Identify Motorcycle and L/Bdr stripe on left cuff

Hi,
This photograph I found recently in the family archive it shows a group of Artillery men around what I believe is a 6 X 4 Morris comercial staff car, perhaps? The L/Bdr sat on the bonnet is my father, who in 1938 would be in the 8/12 Bty. 2 Med Regt. RA. The stripe I am interested in is the one on the letf cuff of his uniform and what it signifies. The Bdr. sat on the running board to his right has the same uniform 'Jacket' but does not have a cuff stripe, any clues on this.

Much later in the desert he rode a motorcycle I wondered what kind that would have been, this is the only picture I have with any connection to motorcycles.

Another puzzle is that he had an accident while riding this later M/c., in the desert, by running into a German staff car. Unlike Indiana Jones in the movies, the occupants were a bit slow in responding and he got away long before they started shooting. He was a Sgt. all through the war and I wondered why he would be on a M/c ? The accident left two parallel indents in his shin so he must have whacked the car with some force it also ripped the brown leather boot top off the shoe so he was properly attired for riding. Why would he be on a bike, would it be normal for a Sgt. to be a DONR ?
Thanks Neil

 

That looks like a Norton badge on the tank and the fork layout is right for Norton, so it may be a Norton M30 350cc

 

3 mile

Sergeants were not usually DonR's but we had an SSM who "inherited" a BMW bike in North Africa and rode it everywhere - but he couldn't figure out the gears and so rode it with both feet on

the ground- wearing out boots in weeks...
Cheers

 

Neil

As already pointed out, it would have been unusual for a Sgt to have been a Don R.

In addition, it was not unusual for servicemen to have photos taken on a variety of vehicles, probably whatever was available at the time.

When I was stationed just outside Trieste, one of the Don Rs went sick and I volunteered to drive his Norton motorbyke around the barracks for the day. Someone took a snap which I treasure to this day.

See here: http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/7615-can-anyone-identify-a-motorbyke/

Ron

 

3MS - I knew the registration number was familiar ! You did actually post a photo of this motorcycle (EME 370) along with EME 376 a year or so back...but the image seems to have disappeared with the forum software changeover.

http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/40124-vehicles-guns-from-1930-40s/

It is indeed a Norton, Model 16H to War Office specification.

 

Ok I give in! Following Rons link I see DonR means despatch rider, but why? No on in despatch rider???????

 

As opposed to 'Donor', the current vernacular in some quarters for motorcyclists!

 

And Don R dates me, and others, for sure

Ron

 

Thus, similarly, Toc H for Poperinge's Talbot House

Steve

 

Thanks Owen for the reply I first noticed this stripe when giving a last check up to my folder on Dad's war, something else to add to the story, with reference to the "DonR" my father used this abreviation but I never saw it written, hence my DONR no one could explain where the Don originated now we all know. Handy phonetic alphabet as well.
More details thanks Tom & Ron, I am not sure how often he rode the M/c but did I read this right Ron "I volunteered" :biggrin: I thought that was a no no in the service.
Rich Payne This photograph is a mystery?, I remember it now, dad's not in that picture but I can not find it on my PC I scanned all the family albums and have dad's service images at hand but I will have to find where this has gone. "in the mean time I will borrow it back". I must have stared at these images many times I never noticed the reg numbers on the bikes repeated in both I must check I have approx similar dates on them and I can identify the type now .