Flying_flea Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 Hi all, hope your all well! Found this photo of a wartime flea. Cheers sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 (edited) Thanks Sam, and yet with civilian registration, tax disc and a speedo? Ron Edited June 26, 2020 by Ron 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenkinov Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 Great find ..and we'll spotted Ron .for Royal Enfield the flying flea was a huge success with 4000 ordered by the government and it having an identifiable use in the war . The team from Royal Enfield that produced it would have attended the tests and subsequently completed required modifications ..but also post war the success of the bike represented a major sales opportunity ..so I would suggest it's either a wartime photo of the design team or royal enfield management or an immediate post war photo ..(suits look 1940) It would be great if we could identify the gentleman holding the bike in the centre ..?..Any Royal Enfield historians ? Jenkinov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfleasteve Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 (edited) Hi All. It’s suggested that RA Wilson- Jones is holding the Flea, Royal EnfieldsTechnical manager/director at the time 👍 Edited June 26, 2020 by flyingfleasteve Additions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenkinov Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 Looking to see if I can trace the bikes registration ..the three letters and three number system was introduced in 1932 ..EA is a Dudley prefix....can anyone confirm the full registration .I am struggling g with the 3rd character Jenkinov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 I make it EAB 332. I expect Jan will be along soon! Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying_flea Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 6 minutes ago, jenkinov said: Looking to see if I can trace the bikes registration ..the three letters and three number system was introduced in 1932 ..EA is a Dudley prefix....can anyone confirm the full registration .I am struggling g with the 3rd character Jenkinov Looks like it says ‘EAB 332’ Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 Jan just told me it's a works demonstrator! He'll respond fully later after work. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenkinov Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 Thats really interesting , I was pursuing the reg number to see if i could identify if the photo was wartime or immediate post war but sounds as if Jan knows about the bike , I am Curious if works demonstrator means prototype , ? so very interested to get his input on the photo Jenkinov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying_flea Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 Could it be the same flea as this photo from the peter miller famous James book...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rewdco Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rewdco Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 8 hours ago, jenkinov said: Great find ..and we'll spotted Ron .for Royal Enfield the flying flea was a huge success with 4000 ordered by the government and it having an identifiable use in the war . The team from Royal Enfield that produced it would have attended the tests and subsequently completed required modifications ..but also post war the success of the bike represented a major sales opportunity ..so I would suggest it's either a wartime photo of the design team or royal enfield management or an immediate post war photo ..(suits look 1940) It would be great if we could identify the gentleman holding the bike in the centre ..?..Any Royal Enfield historians ? Jenkinov Not sure who the man who's holding the bike is... Could indeed be Tony Wilson Jones, Enfields chief engineer - designer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdbikemad Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 The photo shows the Flea in it's final production form (with the exception of the number plates) so this is either late-1942 or early-1943........it is known that the Enfield works retained several examples for testing and modification purposes, James with their ML doing similar...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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