Female WLA Riders

Military Motorcycles, and Other Military Two and Three Wheeled Cycles, Wanted, For Sale (NO AUCTION or EBAY) and Knowledge Base
Post Reply
TIM SPARKS
G-Corporal
G-Corporal
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:31 pm
Location: WARWICKSHIRE, U.K

Female WLA Riders

Post by TIM SPARKS » Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:11 pm

Has anyone got or seen any pics of WAC's riding or doing maintenance on Harley Davidsons in WW2?
41' Harley
42' Harley
44' Ford GPW


dispatchrider
G-Civilian
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2012 1:42 pm
Location:

Re: Female WLA Riders

Post by dispatchrider » Sat Feb 18, 2012 9:56 am

I don't have any pictures of female WLA riders... a few female British dispatch riders... if you get any pictures ... can you please forward them onto me as well? (or female riders on WLC) Thanks,

- Bob Love
dispatchrider@shaw.ca

User avatar
Johan WILLAERT
G-Colonel
G-Colonel
Posts: 1672
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2004 2:50 am
Location: Belgium
Contact:

Re: Female WLA Riders

Post by Johan WILLAERT » Sat Feb 18, 2012 11:07 am

Tim,

During WW2, Bessie Stringfield worked as a civilian motorcycle courrier rider for the US Army in the US....
Don't know what bike she rode though....

I have yet to see any pictures of WAC WLA riders during the war....

Cheers,

Johan
MVPA#14204
Huffman D50546 (1942)
Westfield Columbia MG138969 & MG140418 (1943)
HD 42WLA31854 (1943)
Ford GPW272xxx (1945)
Bantam T3 56433(Est) (1945)
John Wood M3A4 17564 (1943)
Johnston Lawn Mower Co RL35-A 1255 (1944)
BSA Mark V* T136102 (1944)
The Liberator

TIM SPARKS
G-Corporal
G-Corporal
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:31 pm
Location: WARWICKSHIRE, U.K

Re: Female WLA Riders

Post by TIM SPARKS » Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:25 pm

Hi Johan, I knew you would bite...... Bessie was a civilian who was a messenger for the US army i believe, and she rode a Knucklehead from what i can make out. The Royal Navy, RAF,and british army used female despatch riders, have found i pic of i think New Zealand females sat on a WLC. The more i thought about the more i thought i've never seen WAC's on WLA's. There were hundreds of female Harley riders from 1903 right through the war years on 45's and big twins. But never military.
41' Harley
42' Harley
44' Ford GPW

yez216
G-Command Sergeant Major
G-Command Sergeant Major
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:15 pm
Location: Joliet,IL

Re: Female WLA Riders

Post by yez216 » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:34 am

Not exactly what you're looking for but here are some photos of females with WLAs from HD's Enthusiast magazine

Image

Image

Image
'43 H-D WLA Type V
'43 Ford GPW
'43 Bantam T3
'43 30 Series Cushman
'85 M1009 CUCV

TIM SPARKS
G-Corporal
G-Corporal
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:31 pm
Location: WARWICKSHIRE, U.K

Re: Female WLA Riders

Post by TIM SPARKS » Tue Feb 21, 2012 11:07 am

Yez... They are superb, i looked in The Enthusiast, but i dont have many copies.The bottom pic looks like a civilian girl wearing his side hat, i have found one pic but dont know how to scan and post.
41' Harley
42' Harley
44' Ford GPW

John W. Rymark
G-Major
G-Major
Posts: 823
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2003 4:49 pm
Location: BEAUTIFUL NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Re: Female WLA Riders

Post by John W. Rymark » Tue Feb 21, 2012 5:32 pm

Yes, very nice last picture. Definitely a civilian woman on the bike getting gas. Nice 40s two tone shoes. I remember the Waves and Marine females we called BAMs (never to their face as they'd kick your ass) clunky dress shoes. They wore clunky shoes which look for all the world like shorter versions of nuns combat boots. Funny, don't remember caring much about what kind of shoes they wore at the time. :lol:
CPO USN RET.

yez216
G-Command Sergeant Major
G-Command Sergeant Major
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:15 pm
Location: Joliet,IL

Re: Female WLA Riders

Post by yez216 » Wed Feb 22, 2012 8:29 pm

Here's a WAC

Image
'43 H-D WLA Type V
'43 Ford GPW
'43 Bantam T3
'43 30 Series Cushman
'85 M1009 CUCV

User avatar
Jerome
Major French Army (trauma physician)
Posts: 866
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2002 2:54 am
Location: Paris - France
Contact:

Re: Female WLA Riders

Post by Jerome » Fri Feb 24, 2012 4:25 am

Sorry not a WLA rider, still nice picture

Image

cheers

Jerome
WWII jeeps and bikes

TIM SPARKS
G-Corporal
G-Corporal
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:31 pm
Location: WARWICKSHIRE, U.K

Re: Female WLA Riders

Post by TIM SPARKS » Sun May 13, 2012 9:08 am

Yez that pis is superb, is that pic from an Enthusiast magazine?
41' Harley
42' Harley
44' Ford GPW


Post Reply

Return to “Motorcycles & Bicycles”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: flatheadman, Google Adsense [Bot] and 39 guests