BMCT News 53

DECEMBER 2022

NUMBER 53

NEWSLETTER OF THE BRITISH MOTORCYCLE CHARITABLE TRUST

P A G E

2

MEMBERSHIP SCHEME CHANGES

B M C T

N EW S

From 1st January 2023 new members and those renewing will get a

ATTENTION BMCT MEMBERS - THIS AFFECTS YOU new style card confirming the concessions available at each museum.

Discounts will be applied to the regular adult entry price, there are no further concessions for seniors or groups. As an existing member you’ll still be entitled to free museum entry until your card expires, and upon renewal you will be issued a discount card. Of course, we hope that you will take up the new offer and the cost of your subscription will remain at £20, as it has been right from the beginning. If you have an automatically renewing subscription and The growth in membership has exceeded everyone’s expectations and choose not to continue, you’ll need to stop the recurring payment in today we have eighteen affiliated museums giving free entry to 2,700 your PayPal account. We’re unable to cancel it on your behalf. associate members. We’ve reached the point where the financial impact on our partners, who are already struggling with the aftermath We’ve taken this timely action to ensure the sustainability of the of Covid restrictions, has to be considered. We have consulted with arrangement with our affiliated museums while still offering a very the museums, looked at various options, and jointly decided that from attractive package to our members. Please also bear in mind that there 1st January 2023 our membership benefit will change to half price are still some museums that do not charge for entry. Full details of these are in the new Museums Guide enclosed with this newsletter. museum entry, rather than the free entry offered hitherto.

Please read the following carefully, as it represents the most important change to our membership scheme since its inception more than twenty years ago. The present benefit of free museum admission will be replaced with a discount when your current membership card expires.

N

R A C AWA R D F O R S A M M Y M I L L E R M U S E U M

ews just in from Emma at the Sammy racing history or for its significance to Miller Motorcycle Museum:motorsport. Of around 500 bikes, almost all are in running order and are meticulously “Sammy Miller MBE is greatly honoured to maintained by a team of volunteers. have been crowned winner of the Collection category at the Royal Automobile Club’s We are extremely honoured to receive this Historic Awards at a grand ceremony in accolade and incredibly proud of the further London’s Pall Mall, on the evening of the benefit it brings to New Milton and the New 24th November.

Forest in supporting the tourism industry in the area. We are looking forward to a It is a great tribute to our Museum Complex successful 2023, continuing to promote New and further cements our place on the world Milton and the New Forest. map as the world’s leading motorcycle museum. Sharon Bumpsteed (pictured), our The judges commented: Museum Manager, attended the ceremony ‘The Sammy Miller Museum houses an and accepted the award on Sammy’s behalf, exceptional collection of more than 500 presented by David Bond, Managing Director motorcycles, including some of the greatest of Footman James who supported the award competition machines of all time, in a series category. This prestigious award recognises of themed halls on a site which includes the phenomenal collection on display at our family-friendly attractions including a magnificent museum in New Milton, and is cafeteria, live animal and bird collections and credit to Sammy’s decades of dedication to craft shops. The standards of restoration and display of the motorcycles are of the highest motorsport, both on and off the track. order, with the machines displayed in a way Each motorcycle has been hand picked by which allows the public to get close to every Sammy for its engineering innovation, its exhibit. The whole museum is the very

embodiment of founder Sammy Miller’s personality, limitless enthusiasm and meticulous attention to detail, and his regular presence in the restoration workshop and on the exhibition floor not only lends it a unique atmosphere but also makes it one of the most appealing destinations for motoring enthusiasts, and a worthy winner.’”

BMCT LIFE PRESIDENT

A

t the recent BMCT AGM, retiring trustee John Kidson received the grateful thanks of his fellow trustees for his great service to the BMCT over the last twenty years, and accepted the honorary role of Life President of the Charity.

John’s life with motorcycles started inauspiciously with a 1930s BSA C10 as ride to work transport, followed by Royal Enfields, a Norton Dominator 99 and a Vincent Black Prince. John began spectating at the TT and short circuits in 1953, and in 1959 started road racing himself with a 1930s Rudge. Several Moto Guzzis followed, including ex-Maurice Cann double-knockers. John then realised an ambition to own the 1953 ex-works, ex-Geoff Duke NSU Rennmax 250 twin, which was a gem but soon became outclassed by the two strokes.

Manx Norton, Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda race bikes followed, and for the 1965 TT John became a works rider for Cotton, as team-mate to Derek Minter on a 250 Telstar in the Lightweight race.

Our photo (right) shows Minter starting at 11 next to John (in those days riders started in pairs). Unfortunately John retired on the first lap, but there were many good finishes in other years, culminating in John winning the Formula III race at the 1977 TT on a Honda and with it the FIM World TT Formula III Championship. By now John was

building up his business as a Honda motorcycle dealer and racing was taking a back seat, but there was a final flurry with an Aermacchi 350 Ala d’Oro in the Manx GP, gaining podium finishes in his fifties, and sponsoring various riders up until 2005, the year he helped Graham Rhodes win the Senior MGP Classic.

