rewdco

How are you going to "parkerise" the studs Ron? I bought a small bottle with a chemical solution at the gunsmith. A slight blast with some fine sand, paint on some solution, wait two minutes, rinse under cold water, dry and spray on some WD40. Ready... Works great... By the way, I've just researched these center stands. According to the parts books illustrations, all the early contracts used the longer center stand.Only the last two contracts (C/8732 and C/12429) used the short version. The part number didn't change... Jan

Any idea when / where? Jan

Just checked it... Yes, indeed!

To be honest, no I didn't! Never too old to learn...

You're absolutely right Steve. There is lots of evidence that the WD/RE has been used in Arnhem (but do we have evidence of its use in other theaters of war...?), but when I look at all the war-time photographs of WD/CO motorcycles, I also come to the conclusion that they have "not" been used during the liberation of Europe. Lots of Home Guard pictures with WD/COs, NFS and AFS used them, as well as the Civil Defense. And training... But I still have to find a photograph of a WD/CO "at the front". Different story with the WD/C, which was used (in small quantities) by the BEF and by the French Army in 1940. The WD/C was also used by the Australian Army, who had ordered a contract of 1000 bikes. And 180 British contract WD/Cs have also been transferred to the Australian Army. Lots of these motorcycles have been used in the Middle East, there are many war time photographs to prove this. Most of the British contract WD/Cs also seem to have been used for training purposes and for Home Guard duties. Enfield despatched four WD/KX bikes to Thorp Arch, York. Contract C11467, but no known census numbers. Thorp Arch was a Royal Ordnance Factory (or ROF). Were the WD/KXs used to transport heavy bombs on the sidecar chassis…? Six WD/J2 motorcycles were despatched to the RAF, according to O&M they were sent to “MAP Pool, Horseferry Road, London” (where did you find this information Steve?) A Google search didn’t reveal anything RAF related... Does anybody have more information on “MAP Pool, Horseferry Road, London”? Jan

I don't have any WD/Js in my Register (not surprising really, as Enfield only supplied 6 of these to the RAF). But the Register does contain two surviving WD/Ls (complete ones) plus one engine. Jan

The Norton style field stand was definitely used for the first WD/C contract C/5107, and was still listed in the second contract (C/5654) parts list. But I have the impression that they changed the field stand during (if not at the start of) the second contract. The French contract was built just after British contract C/5654, and as Rik pointed out (no pun intended), they definitely used the spike type field stand on the French bikes and all later WD/Cs. Jan

Are you sure the gudgeon pin has the original diameter Ron? (3/4") I notice you want to replace the small end bush... Jan

My own WD/C was found close to the Maginot line, where it had spent the immediate post war years as a civil bike. It was laid up in the 1950's and sold by a relative of the original owner. When I found the bike, it was badged as an FN, the paperwork that came with the bike was indeed for a 1920's FN. The most visible numbers on the engine had been filed out and replaced by the FN's frame number. I can only imagine that the bike was abandoned by the retreating 51 DIV (who were stationed at the Maginot Line in May 1940), and it must soon have been discovered by one of René Artois' compatriots. These BEF WD/Cs were built around February 1940, so they were still brand new in May 1940! Our Frenchman must have hidden the bike for the Germans during the war, but when the war was over, he was faced with a problem: he had a "brand new" khaki bike without any paperwork... How did he have to explain this to the local Gendarme...? Pas de problème, he did a complete make-over, and the bike was a 1920's FN now! I decided to rebuild my WD/C in the colors of the 51 DIV, as this is in my opinion the most likely "first owner". The Frenchman who used the bike after the war has done a lot of bodges, to keep the bike running. This made the rebuild that I had to do quite a challenge. But based on some original factory photographs, I have managed to get all the details correct, it now looks exactly as it left the factory in February 1940.

Some of the contract C/5107 WD/Cs were sent to France, as part of the British Expeditionary Forces equipment. On May 10th 1940, Hitler invades Belgium and Holland. By May 14th 1940, the German tanks had crossed the river Meuse and had opened up a fifty-mile gap in the Allied front. Six days later they reached the Channel. When he heard the news, Winston Churchill, who had just become prime minister, ordered the implementation of Operation Dynamo: a plan to evacuate the British Expeditionary Forces troops and their equipment, along with the remnants of the French army, from the French port of Dunkirk. Between 27th May and 4th June, a total of nearly 700 ships brought 338.226 people back to Britain. All heavy equipment was abandoned and left in France. Ellis' official history “The War in France & Flanders 1939 – 1940” gives the following statistics: Vehicles shipped to France 68.618 Lost 63.879 Brought back 4.739 Motorcycles 21.081 Lost 20.548 Brought back 533 In these 20.548 motorcycles that were abandoned in Belgium and France there were also some WD/Cs. I have put all my pre-Dunkirk British Army contract WD/C data (period C/5107 and C/5654 photographs and Register data) in a table, and have come to this conclusion: I currently have 6 entries that are definitely ex BEF bikes (discovered in France), with the following census numbers: C68071, C68074, C68081, C68118, C68144 (Captain Keating's bike) and C68153. It looks as if the first batch (minimum 320 motorcycles) stayed in the UK. Then we have a small batch (minimum 79, based on these census numbers, maximum 337 based on the frame numbers of the bikes before and after the BEF batch in my Register) that were sent to France, but it looks as if the majority of the pre-Dunkirk WD/Cs stayed in the UK... There was also a WD/C contract for the French Army. After a lot of research, I have come to the conclusion that approximately 600 “French contract” WD/Cs were built before the Fall of France, but 142 of these never made it to France… From the approximately 460 motorcycles that did arrive in France, at least 299 were registered within the French registration system. Those that weren’t registered within the French system probably didn’t make it much further than the French channel port docks…

