Millards ? What memories!! All those years ago! By Mr W A J GODFREY In those days Millards name was known by every schoolboy. When a boy was old enough to know the difference between a cycle and a motor "bike" he thought of only one name - Millards. When I was twelve years old I went to the old " States Intermediate School for Boys" which was then at the present Vauvert School. Boys were on the upstairs floor, girls on the ground floor. "Never the Twain shall meet", in those days, so a high wire fence was erected to make two separate playgrounds. All communication between the two schools was removed, and doorways bricked up!!! But back to "Millards". Being all boys together, as soon as we were all "acquainted" with each other, the name Millards would crop up and the conversation would almost immediately turn to motorcycles. Within a few days a group of about ten or twelve boys arranged to go to Victoria Road to see the "Bikes" on display. We are talking of before the second World War, (yes I'm an old man") and boys were not as conversant with travelling about as they are today, and I didn’t know where Victoria Road was - plenty of talk in early years - Millards - Victoria Road - but little knowledge!!! After school on one afternoon, we began a short journey down Vauvert and up Victoria Road until - yes! - There it was, the most memorable name in a boys vocabulary-"MILLARDS". The first sight which met my eyes was one which struck in my memory - and, all those years later, it is still there!! Two windows, and in each one was a gleaming red and chrome B.S.A. Motorcycle!!! I don’t know how long we stayed gazing at this beautiful, magnificent, almost awesome sight. Speaking personally, I had never been so close to a motorcycle, and it made my fingers itch!! Eventually we had to leave it and make our way home. Next day after school, where did we all go? Yes Millards! That day, next day, and every day we were at school we finished the day in front of Millards!!! I don’t know if it remains the same now but in front of each window was a concrete "patio" and when summer came, these "bikes" were taken from the window and stood outside on these "patio's", Joy was unconfined. We could actually touch these magnificent "Monsters"!! Touch them and pull "levers", push buttons, without knowing what each "lever" was for, or what it did. We used to see "the man" watching us, but he never came out or gestured to us. I suppose it was a case of "Boys of today are customers of the future"!! I know every one of the boys intended to buy one of these "beauties" when he was old enough! At that stage of life, we didn’t realise our own finances, against the cost of this vehicle. We could only save a penny or so a month! The result was that I don’t think any of our party ever bought a gleaming, red and chrome B.S.A. motorcycle!!! It didn’t stop us from dreaming though. All the time we were at the same Intermediate School, we continued - summer and winter - to take our walk from school to Millards! But, you know, Boys grow up, leave school and start to make their lives in the many directions open to them, but I'm sure not one of them ever forgot the days of walking down Vauvert, up Victoria Road, just to look and admire those Red and Chrome machines, although financially, they were far beyond us!! I could never buy one, but many years later, World War Two started. Like most other young men I joined up - in the Army. Some twenty months later I was commissioned and joined a Royal Artillery Regiment. Being a mobile unit, it was necessary to drive all vehicles. The very first motorcycle I came into contact with was a "Norton". This was at a training centre and the "bikes" weren't very powerful - they just chugged along - I then advanced to the "Ariel" - which was a little more powerful, but still wasn’t what I expected!!! So back to my Artillery unit!! Training was now complete; it was time to draw the vehicles from supply depot. " Utility" vehicles - jeeps - G.T.V, s (Gun Towing Vehicles) - three ton service lorries - (very large lorries in those days - with a thin layer of light armour protecting the engine) - Thirty hundred weight lorries - and B.S.A. 350cc motorcycles for each officer!!! What a disappointment!!! They weren't Red and Chrome - they were camouflaged with variable shades of green and brown !!! Soon got over that disappointment though! Sitting astride my "bike" and riding it back to camp. The feeling of the power which I had control of was - to say the least - exhilarating!! I only had that B.S.A. for nine weeks, when I was ordered to return it to the Ordnance Depot. That was another disappointment!! But Surprise - Surprise - it was replaced with a B.S.A. 500cc _ the most powerful bikes available in England - still not Red and Chrome though!! The power of that bike was amazing. Being used more for cross - country work, it had a "skid plate" shaped like a small plough share under the engine - to cut through soil, grass etc. At last I had my B.S.A. !! Every time I took that bike out I didn’t see the camouflage paint - in my mind it was a wonderful "monster" of Red and Chrome. I kept that "bike" throughout the war, and when I was eventually "demobbed" in 1945, I took this vehicle with all other equipment I had been issued when commissioned to the Northampton " demob" centre. They didn’t want my B.S.A. They had a list of everything that I had signed for, and there was no motorcycle on it !! I pointed out that all vehicles at the Ordnance Depot were signed for by the captain quartermaster of the Artillery unit, but it was no use - they didn’t want my B.S.A.!!! I drew my "de mob" clothes - shirt tie - suit - socks - shoes - no vest or underpants because you were permitted to take your service underwear with you!! As I left the centre to become a "free" man, I asked the officer in charge what I should do about the "bike". He didn’t want it, and I couldn’t take it back to Guernsey! I put the keys on his table and told him to find the bike in the Vehicle Park - then I left - and from that moment I became a civilian, I've no idea what happened to my B.S.A. That last moment was now fifty-five years ago. I often wonder what the fate of this bike was!!! Just a week ago (Feb 2000) the last of those "boys" who regularly visited Millards after school, departed this world aged 86 years. I'm the only one left. An old man with little to do now but think back to the past, but always with me is the vision of two lovely B.S.A. red and chrome bikes - at "Millards" |