17-22 August 1914

From today this Blog will appear on a weekly basis

Advertising

One of the first adverts to feature military personnel on motorcycles appeared this week. The advert featured a Douglas motorcycle and would soon be followed by Scott and many others.

 

Generous Patriotism

In what was even at the time a very generous offer the Stepney Spare Motor Wheel, Llanelli, S. Wales, announced that they offered to pay 30 shillings a week to all employees going on active service. One wonders how long they were able to maintain the payment.

Anti- German Paranoia

A suspicious man was arrested in a motorcycle agency in London after asking for a Harley Davidson Instruction Book and a key for the toolbox. Unable to give a good reason for the request the German waiter, who had previously stolen a Harley was later handed over to the police. The report concluded “Irrespective of the offence he had committed he was liable to prosecution for riding a motor bicycle, as motor bicycles are, of course, forbidden to persons of German nationality.”



Wednesday 5 August 2014

Douglas Motorcycles in Bristol received a telegram from the War Office on the afternoon 5 August and machines were dispatched to locations around the country; other machines supplied included Zenith, Premier, Rudge and Triumph

Yesterday the Army had 15 motorcycles, by the end of the war they would have 34,000 in active service. Nobody knows the total including those destroyed.

Army Officers, Metropolitan Police Officers and some civilians that had already been identified as suitable candidates for the Intelligence Corps were contacted by telegram on 5 August for mobilisation. This embryo Corps included a motorcycle section riding War Office supplied Black 3½ hp Rudge Multis.

Friday 31 July 1914

The general comments from the Judges of the Six Day Trial was issued. And they obviously did not want to upset anybody:

“With very few exceptions indeed, machines could be started quickly and easily, a great advance on previous years. Practically no marks were lost by reason of machines not being ready "to start to time each morning. The judges are of the opinion that the showing made by every machine to finish was distinctly good, the cycle cars put up a fine performance, and particular credit is due to the Calthorpe and J.B.S. machines. In the motor cycles, the P. and M., Sunbeam, Scott, Bat, Douglas, and Blackburne were extremely good, whilst the performance of the O.K. and Baby Clyno motor cycles is deserving of very special mention. Of the sidecar machines the Chater-Lea, Matchless, and Clyno were almost equally deserving of credit. The latter' make was perhaps the neatest in lay-out and strongest weight for weight, but its mechanism was less accessible.”

Motorcycling 1914 to 1918

Sunday 28 June 1914

Members of Red Cross VAD at Brooklands Airfield

Nine men had set out to kill the archduke. Only two made an attempt on his life, Nedjelko Cabrinovic and Gavrilo Princip. Both were immediately arrested and, under questioning, eventually gave up the names of their co-conspirators.

Subsequently tried for treason and murder, eight were found guilty (one remaining conspirator escaped to Serbia before the trial) and three of the men were executed. Princip and Cabrinovic were too young to face death under Austro-Hungarian law and received the maximum term possible of 20 years imprisonment.

Back home motorcyclists and were considering if sidecars were a viable option and worrying about various pieces of legislation that might restrict their freedom. Nobody had any idea of the domino effect that was about to cast the world into turmoil.

The motorcycle Magazine had just published details of the Red Cross Field Day held at Brooklands Racetrack on 20 June. It was reported that the first ever Triumph motorcycle/Sidecar Ambulance was in attendance at the field day held to test the Red Cross’s ability to deal with wounded in the battlefield. The military and associated organisations had detailed contingency plans ready to be dusted off and put into action at a moments notice. These plans were regularly tested and lessons learned were added. This is why in August the Government were able to quickly assemble an Expeditionary Force and deliver it into theatre within days.