Harold Willis....Velocette engineer and pilot...a brief stroll through his flying history...

The Vintagent ...http://thevintagent.blogspot.com/ ....  and I have discussed Harold Willis on numerous occasions and Paul has indicated his willingness to do a more elaborate story than I am planning here....
I look forward to it....
But what am I planning here....?
I've done research on HJW that I've shared with P d'O but in chasing up details of  HJW's brief flight career I felt I'd like to share this aspect with you now....
Left click on the images to enlarge.
Who was Harold John Willis....?
He was known for his initial rides in the TT on Velocette model KTT in the late 1920's and then concentrated on his role at Veloce Ltd, manufacturers of the Velocette motorcycle, as an engineer and organiser of their racing team.
Born in Kings Norton, Worcestershire in 1900 to Eliza and Sidney C Willis, he was one of four children.
He died tragically following a medical procedure on 11th June 1939. Just on the eve of the success of Stanley Woods in winning the Junior IOM TT again on a Velocette....

In the brief time he was with Veloce he took flying lessons after joining the Midland Aero Club which flew out of Castle Bromwich aerodrome near Birmingham.
Details in a "Flight" magazine of 1927 reveal on the week ending 14th May 1927 he had completed some further dual instruction and then went solo.

"Flight" magazine from August 25th 1927 in the Midland Aero Club section indicates further solo flight for Harold Willis.

On 23rd March 1931 HJW purchased a DH60X de Havilland Moth biplane....
Recorded in the log of the aircraft....G-EBTH

The aircraft was sold following his death on 11th July 1939.
In 1946 the ownership was cancelled for an unknown reason, then the Air Training Corps ( ATC ) obtained it and it was destroyed by fire in a crash in 1951.
Curiously correspondence reveals the engine was purchased at some time by Matt Holder...the Matt Holder of the Velocette Motorcycle Company who purchased the tooling , stock and name from the successful bidder at the liquidation auction of Veloce in 1971.....but his nephew can find no record of what happened to it.....
".... my uncle ended up with the engine out of Willis's Gypsy Moth(G-EBTH) but regrettably well before my time and completely untraceable since...."
Quite ironical....

This is a photo of G-EBTH landing, but I cannot ascertain if it is HJW flying it...a good chance as he owned it for some 8 years.

The above photograph shows HJW with G-EBTH...the photo taken from Ivan Rhodes book, "Technical Excellence".
Curiously the 1934 Velocette catalogue features an aviation scene with the KSS Mk.1 Velocette...the aircraft is a DH Moth....was it HJW's??
The chap in the flying kit...?? I don't think it is Harold....

From the civil aircraft register –Great Britain.

 The various owners of G-EBTH

G-EBTH         DH.60X Moth            429      G-EBTH         D Kittel 'Silvry 3' ...Sir PGJ Mostyn /Edgeware ...Aero Hire Ltd....J Rowley/ Castle Bromwich....HJ Willis /Castle Bromwich ....PHI Jones/Elmdon          08.08.27            1455   

Donated to ATC .40 Burned at Sheldon .1951

Now I chased down copies of the Midland Aero Club journal for the period 1935-1937....

Reference is made to HJW in it and of particular interest is the fact that in December 1936 the Midland Aero Club borrowed a de Havilland "Hornet" for a week from de Havillands while they awaited supply of a new Tiger Moth...

Two people are listed as flying it....HJW and Wal Handley...WH of motorcycle racing fame and who was a works rider for Veloce in 1935....

See the section above on "new machine"...

Now the reference to this aircraft....G-ADMT sent me off on a chase and to my surprise the aircraft exists today... nicely restored and flown....

So I tracked down the owner and spoke to him on the telephone....

I was amazed to find he had three Velocettes in his garage...!!!

Not only that, but as well as being a pilot he had raced a Velocette...

But he was just as amazed to find the Velocette engineer HJW had flown his plane in 1936...!!

If you'd like to see more of this aircraft and read of its restoration with photos etc...

Log on to...

www.felthorpe.net/G-ADMT.htm

So to finish up this blog, lets review a little of HJW via the obituary, written at the time by Graham Walker, editor of "MotorCycling", a TT rider himself and a friend of Harolds....

Pukekohe 2011...a look around the meeting with my "jaundiced" Velocette eye....

