Since my last post my esteemed ami Francois has sent me several dozen excellent pictures. Many date from 1947/8 and will be published under their respective years, or in the melange; others are from the first and second world wars; there’s also a great batch of pre-Great War pics from the USA and…you get the idea. Normal service on the timeline (eg 1948) will be suspended while I get stuck into the photo files. I’ll post updates so you can check out the latest additions. As a taster here’s a snap of a nipper and his Adler.

I was about to start on 1948 when my attention was diverted by a 1906 issue of the Blue ‘Un tracked down by my endlessly fascinating wife (thanks boss). Additions to 1906 include a charming Continental touring yarn, a record breaking ride by one Reverend AJ McKinney; a report on Geoff Barnes’ record braking session at Canning Town courtesy of that maestro of the stopwatch, AV Ebblewhite; a report on the Essex MC’s hillclimb with (I think) some interesting machine data; a batch of readers’ letters and an excellent selection of ads including loads of classifieds that I found fascinating. And now I’ll get to work on 1948 (after I’ve uploaded another batch of images to les melanges, courtesy of mon bon ami Fanfan.

Another year’s complete, in the sense that I’ve exhausted my sources in search of stories from 1947. You’ll find some bike launches new marques, reports from the Milan show, the first six-race TT and the Ulster, as well as notes from the first post-war ISDT—the Czech hosts won, helped by the absence of British factory teams because Britain simple couldn’t afford it. The Jerries were absent too (the Czechs had enough of German visitors for the time being) but at least German motor cyclists had some petrol for their bikes. UK enthusiasts ended the year with dry tanks and they were not pleased. Read all about it; meanwhile I’ll get busy on 1948. See you there.

Among the stories awaiting your attention in 1947 is a comprehensive report of the first post-War TT, complete with three Clubman’s races. In the absence of BMW and DKW all the Clubman races and the Senior and Junior TTs were dominated by British bikes, but the Continental threat was still there, in the form of Guzzi 250s which were first and second in the Lightweight.

Whoops—I just came across another batch of yarns from 1946. How could I have left out the first Vespa? How could I have left out the Cushman vs Doodlebug scooter shoot-out? How could I have left out a 28½in-wide car powered by a Beeza 250 lump? How could I have left out the first all-ally Triumph twin that recorded the firm’s first Manx victory since 1908? I must stop kidding myself that any year is ever complete (some of the latest stories will need pics, for a start). But for now, at least, I’ll press on with 1947. See you then.

For the first, and possibly only time, I’m featuring a current event. In 1904 John Burney rode his Royal Enfield to victory in Irelands first motor cycle road race. He went on to take an active role in the motor cycle business, including partnering up with the legend that is Stanley Woods. Competitive motor cycling runs in the Burney family blood and John’s great grand daughter has done her share of long-distance touring on both sides of the Atlantic—and to mark to 120th anniversary of the race she’s helped organise a memorial run. Best wishes to all concerned—ride safe.

Time to move on to 1947. All material to hand for 1946 is now on line. Sales were up, plunger frames and telescopic forks were the order of the day; clubmen were discussing the relevant merits of trials and scrambles; Triumph’s successful with ohv vertical twins had not gone unnoticed by the other major players in war-ravaged Britain.

Apart from a delay in uploading the usual batch of contemporary ads all the 1945 material I have is now on line (the ads will follow as soon as can kick some sense into my ‘puter). As we move into 1946 civvy motor cycling is breaking out all over with new models, new clubs and the return of competitive events including the Ulster Grand Prix (in all but name) featuring a a 350cc class winning ride by one Vic Willoughby, who went on to become technical editor of The Motor Cycle. You’ll find more of Vic’s exploits in the gallimaufry.

While taking a break from working through 1945 I came across a couple of poems from the Isle of Man and as, at the time of writing, it’s TT race week, the timing could not have been better. I enjoyed them and was pleased to see that motor cycling is still inspiring poets in the 21st century. PS: Forgot to say that you’ll find them at the bottom of the poetry page.

All the material to hand for 1944 is now published; extra military motor cycling pics for 1944 have ben added to the World War 2 Gallery. This timeline is not a military history but I feel obliged to mention that I am well aware of the grim reality that lies behind many of these wartime images.