We are constantly on the lookout for something out of the ordinary at Trials Guru. We think we have found it with this interesting article, penned for us specially by the subject himself.

Words: George Webb; Trials Guru. (50 minutes read time)

Photos: Alistair MacMillan Studio, Fort William; National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham; David Strickland; Rainer Heise, Germany; OffRoad Archive; Brian Catt; George Webb personal Archive.

Born on 7th April 1943, George Webb is a well-known and respected Army MCA rider from the 1960s through the 1970s and into the 1980s. He rode trials, long distance trials, Army trials, enduros, the Scottish Six Days and the International Six Days Trials, representing Great Britain and the British Army. George Webb wasn’t a ‘works rider’ as such, but he was paid to ride motorcycles by the British Army and occasionally he was issued with some very specialised kit! Now George has agreed to share details of his many adventures while serving in the British Army and beyond. We think you will enjoy this article.

Here is George Webb’s story, written specially for the Trials Guru website by the man himself:

“It was the 6th of April 1959 and I had just enlisted for nine years in the British Army. Tomorrow was my sixteenth birthday and my favourite subject at school had been Geography, which gave me the desire to travel and drive things, the services seemed the best option to me.”

“Growing up in West Suffolk in a small village between two airbases, most of my time was spent working on farms, trying to earn some pocket money. Times were hard in those days and rationing after the second World War lasted well into the fifties. My Mother had a hard upbringing with five other siblings, there were times when there was no food in the house and they had to rely on neighbours for bread. My Father’s history was not much different, he worked his whole life and, to the best of my knowledge, he ever had a holiday. All my immediate family have passed on.

During the war we missed being killed when a Short Stirling bomber, returning from a raid in Germany, missed our chimney by about six feet and crashed in a field at the bottom of our garden, sadly there were no survivors. Mother related later to us that this often happened and she would hear the screams of the crew when the aircraft burst into flames. There were no good wars.

My two brothers had motorcycles, but were not much into competition and like myself, bikes were seen as a mode of transport. My first bike was a 1960 250cc Francis Barnett fitted with an Avon fairing, which I could use to get about on, and travel to my Army base and home for leave.”

“My first couple of years were training for junior leaders and we spent most of this time doing things like weapons training, drill, fitness and assault course, map reading and compass work and further education.

I also took my HGV training with the driving test on 1st November 1960 and was the only one of eight to pass. Later the same day, I passed my motorcycle test, both tests at the first attempt. I was truly chuffed to bits.”

“Fast forward to 1963, I was now stationed in North Devon, having trained as an Amphibious Specialist, operating in rivers, estuaries and the open sea. Ours were the only such unit operating in the British Army and we were operating WW2 six wheeldrive D.U.K.W, referred to as a ‘Duck’ made in the USA.”

“Our job was to deliver ship to shore, troops, supplies such as food, ammunition and fuel. We could deliver this up onto the beach or miles inland, and then return to the supply ship for more loads. There is of course much more I could tell you about, but Trials Guru is about trials, right?”

“We had a new Sergeant Major arrive at our unit in 1963 who happened to be an Army motorcyclist. He wanted to enter a unit team in some upcoming Army event. After a bit of practice with his selected team, one didn’t make the grade, so he invited me in as I had now been riding for three years. However I had never ridden in a trial, so I had to quickly find out what was involved.

To explain, an Army trial is not quite the same as a civil trial, because it was classed as training. Generally speaking, all riders or entrants would ride the same service issue machines, which at that time was the WW2 issue M20 BSA, a 500cc side-valve, which had poor ground clearance, poor steering lock, no rear suspension and girder forks. We also had to wear standard issue riding gear and helmets.

First of all came a map reading exercise, we were handed an Ordnance Survey map and a route to plot and then ride, taking in a number of check points and within a set time limit. This was usually done on minor roads and green lanes.

Secondly, came a number of sections to be ridden within a time limit.

Third, was a cross country timed course.

Points could be lost on all three stages, but also the condition of the bike at the final inspection of rider and machine.

At this stage of my life, I now had a Triumph twin which was far and away better than the Army M20 BSA, but hey-ho this was still fun and I was getting paid to ride. Did this mean that I was a works supported rider? Hardly!”

