Matchless and BSA
Edward Clifford has emailed two photographs of his father, also Edward, via Suffolk classic motorcycle dealer Andy Tiernan, for identification. One is a military shot taken circa 1948-1950, when Edward Clifford senior served with the Royal Warwickshires, and the other, a little later.
Other details apart, the timing chain cover and girder front fork identifies the military machine as a Matchless G3 (G3WO). The War Office first evaluated the 347cc ohv single cylinder Matchless in 1935.
During 10,000 miles of hard, all-terrain use, the Plumsteadbuilt machine needed a new gearbox and sprockets before the trial was over. Transmission problems apart, the Matchless must have impressed, as the WO ordered modest batches of the model over the