Front page photo: Happiness is ....a 1948 BSA M33. But perhaps don’t try this at home. Kevin Ellard leaves the Lenchford Inn at the start of the VMCC North Birmingham Section’s Levis Cup Trial. More photos from the event on page 6.

N U M B E R

5 3

P A G E

3

B M C T AT T H E GR E AT D O R S E T S T E A M FA I R

I

think someone once said - but I may be wrong - “If you are tired of the Great Dorset Steam Fair you are tired of life!”

I would hold that is certainly true for anyone interested in vintage mechanical devices, the 600-acre site occupied by the five-day Great Dorset Steam Fair (GDSF) contains a cornucopia of engineering.

Steam of course plays a big part with steam traction engines, showman’s engines, steam rollers and steam trains. Diesel also plays a part with heavy haulage lorries, a whole range of smaller commercial vehicles, plus tractors in all forms. Static tractors, working tractors and tractor pulling! Have you ever seen a tractor pulling a wheelie? The rhythmic clanking, chuffing and clonking of the stationary engines will serenade you as you visit the display of shepherds’ huts on the way to the working horse arena. But I digress, as the most important and most interesting part for us is the section displaying veteran, vintage and classic motorcycles.

I have been involved with classic bikes at GDSF for a number of years now and have been lucky enough to be able to borrow a number of different bikes to display at the event. Pre-war racing bikes from Brooklands Museum, electric racing bikes from Kingston University and of course a couple of bikes from the BMCT. This year I was able to borrow the Trust’s 1917 army Matchless Vickers sidecar outfit, which made a great centre piece as you entered the marquee. With over 100,000 people visiting the show it was a great way to publicise the work of the BMCT. Plus, as I’m a part of the commentary team for the daily arena display of the bikes I made sure it got a good mention there as well. We were grateful to the curators at the Bovington Tank Museum for allowing the temporary removal of the outfit from its usual display home inside the museum.

The age range for the bikes on display is up to 1995 and this year the amount of room for bikes had been doubled with two marquees each holding about 100 bikes - one for up to 1970 and the other from 1970 to 1995. I hope I will be able to take another BMCT bike next year as it helps both organisations. The show is always looking for new exhibitors so you might fancy exhibiting your bike at the show. It is a great event to take part in, and as an exhibitor you get five days and nights of entertainment free of charge. Did I mention the five beer tents, each with their own packed schedule of bands or the fun fair?

But with this generosity comes a level of responsibility! You are expected to take part in the daily riding demonstration, and you will staff the marquee for two shifts over the five days. One three-hours shift during the day and one two-hour shift at night. This means that the marquee has security 24 hours a day. The system works well, with a small team on duty every shift. It also means that you get to meet and get to know the other exhibitors a bit and creates a real team spirit.

I grew up in Dorset and just assumed every county had a similar show, how wrong I was! The GDSF is quite a spectacle and should be experienced at least once, but come for more than a day, wear good walking shoes and make sure you have a spare SD card for your camera!

If you would like to exhibit in the future, please email me in the first instance and I will pass on your details to the section leader. The next GDSF takes place over the 2024 August Bank Holiday, with applications needing to be in around March that year. But drop me a line if you think you might be interested: nsinclair@rocketmail.com - Neil Sinclair

P A G E

W

4

e’re delighted to announce that the Royal Engineers Museum in Gillingham is the latest to join our affiliation scheme.

BMCT members can now enjoy concessionary entry to Kent’s largest military museum, which is now a particularly appropriate home for the BMCT’s 1914 500cc Blackburne, as used by the first despatch riders of World War 1.

B M C T

N EW S

The Museum itself is a fascinating place to visit. With highlights including twenty-five Victoria Crosses, Wellington’s map of Waterloo, Chard’s weapons from the Zulu War, an amazing collection of bridge-laying tanks, Chinese silks, the world’s first guided torpedo, Indian battle axes, a huge piece of the Berlin Wall, Zulu shields, a Harrier Jump Jet and a deadly V2 rocket, it’s no surprise that the Museum’s collection has been designated as being of historical and In the British Army, motorcycle despatch riders were first used in international importance.

World War I by the Royal Engineers Signal Service. When the War The Royal Engineers Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday and Bank Department called for motorcyclists to volunteer with their machines Holiday Mondays from 10.00 to 17.00. www. re-museum.co.uk for despatch work at the start of August 1914, the response was huge.

The London office had 2000 more applicants than places, and a similar response was reported in regional centres around the country.