“The map reading I could do, but reading a map and riding down bumpy lanes, steering with one hand and holding up the map board to follow the route was somewhat risky. I had an enormous tank-slapper when a puddle turned out to be deep! Desperately trying to grab the handlebars while my tin helmet was flip-flopping over my eyes. ‘Bugger that’, I thought to myself, and shortly after the Sergeant Major went passed, going the wrong way. When he stopped and I put him right, he said ‘OK, you can lead’.

So, off I went, I suppose I was trying to impress him, when I missed a turn by going too fast. He took off at some speed, trying to impress me I guess, which he did of course. As I entered a sharp bend with those West Country high banks and hedges, well of course there was a field entrance mid corner, so as I ride up the bank, which I am forced to do by the footrests digging into the tarmac. Back down the bank, heart rate up slightly, remembering that this isn’t the Triumph I am used to – slow down Boyo!

In no time at all I find the Sergeant Major sitting up a bank on his machine which had seized up. He said: “You carry on and finish and come and fetch me with the truck. Well the other team members didn’t finish either so it was just me and I never got any results, and to this day I do not know which position I finished up with.

There was one more episode with the M20 BSA, but that was up the Jungle three years later.

Singapore and Malaysia:

In 1964, it was time for my next posting.  I was not keen to go, as I had a steady girlfriend, and a BSA Super Rocket as my transport! This would mean two and a half years with no home leave. What would happen to my girl?  You guessed! – She found someone new!

It was a long flight to Singapore on the old Bristol Brittania nicknamed the ‘whispering giant’, with stops at Ankarra, and Bombay where we could get out of the plane for a bit of excercise and fresh air.  Wow, it was eight in the evening and 108 degrees! By next morning we arrived in Singapore.

We now had to get used to high heat and high humidity for the next thirty months, phew!

We were still operating our amphibious D.U.K.Ws there, as half of them were shipped out by sea in a LCT, a sea going Landing Craft, Tank.”

“Malaysia was having trouble with incursions by the Indonesians, mainly in Borneo, but also in Malaysia and Singapore. I guess somebody thought our unit would be of some use out there. As it happened, we did not get much involved as it required a lot of Jungle warfare, with specially trained troops such as the Gurhka Rifles, and real locally recruited Borneo Head Hunters. I kid you not!  My friend served there for a while and he took years to get over what he had seen. Anyway, the Indonesians got fed up of being killed, and after a few years, it all settled down.

We spent our time doing exercises, and training, and maintainence. I bought a bike and could now explore the Island and up into the Malay Peninsular. This was great, my new Triumph Tiger 100SS was a cracking bike, a 1962 model, had been in its shipping crate for 3 years, and I got a big discount. The locals stopped buying the bigger more expensive bikes, when the Japanese bike invasion began.

I joined the the Singapore Forces Driving Club, and took part in some light hearted trials and quite a few rallies, both as driver and also navigator.

Before I left England, I took part in the Army Driving Championship in 1963. Over five days and a two thousand mile course of navigation, special tests, cross country, and night map reading. Out of an entry of many hundreds, we came home in fifth place at our first attempt, but even more important, we had won a major trophy. The R.O.S.P.A. Cup, for road safety.

Our Boss was so chuffed, he gave us two weeks holidays – Bloody Brilliant! 

Terendak, Malaya:

After eighteen months in Singapore, I was sent up north to a base near Malacca. This was a general transport unit equipped with Bedford RL trucks, nicknamed  the ‘Flying Tigers’.”

“Perhaps something to do with the fact, they seemed to go flat out everywhere!

Very soon we were off on excercise, as I had a bike licence, I got to ride the motorcycle! A BSA M20 500cc side valve.  Well, that made things interesting, how to control a convoy on a bike that was slower than the trucks!  As usual on excercise, one had to carry a personal weapon which would normally be a 7.62 SLR Rifle. But that is a bit large to carry on a bike, so I had a Sterling sub machine gun, and magazine, but no live rounds! Now this is quite normal for army exercises, no point in taking unessary risks. Live firing exercises would be carefully planned and more in line with preperation for genuine Ops, or war.

