Tuesday 7 July 1914

The 1914 ACU Six day Trial is underway. SECOND DAY: Sheffield (8.0 a.m.), Matlock (9.45). Leek (11.16), Rudyard Lake (11.24). Lunch. Cowdale (2.15 p.m.), Stoney Middleton (3.9pm), Sheffield(4.6pm). 124 miles.

Overseas there is talk of war as  in Austria-Hungary the Council of Ministers meet to discuss War.

Monday 6 July 1914

In a century after we, with our war-weariness, are dead and gone the Great War will be a quarry for tales of adventure, of high endeavour, and of splendid achievement : when that time comes even some of the humbler actors who play their part in these pages maybe seen through a haze of romance. Basil Thompson

Sunday 5 July 1914

The 132 Entrants in the ACU Trial were preparing themselves for the start in Sheffield on 6th. Among the entrants was A.J. Sproston a well known racer of the time and soon to become a Dispatch Rider in the Royal Engineers.

Saturday 4 July

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria's Funeral was held today followin the assination on 28 June. Leaders of Austria-Hungary and Germany will be meeting tomottow to discuss the possibility of  war with Serbia Russia and France.

Meanwhile in Scotland sunny good weather was assisting the 150 entrants of the Glasgow Motocycle Club's 12 hour trial. The Glasgow club managed to also win the event with an agrigate score of 1995 miles.

Friday 3 July 1914

The Intelligence Department at the War Office was under-funded. However, as events developed it was thought a good idea to have a list of names of reliable people with the skills needed to develop an Intelligence Corps. These men consisting of Army Officers and Metropolitan Police could be called up at short notice. These men would need to be mobile and Motorcycles would turn out to be the preferred method of transport.

A small Counter Intelligence Service (MI5) was already in existence in 1914 and we will hear more about their work later in the month.

Thursday 2 July 1914

Thursday 2 July 1914

Ixion writing in The Motorcycle Magazine was warning of the issue of broken spokes caused mainly to those motorcycles fitted with chain drives.

The Westcliff Speedtrial was held on 25 June with Vernon Busby successful as ever on his Sunbeam. 

Motorcyclists in Scotland were looking forward to the Glasgow Motorcycle Club's 12 hour trial On Saturday 4th. Others were looking to the ACU Six Day Trials which was to start on Monday 6 July

Wednesday 1 July 1914

Wednesday 1 July 1914

Taken from contemporary accounts and other archive information

The motorcycles of the Territorial and Special Reserves had already been training hard during June as the latest versions of the Eastern Defence Plan were being tested. “Enemy” Blue forces had landed in Southampton and seized the City. Forces then spread out heading north through Hampshire.

Reserve motorcyclists were mobilised together with a Cavalry Brigade that took up position in Elstead in Surrey. The dispatch riders assembled on the Hogs Back near Guildford were sent to the Headquarters that had been assembled at Kingsley near Bordon in Hampshire.

The riders on their Bradbury and Ariel motorcycles were then sent to various Telegraph locations which had been set up by the Royal Engineers. They  carried messages on the locations of the advancing forces back and forth from the Cavalry and other forward positions.

During this exercise which took place over 15 days in Jun 1914 we find evidence that the Cavalry were even at that time equipped with Marconi Wireless sets carried in cars. There reason given was that the Cavalry, being a highly mobile force could not use telegraph as the lines took too long to lay. However we discover that the wireless sets needed to be powered by Douglas motorcycle engines that could be prone to overheating.