD/CO or WD/RE can of course send me a PM... (Note: same font on the RAOC WD/C. Most WD/Cs were RASC though, and they used different styles...)REgards, Jan

I second that, Ron!

And here's the correct key. There is only one lever inside the lock, which means that the key needs a single lip. The beard on Lex' key and on my key have two little prongs that act as a guidance inside the lock, on my key there is even a small lip that acts as a guidance for the lid.

Three types of toolboxes have been used on the WD/C: The first type is the pre war toolbox with a key lock. The toolbox was used for storing the tool roll, and being immobilised on a battlefield because you lost your key and couldn’t repair your motorcycle must have been an unpleasant thought... The second type looked a lot like the first type, but a knurled screw, to keep the toolbox closed, replaced the key lock... (August 1940 onwards) The third type also had a knurled screw, but the lid was bigger than on the second type. (July 1941 onwards). This one was also used briefly on the very first WD/CO models.

Where did you buy your canvas Gareth? Jan