One night I was sent on a job on my own to some jungle location, I can’t tell you what it was, because I have forgotten. What I can tell you is that after some time of riding there was a sudden tropical downpour of very heavy rain. Luckily my heavy DR Mac kept out the rain which was good. However, some of the rain flowed down the Mac and into the open carburrettor, and the bike conked out!

This was quite worrying to say the least, and especially because on an earlier excise in the central Malayan Highlands, I and two friends had a very close encounter with three tigers! I always thought tigers were solitary creatures, and right now in the pitch blackness I was thinking of tigers, and all manner of other stuff. This is when I really, really, wanted a magazine full of lovely bullets! I cursed the Army for not thinking about what might happen to one of theirs, who might end up in such a predicament! If there had been two of us on bikes, my fear level would have been less!

There was no doubt what the trouble was, the rain had entered the open carburettor and wet the spark plug. What happened next was one of the fastest fixes that you could imagine. The bike burst into life, and I was off in an instant. I never saw another human on that jungle track, not your average trail ride. That was my second experience on the BSA M20, and probably the most memorable.

I will tell you another little story for the benefit of anybody that may not have ‘served’, and for those that have.

On this occasion I was still down in Singapore, and we had an exercise up on the east coast of Malaya with our D.U.K.W.s. One evening, we had a briefing, about what our next task would be…….. ‘OK lads, tonight the Marine Commandos are doing a landing on our beach. Your job will be to capture them’. – Your kidding right Sarge?  ‘No, I am not kidding’. Well, the imagination starts working overtime, how this might turn out.

I mean we are drivers and landing craft operators, not front line storm troopers! Anyway, we have been tasked, and me and my mate Ray were concealed just back in the jungle line waiting anxiously. It was a full moon night and we could see quite well, we have to get this right – Bayonets fixed!

We waited not more than thirty minutes, then we saw him coming towards us. we were well concealed and hoped he could not see us. The element of surprise being essential.

Then, as he went to pass, I rose up swiftly and put the bayonet at his throat, hoping he would come quietly. He did, and we were both pleased, and relieved.

My time in the Far East was very interesting, I had in my time there both a Tiger 100 and a Triumph Bonneville, which I used to travel around the country. I was fullfilling my love of travelling and motorcycling. The weather was warm and mostly dry in those days, and it was a pleasure to be out. The roads were better than ours are now, and traffic was light.”

“Singapore has changed tremendously, we thought it was great before, but now its amazing what they have achieved.  If only we had their politicians here!

In November 1966, I made my way to catch an RAF flight from Kuala Lumpur back to the UK, and to see my family.  VC10 jet power all the way.”

“Although this is a very condensed version of my time in the Far East, I hope it will give a flavour of what life can be like in the Armed Forces. It was only a short time of my twenty odd years in uniform, but there is more to come, when I get to Germany.

Germany –  British Army of the Rhein

In the post war years many British Soldiers spent time serving in B.A.O.R. short for British Army of the Rhein. For myself, I had two different postings there, the first was to a town called Bielefeld, in Northern Germany, where most of the British were. In the south were the Americans and the French.  This was really the start of my Trial riding.

10 Regiment Royal Corp of Transport, equipped with AEC 10 tonners general transport. Very slow, very noisy, and no power steering! In addition a crash gearbox, and driving these beasts on the Autobahn was like being in a mobile chicane!

After a few days I met up with a John Wigham, who was in charge of the motorcycle bay. When he discovered I was a biker, he asked did I want to come out and do some cross country riding, and that’s how I got involved in Army Motorcycling.

We had some great places to ride and train, and John was heavily involved with the local German trials scene. Our bikes at that time were the Triumph TRW side valve 500 twin, as issued to the Army at that time. There were also some BSA M20 still on the books, but the Triumph was better, marginally! Soon we were off at weekends riding in events all over Northern Germany. Of course we were at a disadvantage riding against proper trials bikes, but invariable there would be a class for road orientated bikes. But hey, it was fun and it only cost us the entry fee, as army transport was provided for us.

After a while I decided to get a proper trials bike, and settled on a 250 Sprite from Frank Hipkin’s empire. In kit form it was relatively cheap, and as army wages never ammounted to very much, cost always entered into the equation.

Well, this didn’t turn out to be such a good decision, as it never handled very well, and I have never had a bike that needed so much maintainence! I named it the ‘Bendy Bike’.  When my mate asked to have a ride on it, he went over the handle bars in no time at all!  I was soon looking for something else!

