A
visit to the IWM.
Another
busy week with being out and about with being at the Museum on Monday
and off to Bristol on Tuesday, back Wednesday, Thursday at the
Imperial War Museum London. Only a couple of bikes there. Family
stuff over the weekend and Monday back at the Museum for another
international day with visitors from Spain, Australia, America and
South Africa. Tuesday I was out to visit Wycombe MAG in the evening
to see if they wanted to have a special visit to the Museum during
the winter months when it is not so pleasant to ride. It is being
posted on their Facebook page.
While
in Bristol I happened to be having a casual read about Jowett Cars
and the side valve flat twin engine they used in their early cars.
Jowett was one of the early car manufacturers and like many of the
ones in the 1900's people had associations that seem odd. This is a
reference to the early Scott motorcycles. Alfred Scott had one of
these associations with the Jowett Car company who assisted him
greatly to get his first motorcycles made. They put much effort into
sorting out the first models in 1908 and when produced were badged as
the Scott-Jowett. Only 6 were made and remained with Jowett to
dispose of as Alfred went into partnership with Eric Myers and
Adolphus Philip to form Scott Engineering.
The 1908 Scott-Jowett with a 333cc water cooled two stroke twin.
On
to Thursday and a visit to the Imperial War Museum. I spent all day
there with my nephew and felt a bit traumatised by the Holocaust
display and the inhumanity of it all. Moving on I did find some bikey
bits and had a close look at the Brockhouse WW1, the Corgi in its
civilian form. The military version is a bit primitive compared to
the one on display at the Museum. The other motorcycle on display is
a BMW outfit that has the sidecar wheel driving from shaft final
drive. It has a proportioned differential to get it around corners
otherwise it would just keep going straight on!
We
went around the World War One display and much centred around how the
casualties at the Front were treated and found a reference to Elsie
Knocker's diary and Mairie Chisholm who was also a keen motorcyclist.
They set up a Front Line First Aid and were known as the “Women of
Pervyse”. Elsie earned the name "Gypsy" because of her
love of the open road and membership of the Gypsy Motorcycle Club.
She possessed a number of motorbikes including a Scott, a Douglas
solo, and a Chater-Lea with a sidecar which travelled with her to the
Western Front. (We have a 1922 Chater-Lea outfit at the Museum) I
think I will now have to read the diary. This is a very interesting
lady.