The production of this first WD/C contract must have started towards the end of November 1939. The picture below (taken on December 8th 1939) shows what may have been the very first batch of WD/Cs, delivered to Feltham. Note that the headlamp is a 6” item now, but the front lower mudguard support is still the same as on the prototype model above. A total of 284 WD/Cs were built in 1939.

You're also expecting some history from me... here it is: On September 1st 1939, Hitler invades Poland. As a reaction, England declares war against Germany on September 3rd 1939. The following months (September 1939 – May 1940) are known as “the phoney war”. On Sept 11th 1939, the British Expeditionary Force (four divisions, 158.000 men) left for France, to defend the borders with Belgium and Germany against a possible German invasion. But until May 1940, when Hitler invaded Holland, Belgium and France, there was not a lot of fighting activity. Both camps were using this period to expand their armies... The first “demand” for a WD/C contract dates from September 27th 1939. That day, Sir John Simon (who was regarded as Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s right hand man) gets his first “war budget”, and on that same day, the big motorcycle manufacturers receive orders to build lots of motorcycles. Contracts C/5107 (1.000 Royal Enfield WD/C models), C/5108 (3.300 Triumphs), C/5109 (6.000 Nortons), C/5110 (8.100 BSAs) and C/5111 (100 Ariels) were all demanded on 27/09/39. Unlike BSA and Norton, who had already sold military M20 and 16H motorcycles to the Army, Enfield still had to develop a military version from its civilian model C. In the REOC Archives, I have found a picture (presumably taken in October 1939) of what must have been a pre-production WD/C motorcycle (for approval...?). Typical features that weren’t taken over on the production bikes are a fixed front mudguard support (a “front stand” type was used on the production motorcycles) and an 8” headlamp (6” on the production motorcycles).

Hi Ron, I'm back in town... Had forgotten that the silencer on Ben's bike had been opened, probably to remove the internals, and welded together again. Just a thought... why not open it again, clean it up thoroughly inside, maybe put the perforated tubes and baffles back in, and weld the seam properly? In that case it could be chromed by your platers? Jan

Sorry that I have to piss on your bonfire Ron, but the series of pictures with the sailor were made for Enfield's war time publicity. The "normal production" bikes all had the smaller transfers... Cheers, Jan

Another part of the mystery solved! Thanks Wally, much appreciated! Jan

Hello John, Thanks for joining this thread! As can be seen on the "rebuild plate" (post #6), this bike has frame number and "duplicated frame number" (on the engine) 4723. The factory ledgers show that this one left the factory gates on 06/09/43, as part of military contract S/1945. Your bike (frame number 11115) left the factory gates on 23/10/45, as part of military contract S/7112. Does your bike also have a "rebuild plate"? If so, what was the post war registration number? (03 YA 10 in case of #4723). Jan

Thanks Clive! Much appreciated! Jan

Great info! Thanks Clive! Cheers, Jan

Thank you very much Clive, that's very interesting! I forgot to add that this bike also has a brass MoS rebuild plate. This plate states that it was "overhauled" in July 1953 in Workshop B145. Unfortunately the text on my correspondent's tank is a bit vague (see first pictures in this thread), but it looks as if there's a 1953 and / or a 1954 date there. Would that mean that this bike was overhauled shortly before it was being laid up as a Class 1 vehicle (in 1953 or 1954)? Thanks for all the input! Cheers, Jan

I have seen similar markings on ex BAOR motorcycle tanks before, they seem to have been “common”… Does anybody know what they mean? I guess it's the date and the type of rebuild that the bike went through, and maybe the date that it was laid up? Thanks for your help! Jan

A Royal Enfield Flying Flea owner recently contacted me with the question if I knew what the markings on his petrol tank mean.

Just discovered this photograph... Jan

I've also used chemical black from a gunsmith. The process is quite easy: make sure that the metal is absolutely clean (blasting just before the treatment works great), apply the solution with a small brush, wait for a few minutes, rinse under the tap, dry with a cloth and spray with WD40 or something similar. In my opinion the WD40 protects better than the chemical black coating... Jan

Just found this one. Is it a captured lorry, or a pre war civilian lorry that had been exported to Germany? Jan

Ah, if it's only that... Glad to hear that you're not becoming a vicar Ron! Cheers, Jan