I ordered a Bultaco from the factory in Spain, and soon it arrived at the local railway station, Whoopee! I couldn’t wait to pick it up, but when I arrived at the station to collect it they told me I could not have it today because it was 3.45pm and they stop work at 4.00pm. So much for German effiency! I stormed out, slamming the door behind me!

Of course I had to go back the next day and put my best friendly face on, and I got the Bultaco, things were looking up.

A big thank you to Mr. Sammy Miller, this Bulto was chalk and cheese against the Sprite. Next year I would get to ride this bike in the 1969 Scottish Six Days Trial as part of the Official Army Team.

The Army had now been issued with the new BSA B40 and this was a big leap forward from the M20, and the Triumph TRW. It had a couple of shortcomings but was a big improvement.

The Bi-annual Army Motorcycle Championships was coming up soon, and we were going to enter on the new machines.

The Army Championships:

My friend John Wigham had been posted to another unit, but there were a couple of other riders to make up our team of three. With myself as team leader, backed up by Tom Methven and Bill Hutley we set off with our three new BSA B40 bikes to Leek in Staffordshire. We were all novices, and all first timers at the championships. We made the journey over to England in a Bedford RL truck, with bikes in the back.”

“On arrival at Leek we found the conditions wet and the course very muddy, which often means a more difficult course. We began with the usual map-reading route on day one, and then part two the sections. I had lost no marks for map reading and only ten on the sections, it appeared I was in the lead. Bill and Tom were also well up, and we began to think we were in with a chance. Only the cross country to do now, and if we complete this with no loss of time, we were a strong position.

Day two and we were in high spirits, and trying our best. I caught up with my team mates at a particularly difficult part of the course, where many were stuck trying to cross a big ditch. We worked together, when I jumped the bike to the other bank and they pulled me up and sent me on ahead to try and get the win. I was really on the gas and sliding about on the slippery ground. If only I can stay upright, and not crash is what went through my mind.

The final time control came into sight, and I was ten minutes early which surprised me, as the set time is usually quite tight.

Anyway I awaited my allotted time and booked in, only to be told I was four minutes late! I was chatting to the time controller for most of my waiting time, how could I be late? Was it my mistake, had I worked out my due time incorrectly?

I was now in third place, behind two Army International riders, the late Mike Soames and Tom Fayers, but, we had won best Army Team, We were the Army Champions!

This result got me into the official Army Team, and next year I was selected to ride in the Scottish Six Days Trial, with John Wigham, (Greeves), Tom Fayers (Greeves), Jack Galloway, (Saracen), and myself on the Bultaco.

We travelled back to Germany with a fair haul of silverware, and I think it would be fare to say we were all pretty chuffed. Its very sad to lose the win, not on riding ability, but getting the timing wrong, should have worked harder at school!

We arrived at the Camp main gates and were told we had to remain at the Guard room! Whats going on we thought, had we been reported for some traffic infringement?

Were we in trouble, thats always the first thing that goes through your mind. After a few minutes were saw some Soldiers coming down the main entrance pulling a four wheel carriage. We were ordered into the carriage and pulled through camp, and everyone turned out to cheer us back.  Things were looking up!

Off to the Mess for Champagne with the C. O.  – Yes!

1969 the main events, still in Germany

This year I got promotion to Sergeant, but instead of moving to a new base, I was lucky and stayed in Bielefeld. We continued with our local events and Army Trials in Germany.

However, now that I was in the Army Team, the main focus would be the following events: The Scottish Six Days; The German Three Days Enduro in Isny; The Welsh Three Days Trial; The I.S.D.T. in Garmisch-Partenkirken, Bavaria, Germany.

In Brief: The Scottish went well and lived up to expectations. We started in Edinburgh back then, and there was considerably more mileage than there is today.

We all had good rides and and Jack Galloway on the Saracen had a top ten ride! We won the John Bull Tyre Trophy for best Services Team and I won a first class award, which I was happy with, especially as a First timer, then aged 26.”

“Just a few weeks later, we were off to Isny, in Southern Germany, for my first International Enduro. This event became a European Championship round the following year.

