reviews Dispatch riders story uncovered
In early March, Museum Volunteers were treated to a talk by Martin Shelley who told the story of Two Wheels to War, a book he wrote with his brother in 2017. It tells the backstory of Adventures of a Despatch Rider by Captain WHL Watson published in 1915. I fi rst became aware of this title when writing my own book
War Bike. It is interesting because it is contemporary to the beginning of World War One, and is unique for the fact that it slipped under the radar of the censors. I was deeply moved by the introduction which is a letter written by William Watson to his friend Robert. He talks about the death of his friend Alec and even more profound is the footnote which reads: ‘The day after I had written this letter, the news came to me that Robert had also been killed. The letter must stand – I have not the heart to write another.’
This letter and other descriptions were later removed by the censors, but the book remained in print and describes in detail the journey of a group of friends from signing up until August 1915. It describes a very different war from the trench bound stalemate we tend to associate with WW1. At this early point in the confl ict, armies were constantly on the move and motorcycles were a key part of communication. The reason why the book slipped through the censors was that it was fi rst published as a series of letters to his mother in Blackwood’s Magazine known at the time as The Maga. By the time it was published as a book, the censors were not interested and assumed it had been previously scrutinised.
So, what has all this got to do with Two Wheels to
War? Martin, a marque specialist for Blackburne acquired some medals belonging to the company founders Cecil and Alick Burney. With them were some documents including an album of photographs, which turned out to be a pictorial account of William Watson’s book. After painstaking research, Martin and his brother Nick, a Family Historian, were able to track down the surviving relatives and with them some more photographs and information to enable them to retell the story. Martin and Nick have an eye for detail and have also attached appendices that include the list of the fi rst 400 Despatch Riders to land in France with the 5th Signal Company, together with their
Serial Numbers Dates of landing, and dates of birth and death. Incidentally, this list also includes some Brooklands racers such as Vernon Busby and Archibald Sproston. They have skilfully included the text of Watson’s Book within their own sandwiched between an introduction to the project. The backstory comprises that of ‘the twelve’ and then other letters following the same timeline as the book interspersed with the wonderful pictures documenting each stage of the journey. Already familiar with Adventures of a Despatch Rider, I was
able to read it again and delve into the timeline before moving to the next section. This is not just a book about Despatch Riders, it’s a journey of discovery. This book quickly went out of print in 2017, so don’t be tempted by some of the high prices on Amazon, as it is now available from the publishers. However, Martin Shelley has kindly offered to provide Brooklands Members with a signed copy for the reduced price of £20.00. He can be contacted via email at:
marticelli@gmail.com
Martin Gegg
Two Wheels to War: A tale of twelve bright young men who volunteered their own motorcycles for the British Expeditionary Force 1914 by Martin Shelley and Nick Shelley is priced £25 for Brooklands Members. Published by Helion & Company: ISBN 978-1911-0965-80
MAY - JUNE 2020 | BROOKLANDS BULLETIN 47
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