CIVILIAN EXPERTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 23, 2 March 1942, Page 5

CIVILIAN EXPERTS

TRAIN DESPATCH RIDERS

MOTOR CYCLE MANUFACTURERS

CO-OPERATE.

Coroperation between motor cycle manufacturers and British Army authorities base resulted in a marked improvement in the standard of Army riding. Under a scheme suggested by the Editor of The Motor Cycle," a motor fj-cle manufacturer have loaned famous trials riders on their staffs to demonstrate and train army motor cycle schools. This scheme is prov-

ing of great value as recent arrangements have laid clown that every officer below the rank of Brigadier mils',t he able to ride a motor cycle and in addition there are the thousands of despatch riders and other motor cyclists attached to a modern army, who would derive benefit from the accumulated experience of civilian experts-. To help in this training came Bert Perrlgo, famous [international Trials Rider, temporarily released by B.S.A. Cycles Limited from highly important duties.

Perrigo, Lcn Heath, Vic Brittain, Jack Booker, Allan JefFeries and George Rowley—famous bunch of riders —recently acted as demonstrators and judges at the various hazards in a Liaison School Trial held In Oxfordshire. Here officer-stu-dents tackled hazards comparable with the roughest of service conditions. These students will act as Liaison Officers, and will be in effect mounted Staff Officers. They will almost live on the motor cycle l Saddle, so the value of the Civilian Experts Riders' training will be of the utmost value to them.

Despatch riders of the Home Guard also benefit under the scheme, the Birmingham "B" Group lrave had the benefit of the C.E.R.'s experience; on this occasion Bert Perrigo, George Rowley and Vic Brittain were the demonstrators.

In the resulting competition riders from the B.S.A. works' Home Guard scooped all the prizes, and not only took the team prize under ihe leadership of. Lt Smith, the B.S.A. works' tester, but also tdc-k away the individual award, shared by Corporals Davis and Bardell; next best performance was by Volunteer G. Lane, also of B.S.A.

According to independent observers. there was a marked improvement in performance after the experts' demonstration, and there can be no doubting the success of this collaboration between manufacturer and Army user.