Could one of those Pembrokeshire Police Ariel Leaders be our own?

A ‘mystery’ 1961 Mortons Archive photo that we published recently, showing police Ariel Leaders escorting a column of German tanks at a location that several readers later identified as Pembroke, brought this interesting reply:-

During our research tracing our own Ariel Leader police bike, we’ve come across the same picture taken from a different angle.

What a transformation! These two pictures show the Ariel Leader that was bought in Swansea at the beginning of 2011 before and after the restoration to police bike form.

We are pretty sure that both escort machines are Pembrokeshire Police bikes, and the registration of the sergeant’s bike is 941 NDE.

Article continues below...
Advert

Enjoy more Old Bike Mart reading in the monthly newspaper.
Click here to subscribe & save.

Have you a side picture of the constable’s bike, please, because it could be our own, which was one of nine issued to Pembroke police according to the archives.

One of the nine is still unaccounted for, according to the Federation of Historic Police Vehicles. We found ours, 64 PDE, in Pritchard’s shop in Swansea in January 2011, and I have enclosed two pictures of it, one before and the other after the restoration.

The major problem with the project was getting the fake radio correct, and everything except the handset was made by Roger, a fellow member of the FHPV, from photos and measurements.

Article continues below...
Advert

Our third attached photo shows the radio, which we’re told is pretty accurate considering we’ve never seen one nor heard of one for sale.

Susan Newman,
Email

  • Unfortunately we were unable to find a side photo of the constable’s machine, so for now the registration of that one remains a mystery. Ed.

Read more Letters, Opinion, News and Views in the November issue of OBM – on sale now!

Article continues below...
Advert

Advert
Subscribe to Old Bike Mart Enjoy more Old Bike Mart reading in the monthly paper. Click here to subscribe.