Alan S Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 Hi everyone, New to this forum, and I hope to add and comment on posts. Looking for some help, I have noticed that a number of you have historical records on Royal Enfield's so I'm looking for some help in tracking down the history of this one. I have just purchased it with the engine 18873 and frame number M18873, I have been told they where part of an RAF order spanning from 1942 to 1944 but I have no evidence of this. Not sure why but 5 of them ended up in Poland and have recently brought back for restoration. It would be great provenance for the bike if I could have more info on the order history. Any help would be much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 I did respond on your original post. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 The contract number stamped below 'C/S14219' was an RAF contract for 2826 machines with the number range 17001 - 19826 and delivered during 1943. A lot of WD/COs had been passed to the Home Office by 1945, for instance for use by the Fires Services and it seems that a number went to Central / Eastern Europe with UNRRA aid missions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rewdco Posted February 23, 2022 Share Posted February 23, 2022 Hi Alan, Noticed your plea for information in the other thread. Think it's better to send you an answer in this specific thread... Your bike (#18873) was part of the RAF contract C/14219 (2826 bikes, #17001 - 19826). It was despatched from the Redditch factory on 19/08/1943, destination War Office Sheffield. This will have been a depot, from where it was later sent to a specific unit, this specific information however is impossible to find out. As Ron already mentioned, the "original" C/14219 (RAF) bikes did not have pannier frames or pillion seat. I've added the two official factory photographs for this contract. But I must admit (and Ron will be pleased to hear this... 😉 ) that about 50% of the war time pictures of RAF WD/CO bikes do show this equipment. These may have been ex-Army bikes that had been transferred to the RAF...? Or RAF contract bikes with retrofitted equipment? Don't know... The problem is that there are no records for the RAF census numbers (the number which is displayed on the tank). Any RAF picture is always a bit of a mystery... After the war, under the UNRRA scheme, a lot of ex military equipment was sent to the countries in the Eastern Block. Rather surprisingly, a lot of the motorcycles appear to come from the RAF contract! It looks as if yours was one of these. Jan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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