The course was very wet with some big hills and thick forestry. Our BSA B40s had been uprated to 441 cc Victor motors and heavier chains, and the extra power was a benefit. However, our bikes were no match for some of the ‘works’ machines that were far lighter. This would become a patern in following years, where we would be running uncompetitive machinery, in World class events.

At this time we were officially in Training, nowadays this is recognised as Sport, within the Army. Now the Army can purchase the right bikes, as funds are provided.

As soon as we finished here, we had to drive a one thousand miles back to take part the in the Welsh Three Day Trial/enduro.

This is the big event of the year for enduro riders, although at this time it was still refered to as a trial, as was the I.S.D.T.

Starting in Llandindrod Wells, this event had been running I believe for some years and always attracted a big entry. Our B40s had been modified to run with the Capacitor Discharge ignition system to try and save some weight by taking off the heavy battery. However, it was giving problems with starting, and when it came to my turn to start it was playing up!

Well, you only have one minute to start, and ride over the line one hundred yards away, or you lose marks. The seconds were passing and nothing, and then when time was almost up it burst into life! I was into gear and the clutch was out in a fraction of a second and from start to way passed the one hundred yard line was on the back wheel only!

After a good first day, we went down to check the results at the Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells. Well, I couldn’t believe it, I was in second place, behind Scott Ellis the eventual winner that year. If I could maintain this position tomorrow?

The second day started off well, no problems staying on time, until the Strate Florida part of the course, several water crossings. After coming across the stream for the last time the engine just died, no sparks! Catastrophe!  

I had been there trying to discover the problem for about an hour or slightly more, when suddenly it started. Could I reach the next time check before I was over my hour of lateness allowance?

Well, I really did fly to the next time control. and I skidded past the time clock as it ticked passed the hour. However, there was an ACU Steward there and he said I actually made it within my hour, and could continue.

Unfortunately, I was so dejected at the time I made the mistake of retiring from the event, forgetting that I was in a team, and that retirement would cost the team many more marks.

So, remember, if you are in a team, even if you have lost a lot of marks, try and keep going for your team mates.

I never found out what the fault had been with the bike but I suspected a faulty diode.

The  Welsh was one of my favorite events, due to the great variety of the course, with forestry, open moorland, and many dirt tracks. Over the next ten years, I won several Gold medals, and one class win. On the last occasion I rode there I had for the very first time a competitive machine, a 250cc Can-Am, and finished with another Gold medal.

The 1969 I.S.D.T. was in Southern Germany, in Garmisch-Partenkirken, and we were riding the Army modified B40. The ignition system was still giving us starting problems, mostly from the initial cold start in the mornings. It was a great course but I was soon running on Bronze medal time due to starting problems.”

“The event each day consisted of two laps of a hundred mile long course and on the Thursday things got worse!

As I had almost completed the first lap when the engine cut out.  I quickly diagnosed that the Alternator had stopped working, using my test kit.

This did not bode well, but I decided to investigate further, and after removing the side cover (many screws) I found the 3 wires badly damaged. The heat from the engine had shrunk the insulation, and there was only a couple of strands from each cable left! I seperated the strands and insulated each one and got a current and a spark. Whilst I was doing this I had got another of our riders to get a message to our support crew located at the start finish area. By the time I had finished the repair, they had got a new Stator to me and I packed it away in my tool bag, and set off. I was now forty minutes down.

Just before completing my first lap, aproaching a blind bend which went around a big black barn, three support riders came straight at me, going against the course!

I took out the middle one, and flew over the other two, to land incredibly uninjured in the long grass. I was out, taken out by three Russians, riding illegally.”

“Bloody Russians, always causing trouble!”

The Army School of Transport:

After winning the 1970 Army Championship, I received my next posting to the Army M.T. School at Borden in Hampshire. Borden is where I started my Army career some years earlier, so it was familiar area.

This would turn out to be the best time that I had in the services, as I would be in charge of all the Motorcycle Training.”

“We had one week courses for Junior Officers to get their bike licences. Can you imagine what folk would think today, just a week, well five days actually!

Before all that I would be required to train as a driving test examiner to D.O.E. standards, in order to take students on their test. I always promised them half a days cross country riding if they had advanced enough with the road work, This was a great incentive, and improved their riding skills at the same time.”

