WWII Welbikes

In January of 2006 I decided to invest in the replica Welbike that is pictured above-right. As is usual in my hobbies, this started me on what is now a continuing process of research about this unusual military vehicle, and the following is some of what I've found.

In 1943 the British needed a vehicle that could be dropped by parachute because, at the time, there was no British plane capable of lifting a jeep or other suitable motorized transport. The Excelsior Motor Company of Great Britain responded to this need by designing a lightweight scooter using their experience building scooters and motorcycles before the war. The work was done in cooperation with SOE (Special Operations Excecutive) at Station IX, Welwyn, which is how the scooter got it's name. All machines developed there were given names with the prefix "Wel" such as the Welcar, Welboat and Welsub, etc.

The motorscooter weighed 75 lbs and folded to fit inside a 13 inch diameter drop canister (see the picture below). Powered by a single cylinder, 98cc (6 cubic inch), 2 cycle engine made by Villiers, the range stated in the operator's manual was 90 miles on 6 1/2 pints of gas-oil mix (it's a two cycle engine, so the gas has to double as engine lubricant), giving it 111 miles per gallon (in theory, at least). However, its small size limited the payload to a single paratrooper in full kit. Also, the lack of suspension made the scooter uncomfortable to ride on anything rougher than a paved road. In addition, the fuel tank needed to be pressurized before the fuel would flow into the carburator, which required the rider to operate a hand pump (similar to a camp stove or kerosene lantern) before the scooter would start, and then every 10 to 15 miles afterwards. In all, it wasn't the most handy of vehicles.

Because of these problems the SOE quickly decided they didn't want the Welbike, so it was given to the Parachute Regiment, in hopes they would find the machine more suitable for their operations. This resulted in many Welbikes being shipped to the RAF Transport Command airbases that flew the Paras to their missions. While there is a lot of evidence that the Welbike was used during training and battle excercises, as far as I have been able to tell, the Welbike was used in only two major battles, D-Day on June 6, 1944 and Operation Market Garden, September 17, 1944.

Below is the only photographic evidence I've seen of the Welbike in action. This is the Headquarters company of the 4th Special Service Brigade, making their way from LCI(S)s (Landing Craft Infantry Small) onto 'Nan Red' Beach, JUNO Area, at St Aubin-sur-Mer at about 9 am on June 6, 1944. Look carefully at the center of the photo and you'll see two commandos carrying a Welbike between them. Look even more carefully at the top of the ramp leading down from that ship and you'll see another Welbike who's owner is getting ready to carry it down the rather steep ramp! There may be a third Welbike at the base of the ramp, just being picked up by two men.

Below is a photo of how the Parachute Regiment used their Welbikes. As noted, this photo is staged. As far as I know right now, all photos and films of Welbikes being used by the Paras was taken during excercises. The best example I've seen (and the most fun to watch) is a documentary/propaganda movie that featured the Welbike being used in a large-scale battle excercise, availible from the Imperial War Museum in a DVD collection of movies about the Parachute Regiment.

I've heard unconfirmed reports that a Welbike survived the fighting of Operation Market Garden. The bike was found by a Dutch civilian just after the battle at Arnhem and hidden in a barn until the war ended. After that, the Welbike enjoyed many years of use by the farmer and, later, by the local boy scouts. Finally, an increasing realization of the historical importance of the machine, and the realization that the engine was completely worn out, prompted the owners to donate the Welbike to the museum at Pegasus Bridge. If you know more about this story, please Contact Me

Change came quickly in World War Two and by 1944-45 air transportation had greatly improved and the RAF obtained DC-3s and large cargo gliders that could deliver field guns and large numbers of jeeps in a single trip. This made a single-person, short-ranged scooter such as the Welbike useless in combat and rendered them obsolete almost as as soon as they were distributed. Most Welbikes remained in Britain, stored in RAF airbases.

However, many Welbikes were never dropped in combat; instead they were taken out of their containers and used as personal transport in and around the air bases where they were stored. These bases were often large and dispersed, with large areas of smooth paving, so the lack of suspension wasn't an issue. Many resourceful pilots and mechanics found the Welbike a pleasent alternative to pedaling a bicycle around.

Once the war ended, the remaining Welbikes were declared surplus. Many Welbikes were destroyed by the military because Welbikes were considered unsafe for use on public roads in Britain, since they were equipped with only a rear-wheel brake and had no lights. Despite this, a significant number of bikes were saved from the scrapheap and there is evidence that some were even registered for road use during the late 1940's, taking advantage of the Welbike's fuel economy in a country where wartime fuel rationing would not end until 1950. The last of the Welbikes were forced off the road when vehicle safety inspections were started in the early 1950's.

However, that wasn't the end of their history. In 1946 Gimble's Department Store, in New York City, bought all the surplus Welbikes and shipped them to the United States. They were sold as personal motorscooters for a few years and ended up doing duty as factory run-abouts, or as gag motorcycles in Shriner parades. Unfortunately the nature of the Welbike was not suited for extended use, what with it's folding parts and large-internal-clearances engine. They tended to wear out quickly and most of the machines were discarded or junked within a few years. I've been told by one person, who remembers owning one as a kid in 1953, that he sold his for $15 after riding it for a year and wearing out the engine.

After the war, Excelsior continued to build small motor-scooters and some historians have theorized that the use of the Welbike in and around RAF bases started the post-war motor-scooter craze in Britain that lasted well into the 1960's. In fact, one of the first popular British scooters of this era was the Excelsior Corgi, which was nothing more than a WWII Welbike with a windshield bolted to the non-folding handlebars, a kickstand bolted to the rear axle, and high-mounted fuel tank that didn't require pressurizing.

Sadly, like everything else regarding the Welbike, even this popularity didn't last. When the Italian-made Vespa scooter began selling in the UK, British riders quickly realized the Welbike/Corgi's shortcomings and production of the Corgi ended in 1954.