Page 31 - LHR Sept 25.

BSA M20

not a museum queen but a running the 1970s, British reservists trained for modern conflicts,
motorcycle, faithful to its military but Peter's motorcycle reminded them all that their
origins. The restoration became a tradition was rooted in the endurance of ordinary men
second apprenticeship, teaching
with ordinary tools.
him the patience of old mechanics:
setting tappets by feel, cleaning The Broader Significance
magneto points, aligning chains Machines as Memory
with a string.
Peter Hall's story illustrates how machines carry
Riding the Past memory. The 1940 BSA M20 is not just a motorcycle; it
is a vessel of history. For veterans, it evokes service; for
When Peter first rode his M20 down
a quiet country lane, he described it enthusiasts, it evokes engineering; for reservists like
as “riding alongside ghosts.” The Peter, it evokes continuity.
thump of the engine, the smell of Every restored M20 on the road today is a moving
warm oil, the heavy feel of the memorial. It tells of the dispatch riders who risked
girder forks all conjured images of everything, of the mechanics who kept them running
convoy roads, blackout nights, and under canvas tents, and of the generations who followed
long-forgotten fields. in their footsteps.
His TA comrades were amused by The Territorial Spirit
his fascination with an old The Territorial Army, both in 1940 and in the 1970s,
warhorse, but many understood. In
embodied a particular kind of service — ordinary men
giving time, effort, and loyalty to something larger than
themselves. The M20, humble and unglamorous,
mirrored that ethos. Together, the man and the
motorcycle tell a story of resilience without spectacle,
endurance without fanfare.