“There were three week instructors courses, for soldiers who already had a bike licence, so that they could go back to their units and teach more to ride. This would involve more advanced riding lessons and cross country, to a higher standard.  This would also include maintenance lessons and tyre changing practice.”

“On one of these courses, I had some Ghurkas soldiers from Hong Kong, and we were out on a cold winters day, doing some of Hampshires green lanes. We had come to a very steep down hill section which was frozen ice, with just a touch of water on the surface. There was a barbed wire fence each side. I talked them through the procedure for tackling this and then did a demonstration ride down. It was quite scary, and I said it was not necessary for them to do it, but they were up for it. Once again, keep the bike absolutely straight, first gear, and don’t touch the brakes! Well, they all came down like tobogans, but perfect, and no mishaps! That took some guts!

During my time at the School, I was always impressed by our Ghurka troops, but always ashamed that we payed them so little. On one occasion when I was taking a Ghurka on his class two HGV test in Aldershot, he finished up with the lowest score of anybody I have tested, just two minor faults. Brilliant, as this was a very heavy Leyland six wheeler Artillery Tractor.

Then we ran three week courses for Special Forces which involved lightweight 125cc bikes, instead of Army B40s. The purpose for this was to be able to Helicopter in for an Operation, then ride the bikes, to where ever?”

“These courses were good fun, the Guys were quick to learn, even when they had never ridden before. Not only did they need to get their licence, but it was required that they would need much cross country training too. What made things different was the need to carry so much kit on these lightweight bikes, such as spare fuel, and weapons, which weighed half as much as the bikes. This made the cross country riding much more difficult, as this weight completely changed the bikes handling!”

“With perseverance we got the job done, there were so many places that we had to test differant kinds of terrain. Soon the Guys were coping with everything we could throw at them!”

Army MT School:

“In addition to running the motorcycle wing, there were other tasks at the school. In order to test candidates it was necessary to hold the appropriate qualification to do so. I remember taking my HGV Class 1 test in Aldershot in an AEC articulated truck that was so old that it had no power steering! It took all my strength to manouvre it around a mini-roundabout during the test, but luckily I did pass.

Other vehicles we had to drive and test on were tracked vehicles, amphibious and buses. So all in all an interesting time. I also did a course in Devon to water-proof vehicles, in order that they could be driven ashore from landing craft without drowning before hitting the beach.

Motorcycles were my main job and took about 85% of my time there. From a sporting aspect it was really great, because there were so many trials in the area. Not only did I get to ride during the week, but also at the weekend too. As we had the facilities and the training areas, I got plenty of practice time too.

During my time there I won the Army Championships two more times which made me the first multiple winner of the title.

The seventies were really my best years, as I held on to the titles for ten years in all. Add to that the B.O.A.R championship; Berlin Championship and Southern Command champion.

Two wins in the Pathfinders Trial and many more in Army prelim events and civilian events too.

Even when my time at the school was coming to an end, I would have the good fortune to remain in the Army International team until I left the service in 1980.

For now I was going back to Germany to run the Transport Department at a Brigade headquarters in Osnabruck – Aufweidersehn Pet!

Osnabruck, Germany – Second tour:

I was soon able to take off from when I left Germany three years earlier, and joined the local motor sport club. They ran Trials and also some car events too. Before long I had made friends with some of their members, such as Helmut Stanik, German national 125cc Champion in 1974, and a regular Scottish Six Days rider.”

“Also Gerd Bücker, who owned a bicycle and moped business in town. Gerd and myself often travelled to events together. One day when travelling down south we were pulled off the Autobahn by the Highway Police, for speeding! We were in a little Renault 4 with a trailer. Anyway, after a very friendly chat, we thought we got away with it, but not quite, fined ten marks, quite a bargain!

Work entailed taking care of transport requirements of Brigade HQ, day to day stuff and also the exercise requirements. I have to say I was quite lucky, because of the Army Team, I had quite a lot of time away to ride the international events.”

“During my time there I received into my office some information that the Army were looking to reduce their numbers with a redundancy scheme. After reading all the detail, I filled in the forms thinking it will never happen to me, but its worth a punt.

I had been thinking about a second career for a while.

