Reunions

There have been three officially organised events to remember the closure of the AMC factory; A 'Made in Plumstead' exhibition, held in February 1989 (30 years following the factory closure), a 'Homecoming Rally' and plaque unveiling ceremony, in May 2007 and a re-run of the 2007 rally in 2009 to mark 40 years since the factory closed.

(see bottom of page for more details)

It was brought home to Bill Cakebread (website co-author) after the 2007 rally that these commemorations might be the last excuses for ex. AMC colleagues to gather together and maintain contact with each other.

To prevent this happening, Bill decided that, if others were keen, he was willing to organise a reunion meeting at a suitable watering hole for any ex. employees who could be contacted. Thus, with the help of his brother, Bob, the project began.

Friends Reunited (the now-defunct precursor to Facebook) helped to find some of the more far-flung company members, and enough responded favourably to the proposal for a reunion lunch to be held later that month.

The success of the first get-together led to the request to repeat the exercise on a two-yearly basis, and to attempt to spread the net to include any others missed out the first time around.

Almost a decade on, the reunions have become a welcome event in the calendar of the regular and new attendees, who travel to Kent in the bleak month of November to see if they can still recognise their old colleagues through their ever-increasing prescription glasses (and through the bottoms of their ever-emptying beer glasses).

We all thank Bill, and his brother Bob, for their time and effort in keeping this event going, giving us all a chance to catch up on old times at the firm.

If you didn't know about these reunions, and would like to join the others next time around, then please use the Contact page to let us know.

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Here are some photos taken at previous events (in reverse date order, all courtesy Bill Cakebread).

Shortcuts to 2017 Reunion 2015 Reunion 2013 Reunion 2011 Reunion  2009 Reunion 2007 Reunion (and Woolwich Arsenal) 1989 Woolwich Rally

2019 - 50th anniversary of the closure of the AMC Plumstead Road factory.

Wednesday October 30th at The Lion, Farningham, Kent

(hover cursor over faces to identify)

    List of Attendees

Les and Elaine Apps

Peter Attwood and Ashley Kool (friend)

Jeff and Rose Boult

Bill Brooker

Bob Cakebread

Mick and Margaret Giddings

Graham and Fran Hancock

Mavis Hawkins

Nick Hyde

Alan Jones

Arthur Lewthwaite

Ray and Brenda Lightfoot

Tommy and Andy Mortimer

Terry Wetherfield and Peter Hawkins/Roger Satter (friends)

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2018 - 80th Anniversary of AMC

October 28th at the Ardingly Classic Bike Show

Following their recognition of the Norton Commando anniversary in 2017, Julie Diplock of ELK Promotions, well known for their famous auto-jumbles, organised a celebration of the birth of AMC at the Ardingly Classic Bike Show and auto-jumble on Sunday 28th October 2018.
The Company, formerly Matchless Motorcycles Ltd, was re-launched and incorporated as ‘Associated Motor Cycles Ltd’ on 12th October 1937 following the addition of Sunbeam to the existing AJS and Matchless marques.

The main focus of the meeting was a question and answer session with Colin Seeley as guest speaker and a gathering of former AMC employees presented by Brian Crichton, former editor of ‘Classic Bike’ magazine.
The event was supported by a fine display of the motorcycles themselves of course on the prominent AJS and Matchless Club stand in the main show hall.

Former employees present for the Q and A session were:
Ray Lightfoot, Ken Conie, Alan Jones, Bill Cakebread, Paul Packman, Arthur Lewthwaite, Bob Cakebread, Les Apps and Bill Brooker.

Not at the table but also present were former employees Jeff Boult and Derek Munton and there was a guest appearance by Graham Hancock, grandson of Charlie Collier, the winner of the first ever TT in 1907.

Photographs supplied by Julie Diplock

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2017

November 9th at The Lion, Farningham, Kent

(hover cursor over faces to identify)

    List of Attendees

Les Apps and Elaine Bunch

Peter Attwood and Eileen Creasey (sister-in-law)

Bill Brooker

Bill and Val Cakebread

Bob Cakebread

Roy and Mavis Cunningham

Mick and Margaret Giddings

David, Ernestine Goodfellow and Linda Foster

Dave Hampson

Graham and Fran Hancock

Mavis Hawkins

John Kelleher

Alan and Sheila Jones

Arthur Lewthwaite

Tommy Mortimer

Derek Munton

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2017 - Mini-reunion with Brian Slark

April 7th at The Harvester Inn, Riverhead, nr Sevenoaks, Kent

(hover cursor over faces to identify)

Brian Slark worked at AMC in the off-road competition department, as a production & experimental road tester, from 1954 until the early '60s, taking part himself in racing motocross, scrambles, and trials bikes, including competing in the 1965 Isle of Man ISDT event.

After a visit to the United States in 1963, Brian has been more or less permanently based there, acting as service manager for various motor cycle marques before setting up his own Norton shop in Southern California.

Since 1995, Brian has been the technical consultant at The Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama and, for his work there, as well as having been a 'bike restorer extraordinaire and motocross pioneer', in 2012 he was inducted into the AMA Bike Hall of Fame.
You can read about it here.

Bill Cakebread was contacted by Brian in early 2017 to say that he was planning a holiday visit to Britain with his wife Dian and suggestest a meet-up with any of his fellow AMC test riders who might be available.

