Grandpa + motorbike: what date?

Huncamunca

Huncamunca

The Knowledgeable One
My paternal grandfather with a Velocette motorbike, unknown time and place. He was born 1911 and I'm guessing he's in his twenties here, which would make the photo 1930s. Can anyone narrow it down a bit?

The photo is printed on rather thick and strangely textured paper; on the back it has the words SELO (in a diamond) and RAYON.

Grandpa and motorbike.jpg
 
SELO Rayon was a photographic paper used by Ilford.

According to photomemorabilia.co.uk/Ilford/Chronology.html:
The Ilford Courier, No.3 Volume 2, for June 1934. The front cover shows the Selo soldier leading a Selo girl riding a beach donkey.
The Courier was a 215mm by 135mm, 14 page, marketing booklet to convey ilford company strategy to the trade. It was particularly concerned with encouraging good marketing by the trade in the direct contact with customers. This particular issue was wishing the trade to offer the new Selo Rayon printing paper, with 3½"x2½" prints costing 'only' ½d (old pence) more, at 2½d (1p) per print, instead of 2d for the long established glossy paper. Selo costumes, to imitate the Selo girl and the Selo soldier, were available on hire to the trade free of charge and carriage paid, "use them for your local hospital carniivals, fetes etc".

Maybe this will help to narrow the year down - mid to late 1930s perhaps?
 
I have not the first idea about motor cycles, but looking at various pictures on the interwebby, the bike could be a Velocette KSS MkII, which they began manufacturing in 1935. However, why not contact the Velocette Owners Club velocetteowners.com/contacts/contacts.html as someone there may be able to identify the bike.

As for the SELO and RAYON.....there is a place called Rayon in Bulgaria, but I don't suppose your granddad would have popped over there with his trusty bike ;)

Ann

Have just seen Jan's great 'find' regarding SELO and RAYON......I should hang my head in shame as I grew up not that far from the Ilford factory :oops:
 
Thank you both for your speedy and helpful responses! :)

Jan, that looks a really useful site not just for Ilford but for other companies. You can even download some of the publications, including that 1934 Ilford Courier!

Ann, that's a good idea about contacting the owners' club. Will get onto it at once.
 
Thank you for that link Jan, it brings back so many memories! And seeing the old Ilford print envelopes, made me realise that we have some of them still holding old photos - including one of those which is labelled SELO.....see, I should have recognised it :oops:

I can remember the Ilford factory being demolished to make way for the new road system and Sainsburys - it was the end of an era and totally changed the face of Ilford......

Thanks for your query Jane, otherwise I would never have seen that site :)

Ann
 
no comments please
Click to expand...

As if anyone would! :rolleyes:

Didn't the police in the UK ride Velocettes at one time? Weren't they the bikes which had the nickname "Noddy" bikes?
 
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