Anyway a year went by and the Chief Clerk comes into my office and says to me you’re redundant!  I looked at him and said, what are you on about. He retorted, did you apply for redundancy a year ago? After answering yes, he told me, well you have got it!  Well, what a surprise, and what am I going to do??  Never gave it a second thought, had I.”

“Luckily, I still had some time to serve in Germany, before getting posted to Catterick for my last six months of service. In the intervening time, we had been back to the U.K. to sort out some accomodation, and had settled on Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

Coincidently, where there just happened to be some very good Trials Clubs!”

“Well, my time in Catterick, soon passed, and it was time to be demobbed! But almost as soon, I was being recruited again!

A certain Captain Smith of 150 Regiment, Royal Corps of Transport wanted me in his motorcycle team!

I tried to resist, but he made me an offer that was difficult to turn down. Whenever there was a Army event, they would bring me a bike to ride and that was all I had to do, plus I would get paid, and a motoring allowance.  Captain Smith had a pretty good team, so we were in with a chance. In fact we won the Army Championship best team, and best individual, and much more too.

This was the first time a Territorial Army team had won the Championship, and I was the first Territorial Army Champion, which I won in 1978 and 1979.  So when I thought it was all over, well it wasn’t quite.

I did eventually leave the T.A. to start my own Business in 1980, but not before winning another Gold in the Welsh Two Day International.”

An interesting Honda:

“It all started with a surprise call from Colin Tipping. ‘Would you like to ride a Fraser Honda 250 in the Scottish Six Days?”

“Well I had never seen one or even heard of them to be honest, but yes I was interested. I mean who would turn down a chance to ride in the most famous trial in the world?

I was attracted in that the bike was a four-stroke, and a Honda engine at that! Reliability ought to be good. However, the fact that it had an unconventional final drive was an unknown risk. I understood about the two chain set up, but had no clue if it worked well.

The bike was delivered to Fort William and I took collection of it. Once I had a chance to ride it, there was some concern about the two chain system. It was a way of achieving better gearing for trials work. But it was very noisy and the short chain was getting very hot. This did not bode well for the amount of road miles.

Never mind, we will give it a go!

Monday morning start and it’s off up the Mamore Road, the noisy chains were very noticeable and attracting attention. My thoughts were, how will I stand a week of all this?

There must have been a group of sections before Kinlochleven, but my memory is a bit vague and there is no programme of that year in my collection, so I would guess that Blackwater were the second group.

On route I came to a river crossing where I had to carry out a bit of life-saving. An Army rider had been swept off his bike by the force of the water. His bike had him pined down and his head was partially submerged. I wadded out and got the bike off him, but he was totally immersed and soaked to the skin. I couldn’t imagine a worse start to an SSDT but he was fine and carried on.

Arriving at the Blackwater group of sections, it was sunny and dry and after a quick inspection it was my turn to go. I did not get far though, after getting caught on a large boulder, the spectators were shouting and pointing at the boulder, it was covered in oil! The thin sumpguard had bent and the crankcase was holed. So no first class award that year to add to the five that I already had. I really didn’t think the bike would have lasted the week anyway.”

North Yorkshire –  God’s own County:

“After leaving the service, I had the oportunity to partake in a resettlement course. As my whole career had revolved around transport and vehicles, I chose to due a thirty week heavy goods vehicle mechanics course. This was run in Bradford, so I had to drive there every day. It was a good course and my instructor was ex-Army, who had served in North Africa in world war two, so we had some interesting stories about his experiences there, keeping their vehicles road worthy.

After the course finished, employment was found for me in Harrogate, at a small transport company, with their own maintainence facility. This turned out to be far from ideal. After twenty years of military organization, this was the opposite! The working conditions were rather chaotic and unpleasant, and after a few weeks, I was planning to leave and start my own business, which would be in the transport business.

However, just before I made the move, I received a telephone call from an old army friend, who was now working for Len Thwaites, of TT Leathers fame. The company that started the fashion of coloured motorcycle clothing.

Tom Walker, an ex-Army White Helmets display team member, was now working for Len, and they needed another sales representative – was I interested?  Well yes, it would allow me to leave my present job, and do something in the motorcycle industry. I was accepted for the position, and started in my new role. After a few weeks, I was starting to find my feet and sales were building up nicely. This was all new to me, selling was teaching me a few new lessons in life!

