Howard R. Davies (27 June 1895 – 3 January 1973), was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
racing champion, motorcycle designer and originator of the
'HRD' marque which later became
Vincent-HRD motorcycles. He died in January 1973.
Early life
Howard Raymond Davies was born at 351 Ladypool Road,
Balsall Heath
Balsall Heath is an inner-city area of Birmingham, West Midlands, England. It has a diverse cultural mix of people and is the location of the Balti Triangle.
History
Balsall Heath was agricultural land between Moseley village and the city of ...
,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
.
His parents, Frank and Bertha, then moved to
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
where Howard attended Wolverhampton Municipal Grammar School. He was a good swimmer, won swimming medals, rode horses and hunted, and drummed in a band.
When Davies left school he became an apprentice with
AJS. He gained motorcycle building experience, but really wanted to go racing. AJS were fully occupied filling orders at the time and racing had no priority. Sunbeam had a good racing team, but had a no-staff-poaching agreement with AJS, so Davies moved to Clyno as a tester, and shortly thereafter moved to Sunbeam.
Racing for Sunbeam
The
Sunbeam team of 1914 consisted of Tommy de la Hay, Vernon Busby, Howard Davies, and Charlie Noakes. Howard was entered in the
Scottish Six Days Trial
The Scottish Six Days Trial is an internationally recognised Motorcycle trials competition, which has been running since 1909 (with breaks for the two world wars) making it the oldest motorcycle trials event in the world. Motorcycle riders from al ...
on a 6 hp AJS
V-twin
A V-twin engine, also called a V2 engine, is a two-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
Although widely associated with motorcycles (installed either transversely or longi ...
combination. He did well initially, but damaged his frame on the fourth day. He stayed for the rest of the event, but found on his return to work that such behaviour was not tolerated, and was sacked.
Davies worked briefly for Diamond before managing to find his way back to Sunbeam. He was then entered for the Senior race at the
1914 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (
TT). He finished in second place, and Sunbeam won the team prize. He did well in other events that year, like the Coventry and Warwick Club trial. Davies won a gold cup for best performance of the day, and a silver cup for best sidecar performance.
Davies and his family lived at 'Darley Dale', Crowther Road, Wolverhampton at the time.
War Service
![Royal Flying Corps cap badge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Royal_Flying_Corps_cap_badge.jpg)
When
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
broke out, Davies joined the army and reported to
Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alder ...
in early October to join the Royal Engineers. For 12 months he served as a despatch rider and served in France. On return to England he was given a Commission and posted to
Dunstable
Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...
. He then transferred to the
Royal Flying Corps, where he gained a Royal Aero Club Pilot's Certificate, at the
Ruislip
Ruislip ( ) is an area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London, and in the historic county of Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London.
The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...
Military School on 29 July 1916, and was promptly posted to France.
He flew
RE8 aircraft for 34 Squadron, at
Villers-Bretonneux
Villers-Bretonneux () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway.
Villers-Bretonneux bord ...
, artillery spotting and was shot down twice.
On the first occasion he found his way back to his own lines, but the second time he and Lieutenant J R Samuel were captured at
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
becoming prisoners of war.
Initially listed as missing, it was then announced that he had been killed in action. An obituary appeared in May, 1917 in ''
Motor Cycling'' magazine, whereupon it emerged that Howard had actually been taken prisoner.
He attempted to escape a number of times, once by tunnel, but was unsuccessful.
Racing for AJS
Returning to England after the War he was demobilised in June 1919. His first post-War job was with Aston Motor Accessories of
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...
. He then moved to AMAC Carburettors and began again to ride part-time for AJS. He joined the AJS team for the
1920 Isle of Man TT, and was entered for both the Junior and Senior. The AJS machines suffered engine problems and he had to retire early in both events with broken valves.
In 1920 Davies had many competition successes. In July, riding an AJS in the Scottish Six Day trial, he won the gold medal at Stile Kop, making the fastest time, won another gold medal in the
Darlington ACU trial, and broke 14 records at
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfie ...
, including flying kilometre, flying mile, and average mean speed.
By the end of the year, Davies became the full-time AJS Competitions Manager.
He became involved in TT machine development, and by early 1921 the TT machinery was much improved. The 1921 AJS team obtained 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 8th places in the Junior
1921 TT event. The winner was Eric Williams. Davies finished in second place, even after having a puncture in the second lap. He finished first in the Senior TT on a 350, a full two minutes ahead of the runner-up,
Freddie Dixon
Frederick William Dixon (21 April 1892 – 4 November 1956) was an English motorcycle racer and racing car driver. The designer of the motorcycle and banking sidecar system, he was also one of the few motorsport competitors to have been success ...
on an 'Indian'.
This was the first time a 350 cc motorcycle won the Senior.
In trials, Davies won the team event, with Harry Harris and Eric Williams in the ACU six day and the gold medal.
On 24 May 1921, Davies broke four world records at Brooklands:
* at
*1 hour at
* at
*2 hours at
The 1922 and 1923 TTs, however, were disasters. With the AJS machines suffering engine problems, he did not manage to finish a race. Davies left AJS in 1923 and moved to Hutchinson Tyres.
Freelance
He accepted an offer to ride an
OEC in the 1924 TT, but the machine failed after only three laps.
HRD Motors
He had often thought of building his own motorcycle, and perhaps influenced by the many mechanical failures he had racing the bikes of the day, decided to make his own.
Howard left Hutchinson Tyres in August 1924 to set up HRD Motors using the slogan "Built by a Rider". The company survived for just over three years.
Davies rode his own motorcycles at the
1925 Isle of Man TT, coming second in the Junior and winning the Senior.
In January 1928, the company went into voluntary liquidation.
The name was purchased by
Phil Vincent
Philip Conrad Vincent (14 March 1908 – 27 March 1979) was a British motorcycle designer and manufacturer. Founder of Vincent Motorcycles, his designs influenced the development of motorcycles around the world.
Early life
Philip Conrad Vince ...
, who then established a new venture as Vincent-HRD.
After HRD
After HRD Motors closed, Davies went through a number of motor industry jobs. He worked first at Alvis, then Meadows Engines, and then Bill Lyon's
Swallow and Coachbuilding Company at Coventry. He went into business as a manufacturers agent, covering cars, motorcycles and allied industries.
By this time he was living in Southbank Road,
Kenilworth
Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...
. Later, he would move to his final home in Warwick Road, Chadwick End,
Solihull
Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blyth ...
.
He continued to attend TT riders reunions, which started in 1937, and would visit Mallory Park with Albert Clarke. On one of these occasions he got to ride on the track, on an HRD model HD75 and an AJS.
Death and funeral
Davies died at home on 3 January 1973, of cancer. His wife Maisie died two days later. They had a joint funeral at the Robin Hood Crematorium in
Solihull
Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blyth ...
.
Sources
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davies, Howard R
1895 births
1973 deaths
Military personnel from Birmingham, West Midlands
Burials in Warwickshire
Sportspeople from Wolverhampton
English motorcycle racers
Isle of Man TT riders
British motorcycle designers
British Army personnel of World War I
Royal Engineers soldiers
Royal Flying Corps officers
British motorcycle pioneers
World War I prisoners of war held by Germany
British World War I prisoners of war
British aviation record holders