End of a glorious era as six White Helmets Triumphs come under Charterhouse gavel

Sherborne auctioneers Charterhouse are selling six of the world famous Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team Triumph motorcycles at their Sherborne salerooms on Thursday, November 16.

More commonly known as the White Helmets, the display team was a group of serving soldiers from the Royal Corps of Signals who performed public displays of motorcycling skills, aerobatics and stunt riding, and were based at the Royal Signals Blandford Camp.

“We are delighted to receive instructions to auction these Triumph motorcycles from the daredevil White Helmets,” said Matthew Whitney, who heads the auctioneer’s classic car department. “I first saw them in action over 40 years ago when I was a young lad, and they certainly made an impression on me then.”

The display team’s history goes back to 1927, and the riders were normally dispatch riders.

The team has had several names in the past, including The Red Devils (before the Parachute Regiment team of the same name existed) and Mad Signals (on account of the bikes’ poor brakes) and adopted the name ‘White Helmets’ only in 1963.

Read more in November’s issue of OBM – on sale now!