I mentioned in the previous blog I'd look at Velocette at Pukekohe 2011 and admitting to a "jaundiced eye" when it comes to Velocette, I've some photos to share with you...not much text, as it's late in Sydney as I prepare this....
Left click on the images to enlarge...
Stroll around for the few days I was there with me....
I mentioned that Chris Swallow, son of well known UK racer Bill Swallow had spent some time in NZ on a working holiday and secured a few rides...this time he was riding the Phil Price ex Arthur Wheeler 1949 Mk.8 KTT, prepared by Nick Thomson.
The bike goes hard and Chris did it justice...amen to that.
The following series of pics were for a prewar race from memory...Chris "appeared" to stall the bike on the line as they formed up and push started it...but I think he was playing to the crowd...he was conveniently at the rear of the field, dismounted, in gear, back on compression and pushed off on the "drop of the flag" ...it sounded like a Mk.8 should when neatly push started and the clutch fed in...I should know, I push started my Mk.8 countless times over the many years I raced it...
Watch through the photos I took....

Warwick Darrow supplied me with a few photos that are included....

Nick Thomson prepares a rather quick 500 pushrod Velo special...now residing in a McIntosh featherbed frame and ridden by Andrew Drake, pictured....lets have a look at some of the detail that goes into the machine... aluminium stuff everywhere and the characteristic Nick mod to the gearbox mainshaft with the outrigger bearing....

The spool rear hub is machined from aluminium alloy and the rear brake drum appeared 6" diameter.

Andrew fitted a miniature camera to the bike and promised to send me an mp3 of a race...if it turns out satisfactory, I'll include it in a future blog.

There is always the inevitable MAC racer....

Cheryl Mickelson from the NZ Velocette Register arranged a photo-shoot for Velo people at 12 noon on the Sunday...some forgot, myself included....
Warwick stumped up a photo...

Cheryl, centre with camera....

Roy White and Peter Butterworth...Peter left his stable of Velos languishing in his shed this year...

Lets finish off with a couple of shots from around the NZ Velocette Register display and tent....

Pukekohe 2011...Undoubtably the biggest classic motorcycle event in the Southern Hemisphere and likely the most laid back in the world.....a pictorial visit.....

The first weekend in February each year, well since 1980, has seen the NZ Classic motorcycle Racing Register put on what is certainly the largest Classic Motorcycle race meeting in the Southern Hemisphere and I would go so far as to say the most "laid back" in the world....
Strong words from the Velobanjogent.....
But I been to this meeting since the first and only missed a few over the years.....
Let's look at this years...2011.
I'm covering this over two blogs, this is the general one and following will be a Velocette oriented one......
So  take a visual trip with me to the meeting....
Left click on the images to enlarge....
Where is Pukekohe in New Zealand?

Situated around 70km south of Auckland in the North Island, the Auckland airport is at Manukau and its a 45 minute drive down to Pukekohe....

The road race circuit is within the grounds of the big Counties horse racing venue and utilises some of its facilities.

The New Zealanders are pretty passionate about their sport and articles covering the event appear in the main Auckland newspapers....

Here's your entry ticket...lets go...

As soon as Judy and I walked down through the parking area we spied the Velocette venue run by the NZ Velocette Register....but no more DQ,  this is for the next blog...

Crossing the circuit into the paddock or as we call it, the pit area, I walked into the McIntosh Racing entourage encampment.
Ken McIntosh has a worldwide reputation for his work with the Manx Norton and stores and fettles bikes for riders from countries all over the world as well as local and I noted Californian Paul Adams' 500 Norton, Australian publisher of "Old Bike Australasia" Jim Scaysbrook's 350 Manx
See...http://www.chevron.com.au/motorbikes_mag.html
 And the Japanese entourage with their Rennsport BMW.....

Ken fettles other brands....a Vincent Black Lightning, Californian Virgil Ewings' factory Jawa special, Brough Superior...

A Mk.8 KTT...ex Arthur Wheelers'.....hold it DQ, only a peek...this is for the next blog...

During a lunch break we were treated to a fly-over and aerial display from a WW2 Kittyhawk and  Spitfire....great sounds from the Allison and Merlin engines...

There were numerous other brands to look at...the Benelli tent...

Former Continental Circus member Ginger Molloy's brace of TSS Bultacos...

A feature were prewar 4-cylinder machines in a special tent display, mostly US "irons", but two Danish Nimbus's caught my eye...

A resourceful lot the Kiwis, even a tent to repair your leathers...

A bit of "crumpet" found its way onto a Velocette....

A board track racer exhibit....

Spied in the parking area, a well modified Moto Guzzi from the UK on a round the world tour....

And to finish off...an interesting copy of an early steam driven bicycle that was seen "steaming" ?? around the area....