Within the company, there were some handy bike riders, Len the Boss, did scrambles and trials. Jimmy Aird was a top scrambler, and Tom and myself were trials and enduro riders. For a while we formed a TT Leathers team, and entered some of the early rounds of new British Enduro Championships, with some good results too. 

The idea of setting up my own business was still at the back of my mind though, I had that ambition to fulfill.

Back in 1968, I had married my German girlfriend Trudi, and we had two children, Karen and Mark. Because of my service and sport, much of my time was spent away from home, and my family had not had as much of my time, as they should have. I could not have changed what had gone before, so it would need to change for the future.”

“My new plan was to open a retail motorcycle clothing shop in Harrogate, and be nearer to my family. Welcome to ‘Sportex Gear’, my new business, a new era.”

The final chapter:

“Just to finish this brief look back over what has mainly been about my Army and and business career, here are some details about where we ended up.”

“In the late nineties we were approached by a couple of companies who expressed an interest in buying Sportex. This came about due to a rumor going around at one of the motorcycle shows, that we were being taken over by the Carnell Motor Group in Doncaster. This was a big surprise to us as we knew nothing about it, how the rumour started we had no idea, but it did arouse some interest within the trade.”

“Jack Knoops and I had expressed an interest in early retirement, and this seemed like an opportunity. To cut a long story short, we did eventually sell the business but in two parts, with all the road based products going to one company, and all the off road stuff going to C.I Sport, run by ex Comerford’s people, Don Howlett and Stuart Miller. It took a little while for it all to go through, but eventually it was sorted.”

“Jack Knoops stayed in Ripon, and took up his hobby of photography to another level, providing photos for trials riders at Yorkshire events, and also sometimes for magazines.”

“I believe he really enjoyed this, and often provided Special Awards at annual prizegivings of enlarged and framed photographs of riders, which were really appreciated.

I decided to move to Spain for some warm weather, and a change of scenery. I had once been down on a business trip in November, and the weather was fabulous.

On the plane I met someone who was on his way down to buy a property, and this had planted a seed, that got my interest.

Jack and his wife Marie, came many times to holiday with us, and visit differant parts of Spain too.

Spain is great for biking and we did many trips out whilst there, and I had some trail riding chums too. The area around southern Spain has hundreds of trails, but I also went up north to the Picos Mountains many times. Lots of our retirement has been about biking and also non biking trips to places of interest, and we have been very lucky to have had these opportunitys. Neither of us smoke, and we drink very little, but we do like to travel.

We stayed in Spain for some ten years, Trudi was complaining that the summers were getting to hot for her, and she wanted to come home. Thinking she might mean Germany, where she came from, I asked where in Germany, hoping it might be in the south. ‘No’ she said, ‘not Germany, North Yorkshire’!

So here we are back in God’s country again, since the last seventeen years. No trials riding since I left for Spain, or enduros, but plenty of trail rides and road trips.

I’m tending to slow down now due to age, but still enjoying riding my bikes.

Sorry to report the loss of my good friends Jack and Marie Knoops in recent years, due to poor health. Rest in peace, we still have our memories.”

Final chapter Part Two:

Here are some motorcycling highlights that I have experienced over the years.

• A near three-hundred mile journey from Suffolk to North Devon through the 1963 winter freeze and blizzards, on my Triumph 350. Never saw another motorbike the whole journey!

• Three-thousand mile trail bike tour around the Peruvian Andes, as high as sixteen-thousand feet.

• Trail bike ride from Yorkshire, to the the Sahara desert.

• Two tours of the Wild West, one on a Harley and one on an Indian Chieftain.

• Numerous European bike tours.

• The Scottish Six Days Trial

• The International Six Days Trial

• The Welsh Three Day Trial/Enduro

• Army Championships Trials
• Twenty years of Yorkshire trials. 
• Bike tour of Malaya.

“I hope you enjoy what has been a brief look, at my riding career, my Military service, and our Sportex business.

Best wishes to Trials Guru, their readers and all bikers everywhere – George Webb“

George Webb’s photos from his personal collection:

‘Army Man George’ – the story of George Webb is copyright of George Webb and Trials Guru – 2025.

Credits:

Motor Cycle News – Press cutting, author, Ralph Venables.

Footnote:

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