sloper29 Douglas motorcycles, London Douglas Motor Cycle Club

Searching for Biddy

Period pictures always fascinate me, and this one was sent by a visitor to the site who found it in a book about JAP engines, purchased in a charity shop. It is captioned ‘Biddy 1930’ and he wondered if anyone could tell him more about it. MP 7279 – a Middlesex registration mark – does not show up on the DVLA site and does not appear in the Douglas Club’s records, so it seems unlikely that Biddy’s machine has survived. Perhaps the state of that front tyre had something to do with it …

Sharper eyes than mine can probably identify the model but I think it’s an EW from the late 1920s. If you can identify the machine, the location, or even the rider – do leave a comment below.

sloper29 Douglas motorcycles, London Douglas Motor Cycle Club

Did You Know?

Douglas Motorcycle DK Symbol
Douglas Tappet With DK Symbol

The Douglas factory stamped some parts, like this tappet from a 1936 Aero, with the DK symbol shown in the picture. DK stood for Douglas Kingswood. Their stamping ‘policy’ is not entirely clear, as the other three tappets are plain – but next time you’re rooting through a box of bits at an autojumble and come across the DK symbol, at least you cannot say you Don’t Know – it’s definitely Douglas! Did this stamping practice continue post-war? If you know the answer, please add a comment below.

sloper29 Douglas motorcycles, London Douglas Motor Cycle Club

Another Photo Challenge!

Charlie and Betty Sim on Douglas Motorcycle
Charlie and Betty Sim on their Douglas

Charlie and Betty Sim on Douglas Endeavour Motorcycle
Charlie and Betty Sim on a Douglas Endeavour

These photos were sent in by the great niece of the rider, who asks if anyone can tell her anything about the machines or location. The earlier machine, LG4760, is registered to Cheshire County Council while the later machine RN9017, which looks like an Endeavour, was registered in Preston. This appears to have been taken in a holiday camp and the rider’s light trousers and his wife’s white shoes suggest that it was ‘posed’! Charlie Sim was a talented musician who played trombone with the Billy Cotton Big Band in the early ’50s. If the pictures ring any bells, or you have the machines in your shed, we’d love to hear from you.