If a rider and machine were approved then £10 was paid immediately, £5 to be paid on discharge (unless due to misconduct), and pay was 35s per week. The motor cycle would be taken over at valuation price, or will be replaced with a new one at the close of operations.

Enlistment was for one year or as long as the war might last. Among the first to enlist were the Burney brothers, Alick and Cecil, with bikes built by their own company, Burney & Blackburne of Tongham, in Surrey. The exploits of these courageous young men who volunteered for the British Expeditionary Force are vividly related in Martin and Nick Shelley’s excellent book “Two Wheels to War”, now out of print. but still available from Martin. For details email him at twowheelstowar@gmail.com

P A G E

5

B M C T

N E W S

R U D G E R E C O R D C O M M E M O R AT I O N

F

riday 25th November 2022 marked the centenary of the last land speed record set by a motorcycle at the Brooklands motor circuit during the 1922 season, and also the unveiling of the newly restored 1922 998cc Rudge motorcycle from the Museum's collection.

The world record setting bike was discovered in an orchard in 1956, and in 1957 it was back at the track for the unveiling of the Golden Jubilee Memorial by Lord Brabazon, the winner of the first race in July 1907. The bike remained in the ownership of Bryan Reynolds, former Vice President of the Rudge Enthusiasts Club and founder of the Vintage Rudge Register until his death in 2019, when it was acquired

by Brooklands Museum. Since then, Motorcycle Team members Gareth Pemberton, Ian Dabney and Project Manager Martin Gegg have been carefully conserving the bike and assessing its condition. After carrying out some remedial work on the frame and forks, the engine was assessed, before it was decided that it would be possible to carry out a short demonstration run to commemorate the original runs and pay tribute to Bert Mathers (right) and Bob Dicker, who carried out several punishing long-distance runs during October and November 1922. 25th November marked the date when the two riders rode for a total of 8 ½ hours in relay setting new world records of 74.96 mph over 500 miles and 71.27 mph over 600 miles and setting a new overall speed record of 75.02 mph (120.73 kph) over a 6 hour period.

After the run on the iconic Brooklands Railway Straight (below right) team member Gareth Pemberton said “What an amazing experience! It was great to ride; it’s a fast bike but it was built to break records, so it’s what you’d expect. I didn’t get out of first gear, mainly because it was going fast enough in first – and the brakes are barely existent – but the controllability was very good, and the result is exactly what we had hoped for”.

The Rudge will be back on display at Brooklands Museum at Weybridge early in 2023. Visit www.brooklandsmuseum.com to learn more about what’s on and to book advanced-priced tickets. BMCT members qualify for attractive concessions on entry tickets.

- Martin Gegg

Images courtesy of Brooklands Museum. There’s also a good video on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqcNZ7pkLD0

P A G E

6

B M C T

N EW S

VMCC LEVIS CUP TRIAL A regular fixture in the North Birmingham Section’s calendar, the Levis Cup Road Trial in late September attracted a large entry of some 60 motorcycles, sidecar outfits and three-wheelers, the competitors attempting an 80 - mile route including hill climbs around the lanes of North Worcestershire and South Shropshire. More pictures and results at www.vmcc-nbs.co.uk Photos by Andy Bufton

Premier award winner John Robinson on his 1914 BSA Model H

An enthusiastic send-off from flagman Bill Danks for Bruce and Dianne Grant on their 1943 Triumph 3HW

David Spencer chats about his 1929 BSA Sloper.

Graham Orrin - 1932 Levis A2 Special

John Shaw is dressed for the part on his superbly presented 1940 Velocette. The tax disc (inset) reads “Defence of the Realm”!

Keith Sams departs on his 1920 ABC. It was very loud!

N U M B E R

P A G E

5 3

7

B O O K R E V I E W B Y J O N AT H A N H I L L

“Playing with the Boys”

Olga Kevelos – Motorcycle Sportswoman – an extraordinary 20th century life in words and photographs Author: Colin Turbett Published by Banovallum Books, an imprint of Mortons Books Ltd, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR www.mortonsbooks.co.uk Tel.: 01507 529529 Softback, 295 x 210mm; 173pp with over 250 photographs.

ISBN 978-1-5272-0795-0 £25 UK Olga Kevelos (1923-2009) was undoubtedly one of the most versatile and successful female motorcycle competitors of the Post-WW2 period, riding successfully in centre and national one-day trials, riding many times in the Scottish Six Days Trial and winning gold, silver and bronze medals in the International Six Days Trial – she even did the occasional scramble and road race; was a member of the successful

Honda Maudes Trophy team and raced a Manx Norton-engined Formula 3 car for Rex McCandless – this was just part of her extraordinary life.

