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  • The Classic MotorCycle

    Readers’ Letters

    Feb 27, 2019 5 minutes

    Uncle Bob’s tales

    My ‘Uncle Bob’ was Robert Spreadbrow, the nephew of John Wooler, who he worked for at the Alperton factory in the 1920s.

    He wasn’t given a finished bike by his uncle but he was told he could raid all the scrap bins, rectify the parts and make his own motorcycle. This he did and he completed his bike at the age of 16.

    Uncle Bob was quite adventurous and definitely a free spirit, so he took himself off to Devon one weekend and down Porlock Hill which, I believe, was used as a test hill for motor vehicles in those days. He made it down the hill but took several attempts over several days to get back up and home.

    My grandmother was beside herself as she imagined every mishap possible and had received no communication. She finally received a

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