John Abraham* Memorial Veteran & Vintage Run – Sunday 23rd April 2023
This was the first year this event has occurred since 2019, due to the curse of Covid. On the preceding Friday the weather forecast for the day was 70% rain, and the event came close to being cancelled. As it happened, we did have some showers, but most fell whilst we were in the pub for lunch, and much of the road stayed dry.
12 riders successfully completed the 67-mile route, on a diverse range of machines including a 1912 Bradbury, a 1930 OEC with duplex steering, and a 1921 Ner-a-car with hub-centre steering. More ‘well known’ 1920s marques were also represented – AJS, BSA, Triumph, Raleigh, and Sunbeam. Paul Ward rode an ex-Frank Dolman Douglas which has been kept ‘in the family’ – his first outing on the bike for several years.
I believe the cumulative mishaps were limited to one puncture (repaired on the roadside with tyre sealant), one rubber horn bulb that fell off (recovered by the rider following – thanks Philip), and a wet groin due to persisting with waterproofs past their sell-by date! Not bad for a combined total distance of 800 miles on 90+ year old machines.
Bottisham Airfield Museum were an excellent ‘host’ venue, letting us access the site and the café ahead of regular opening hours. The Woolpack pub in Fornham St. Martin (just outside Bury St Edmunds) was our destination for a varied lunch menu.
Andy Abraham made a guest appearance to represent the Abraham family, select the ‘winner’ and present the awards which were issued to:
- Trevor Blunt (Raleigh) – John Abraham Memorial Cup – selected by Andy Abraham.
- Phillip Butcher (OEC) – Ian Webb Trophy – participants choice.
- Dave Desborough (BSA) – Mike Stanley Trophy – furthest ridden to the start.
Thanks also to those section members, and others, who came to wish us well at Bottisham and at The Woolpack.
*For those new-ish to the section, John Abraham was a longstanding member of the VMCC, one of the founder members of the Anglian Section, and one-time secretary of the Eastern region who passed away in 1996.
The following are a collection of photographs courtesy of Martyn Blunt including machines and winners of the trophy’s