A mini-reunion was soon arranged at a pub in Kent with Alan Jones, Bill Hawkins, Bill Cakebread and their respective wives for April 7th, but this nearly didn't come about as Brian's flight from Atlanta had taken 26 hours, due to being grounded by a tornado, followed by a blow-out in their hire car after leaving London Airport for Sevenoaks.

However, Brian and Dian did manage to stay awake to enjoy meeting up with his ex-colleagues, before leaving to stay with friends north of the Thames.
Unfortunately, the photo taken on their departure is missing Bill Hawkins and his wife, Mavis, as Bill Cakebread had left his camera in the pub and, by the time he had retrieved it, they had already left.

You can read an article that Brian Slark wrote for the Classic Bike magazine, recalling his time at AMC, on the  Links page.

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2015

November 12th at the Woodman, Ide Hill (downstairs room)

(hover cursor over faces to identify)

    List of Attendees

Les Apps and Elaine Bunch

Peter Attwood

Bill and Val Cakebread

Bob Cakebread

Roy and Mavis Cunningham

Cyril and Ann Ford

Dave Hampson

Graham and Fran Hancock

Alan and Sheila Jones

Ray and Brenda Lightfoot

Derek and Teresa Munton

Alan Puplett

Mark and Beryl Stevens

Terry Ann

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2013

November 14th at the Woodman, Ide Hill (upstairs room)

(hover cursor over faces to identify)

    List of Attendees

Les Apps

Peter Attwood

Bill Brooker

Bill and Val Cakebread

Bob Cakebread

Ken and Ann Conie

Roy Cunningham

Cyril and Ann Ford

Dave Hampson

Graham and Fran Hancock

Bill and Mavis Hawkins

Nick Hyde

Alan and Sheila Jones

Alan Puplett

Peter and Beryl Stevens

John Tickner

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2011

November 16th at the Woodman, Ide Hill (upstairs room)

(hover cursor over faces to identify)

    List of Attendees

Les Apps and Elaine Bunch

Peter and Lynda Attwood

Bill Brooker

Bill and Val Cakebread

Bob Cakebread

Bernard Copleston

Roy and Mavis Cunningham

Cyril and Ann Ford

David, Ernestine Goodfellow and Linda Foster

Dave and Val (nee. Maddocks) Hampson

Graham and Fran Hancock

Bill and Mavis Hawkins

Alan and Sheila Jones

John Kelleher

Ray and Brenda Lightfoot

Fred Miles

Tommy Mortimer

Derek and Teresa Munton

Peter and Beryl Stevens

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2009

November 3rd at the White Hart, Brasted

(hover cursor over faces to identify)

    List of Attendees

Les Apps and Elaine Bunch

Peter Attwood

Jim Boughen

Bill Brooker

Bill and Val Cakebread

Bob Cakebread

Alan Crouch

Roy and Mavis Cunningham

Cyril Ford

Mick and Margaret Giddings

Dave and Val (nee. Maddocks) Hampson

Bill and Mavis Hawkins

Nick Hyde

Keith Jackson

Alan and Sheila Jones

John McClaren

Ron and Ros Maddocks

Fred and Brenda Miles

Tommy Mortimer

Derek Munton

Bob Smith

Peter and Beryl Stevens

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2009

Woolwich Arsenal

To mark the 40th anniversary of the closure, a very similar event to that of 2007 was held at the same location with a similar format and an equal level of success.

Sadly, the encroachment of housing development within the former Royal Arsenal grounds means that the opportunity to demonstrate Plumstead's finest racing machinery on the site is unlikely to be possible in the future.

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2007

November 21st at the White Hart, Brasted

(hover cursor over faces to identify)

    List of Attendees

Doug Anderson

Les Apps and Elaine Bunch

Bill and Val Cakebread

Bob Cakebread

Bernard Copleston

Dave and Val Hampson

Bill and Mavis Hawkins

Alan Jones

Ron and Ros Maddocks

Bob and Georgia Smith

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2007

Woolwich Arsenal

On Sunday 9th September 2007, following a long campaign to have the site where the factory once stood marked, another meeting was held within the Royal Arsenal as a base from which to witness the unveiling of a plaque on a low wall at the junction of Plumstead and Maxey Roads.

The event was blessed with glorious weather and a fine demonstration of racing machinery took place along the central spine road of the Arsenal.

This was accompanied by an exhibition of artefacts relating to the factory's history in the Greenwich Museum, now also relocated within the Royal Arsenal.

A contingent of those assembled then rode to the site of the former factory for the plaque unveiling ceremony itself.

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1989

Woolwich Exhibition and Rally

(hover cursor over faces to identify)

In 1989, several events were held to mark the 20th anniversary of the closure of the Plumstead factory.

The first was a 'Made in Plumstead' exhibition featuring AMC history at the Greenwich Museum, then sited at 232 Plumstead High Street, on the evening of 16th February.

Although essentially a reunion of former employees of Associated Motor Cycles Ltd, the organisers had also arranged an excellent display of memorabilia, in honour of the company's past glory.

For a full report on this event, read the Motorcycle Sport article 'Made in Plumstead' on the  Links page.

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The exhibition was followed by a 'Homecoming Rally' with a large gathering of bikes in Beresford Square, Woolwich on Sunday May 14th.

A collection of significant racing machines made by the factory was also on display in the window of a shop in nearby Powis Street.