Rally Recall

Greetings to all brothers from Will in Tennessee.

Well, I did all the Muffin the Mule Rallies in Nottingham & the last 2, I can't remember the years, I organized myself in Lydbury, North Shropshire as I lived at the time in that area. Remember Big Keith from Luton, he had several Bikes, I think a Norton Atlas & as ES2. He was my best mate. I had a BMW Combo & later on a Triumph. Another character was George Underwood from Ashton-under-Lyne. Hell what jumble that was, especially the Poacher Rally at Navenby-Lincoln. I organized several Rallies in them days and the very last one was the Ostrich Winkle in Marshbrook. I also made the Triple XXX.

Big Keith from Luton

 

 

 

George Underwood & Florrie from Ashton-under-Lyne

I had a girlfriend in them days, Liz Edwards from Wolverhampton on a BSA, remember her? We went to the Dragon in Winter 67 & to the Rainbow Rally in Luxembourg.

Liz Edwards from Wolverhampton on a BSA

Ivett Wright used to live in Bilborough, Nottingham. Ivett did all the singing, he knew all the words, especially the dirty ones and at the Severn Rally in Bridgenorth he was almost banned from the Pub.

Ivett Wright from Bilborough, Notts

Phil & Audrey Line lived in Nottingham. Phil had a BSA A65 Combo, before that a 650 Ariel. Audrey had a Velo Valiant. She went to the Elephant on it. It was THE THING at the Nuerburgring.

Phil & Audrey Line

Motormouse Ian Bishop lived in Long Eaton and so did Steve Holbrook & his wife Maureen. I was at their wedding way back in the 70s. Motormouse Ian Bishop from Long Eaton had a Moto Guzzi and another guy from Leicester, I remember his name was Keith, had a Triumph Trophy Combo. With Ivett, Brother Nod, Big Hank & Kim, Bob Brown (500 Velo) we did many Rallies in Germany. My brother ran the German Side of the 41. I'm German by the way. George Underwood from Ashton-under-Lyne used to had an old clapt out M20 with a home made chair & wife Florrie & 4 Kids used to do all the rallies. His sidecar collaped eventually at the St Neots Rally (Huntingdonshire). Tony Alley is another one I remember. He died in a crash in Derby in 82 I think &, of course, Supersonic Syd, or Syd Vicious as we called him with his MZ 125. Remember "Bomber" from Bradford, on a Bonnie, and Alkie Bill - Keighley, Gordon Day, Jeff Mason & Big Keith Raft all from Luton? Gordon had a Velo 500 and did every Goose Fair rally.

Motormouse Ian Bishop, Long Eaton

Steve & Maureen Holbrook

Brother Nod
Big Hank & Kim
Bob Brown

 

Tony Alley

Supersonic Syd
"Bomber" from Bradford
Alkie Bill - Keighley
Gordon Day, Jeff Mason & Big Keith Raft all from Luton

The last Goose Fair I did was when someone was murdered in Clifton the same night & the cops came to visit the rally site. It was 12 below zero that night and my Tent had burned down. The candle had fallen over. I had a Jawa Combo that weekend.

 
Try & find some of the guys if you can. Remember Tub & June? Then there was Johnny Croxson (The Vicar) from Newton Aycliffe. I met Johnny Croxson again (from the Tornados Club) in 1988 I think. He & his wife Margaret came with me to Luxembourg for a week & we had a good time. He had his name Johnny tatooed on his dickie ha ha and he showed it off ever so often on the rallies.

Tub & June

Johnny Croxson (The Vicar) & Margaret from Newton Aycliffe

Did you ever go to Stanford Hall Rally? I was there in 66. The Ides of March at Dovedale I did with my blue 650 Triumph outfit & I slept in the sidecar, my wellies where frozen solid in the mud next morning.

It must have been about 1969 or early 70s when we came to visit the Phoenix club for a weekend. Ivett, Hank, brother Nod, Phil & Audrey and myself came. I stayed that night with motormouse in Long Eaton, his wife at the time, I forgot her name, rode a bike too, a 250 BSA. She was black haired & a bit on the plump side.

You might remember that I had a BMW R60 Combo with a left sidecar. Later I had Jawa Combos and then Triumph Bonnie, black with them Mag wheels.

I haven't got a bike right now, too busy making retirement money ha ha, but went twice to Sturgiss in South-Dakota to the Big Rally with about 200,000 bikers there.

There are lots of Rallies going on around here. Last weekend was one in Johnson City & another one in Chattanooga.

- Will Gehlen

 

 
Steve and Maureen answered

Open quoteMad Liz we called her, until we saw her in a bikini at the Steel Horse in 68. Wasn't she in the Willenhall and Darleston MCC?

The Vicar wore a dog collar and Liz wore a nuns habit, made a lovely couple when they were pi55ed.

The last time I saw Gorden Day was at the Steel Horse about 10 years ago. Tub and June were there, but we do see them more often. Last time was at Stafford Classic Bike Show in April.

 
Maurice and Freda are still on the Gold Wing scene and have a 1500 trike. Phil and Audrey have just bought a new 1800, whilst I have a 1500 that's now 10 years old that used to belong to Sheik Maktoum in Dubai.Close quote

- Steve Holbrook

Small World. My Trident came from Saudi Arabia,
Sheik M'teethout.
Oil everywhere.