The oldest child of a middle-class Birmingham family – her father was Greek and her mother English, she volunteered on the outbreak of WW2 as narrow boat crew on the Grand Union canal as part of the forgotten wartime heroines who transported coal and materials to and from the Midlands. Post-war she went on a cycle tour across Europe before returning to run her father’s Cherry Orchard Restaurant in Birmingham where she met many trade personalities, journalists and riders. An attractive and vivacious brunette, she was certainly aware of her own sexuality and surrounded herself with legions of men who, it was said, would do anything for her. Birmingham dealer and racing competitor Frank Cope who sold her one the first Norton 500T trials machines in 1949, was probably one of them, as was Len ValeOnslow another Birmingham dealer whose competition machine was used by Olga. AMC’s Competition Manager, Hugh Viney, was also an admirer, along with Rex McCandless, Geoff Duke and Murray Walker.

Throughout her career Olga competed on James, AJS, Norton, Francis-Barnett, Parilla, CZ, BSA, Triumph, Greeves, Valon, DOT, Suzuki and Butler machines, retiring in 1970 to become a highly respected ACU Midlands Centre delegate.

On selling the family restaurant, Olga joined her brother Ray and sister-in-law to become co-licensee of the “Three Tuns” public house at Kings Sutton in Oxfordshire, where she became involved in village life organising and competing in the pub quiz scene. Being widely read and with an excellent general knowledge she also participated in TV’s “Mastermind” quiz show.

“Playing with the Boys,” is an excellent book based on the photographs and extensive research undertaken by the author – retaining important information of a previously unrecorded career that would have been lost forever. It dispels some of the myths about Olga and it also candidly reflects the life of a woman who ploughed her own furrow and was beholden to no one.

- Jonathan Hill

ANOTHER RESTORATION BY THE SAMMY MILLER MUSEUM 1898 Quadrant This superb machine is now the oldest in the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum collection following its restoration by Jim Devereux and Sammy (right) in the museum workshops. The intricacies of the individual parts are quite something when you consider that they would have been made by hand 124 years ago!

• • • • • •

1½ hp French Le Brutus engine with automatic inlet and mechanical exhaust valves 2 speed Copper petrol & oil tanks Stirrup front brake Pedal start Unique shaft drive for the pedal gear with roller sprockets

Editor’s note - The Quadrant Cycle Co. was established in Sheepcote Street, Birmingham in the late 1890s. They produced bicycles, motorcycles and a tri-car called the Carette there, before expanding into larger premises in Lawley Street and making their first cars around 1906. After the end of World War 1 they moved again, opening the Quadrant Works on Woodcock Street, where they remained until production ceased in 1928. Interestingly, W.O. Bentley raced Quadrant motorcycles pre-WW1 before going on to make his eponymous aero engines, and later, motor cars.

P A G E

B M C T

8

N EW S

T HE BR I T I S H MOTOR CYCL E C HA R I TABL E TRUS T A Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered Charity No. 509420 Life President: John Kidson Trustees: Paul Barnes (Chairman) Ian Walden OBE Peter Wellings John Handley Mike Jackson Nick Jeffery Mike Penn Secretariat: Holly Cottage Main Street Bishampton Pershore WR10 2NH United Kingdom Secretary & Editor Andy Bufton Mob: 07754 880116 Email: editor@bmct.org

The British Motorcycle Charitable Trust (BMCT) was originally formed in 1979 to facilitate the building of the National Motorcycle Museum at Bickenhill, near Solihull in the West Midlands.

Since 1995, however, the BMCT has been an entirely separate organisation, a grant-making Charity dedicated to the promotion of British motor cycle engineering heritage through a network of affiliated transport and local interest museums throughout the country.

Our affiliated museums are: Black Country Living Museum, Dudley Brooklands Museum, Weybridge Coventry Transport Museum Dover Transport Museum The Folk of Gloucester Museum Grampian Transport Museum, Aberdeen Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford Internal Fire Museum of Power, Tanygroes

Associate Membership is open to all, and allows special entry concessions at the partner museums in our affiliation scheme. Our funding comes from membership fees, bequests, donations, and income from our investments.

Please direct any enquiries to the secretary at the Secretariat address on the left.

Isle of Man Motor Museum, Jurby Jet Age Museum, Gloucester Manx Museum, Douglas, Isle of Man Museum in the Park, Stroud National Motor Museum, Beaulieu Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum, New Milton Silk Mill Museum of Making, Derby Tank Museum, Bovington

www.bmct.org

The Norton Collection Museum, Bromsgrove Royal Engineers Museum, Gillingham

Preserving the past...for the future

THE BRITISH ARMY ON THE ITALIAN FRONT, 1917-1918 Despatch riders on Triumph motorcycles exchange their despatches on a mountain road in Northern Italy.

(Photo source - © IWM Q 26298) BMCT News is published by Matchless Management Services, Holly Cottage, Main Street, Bishampton, Pershore WR10 2NH. Any opinions therein are not necessarily the views of the publisher or of The British Motorcycle Charitable Trust.