Never let anyone tell you that you don’t learn good stuff reading motorcycle publications.
Patrick Moore dug up this great piece of South African motorycle history.
Not too many pics – but it’s an interesting read!
Tom Silver was an ex British army staff officer who had been on General “Bobs” Roberts staff during the second Anglo Boer War of 1899 to 1902. On returning to Britain, he became deeply involved in the new fangled sport of motor bicycle reliability trials, riding the length of Britain on a Quadrant 3hp machine, the best bike that was available at that time. It had the first frame built specifically to hold an engine, a single gear, no suspension, bicycle block brakes, a leather drive belt and pedal assistance for hills.
Quadrant was one of the earliest British motorcycle manufacturers, established in Birmingham in 1901. Famous for their big singles, Quadrant pioneered many innovations that proved important for motorcycle development but struggled after the First World War and the company was wound up in 1928
It was the adv bike of its day, which is why Silver chose one for his epic September to December trip from Cape Town to the major battlefields of the Boer War.
His reasons for wanting to visit the scenes of so much slaughter are unknown, but I suspect that he may have been motivated by a staff officer’s desire to experience the actual places of conflict himself.
As Silver wrote, he had so many adventures during his 6000 mile/9600 kilometre journey that choosing which ones to publish was difficult, so he ended up telling us about the most extreme examples.
Being the first motorcycle to conquer Bains Kloof Pass was a good start, after which he paid some local people to carry his Quadrant across the Breede River by suspending it from a pole. Smaller spruits were simply ridden through, but on entering the drought struck Karoo, things became much more serious for him.
Deep sand, lack of food or water and extreme heat weakened him to the point where he collapsed next to his Quadrant after pushing it for miles. Fortunately a kindly Irishman named O’Grady rescued and revived Tom, who was understandably grateful, writing “May God deal with him as he dealt with me for I am certain that he saved my life.”
After collecting his stranded bike in a mule cart, Silver pressed on over the Orange River to Kimberly, where he visited the battlegrounds at Belmont Siding, Graspan and Modder River, before spending a pleasant time in Kimberly, where he met several keen motorists.
Paardeberg battlefield was next and yielded an interesting meeting with a Frenchman who had fought with General Cronje against “Bobs” Roberts, before pushing on over a good road towards Bloemfontein. En route, Silver spent the night in a burned out farmhouse, where he was robbed while sleeping. The following day he managed to catch one of the crooks and proceeded to thrash him with the Quadrant’s leather drive belt, as punishment.
Hardly “politically correct” nowadays, but perfectly acceptable at that time. It lead to the recovery of some of his stolen property. Maybe he should have travelled better armed!
On reaching Bloemfontein, Silver’s bike aroused intense curiosity, with “The old Dutch farmers being simply staggered” by what it had achieved.
A lack of petrol now caused Tom to return to Cape Town via Edenburg, Springfontein, Jagersfontein, Philipstoon, De Aar, Deilfontein and Victoria West, where he obtained petrol, serviced the Quadrant and was pleased to note that “Not a single part had worked loose or required adjustment of any kind.”
Brit quality at its best!
Back into the Karoo the going became really tough again, as the searing drought took Tom and his bike past numerous dead and dying animals and people. Beaufort West provided the luxury of a good meal and bath.
Then it was back into the deadly Karoo to Touws River, after which the going improved considerably to Worcester and over Sir Lowary’s Pass back to Cape Town:
“I arrived back in Cape Town feeling a bit weather-worn, with my blistered face and cracked ears and lips, and blistered tongue, clothes torn and boots with hardly any soles on them, but, on the other hand, with my motor going as well as ever, and the proud satisfaction of knowing that I and it had travelled more than 1,600 miles through the intense heat, and over the sand and ironstone of what are termed roads in South Africa” wrote Silver.
But, he wasn’t finished yet…
His “second trek” as he called it, took him eastwards through the Transkei towards Durban.
An attempt to rush the Krapkeel River proved disastrous, resulting in bent front forks, buckled front wheel and a broken oil pipe, 120 miles from Port Elizabeth. A farm blacksmith repaired the forks, after which Silver cycled to the nearest town where the Quadrant’s oil pipe was soldered up and its crankcase refilled with the only lubricant available – salad oil!
After becoming lost in the Langkloof Mountains and confronted by enormous baboons, Tom rested for a few days in Port Elizabeth before pushing onto King Williams town, via Grahamstown. Torrential rain had rendered the road to Durban impassable, so he decided to head inland via Stormberg to Bethulie, then up through the “Orange River Colony” to Johannesburg.
Enterick fever or dysentry almost terminated his journey near the Doorn River, but he was rescued by two concerned farmhands who took him and the Quadrant to their employer, who nursed Silver back to health over a number of days. A Johannesburg doctor then treated him on his arrival at the Reef, after which he rode across to Pretoria, the northermost point of his journey.
Having no wish to re-cross the deadly Karoo, Tom then headed for Durban via Standerton, Dundee, Ladysmith and Pietermaritzburg, before experiencing his worst crash on the muddy road to Durban. Slamming into the side of a pass injured him, but also bent the Quadrant’s wheels, crank, pedals and front forks (again), twisted the handlebars and holed its fuel tank. Durban must have housed a good workshop however, because Silver was able to have his bike well enough repaired to ride from there to Verulam, Stanger, Eshowe and Lower Tugela, before taking a ship to Cape Town, from where he made a flying visit to Ceres via Bains Kloof.
One could say that he covered our road network pretty thoroughly…
Although Tom wrote about his epic journey in a hearty, lighthearted manner, there’s no doubt in my mind that he was tested to the limits of human endurance by it. Having his tongue swell in his mouth so as to prevent him calling for help, as a result of extreme Karoo heat, would have persuaded most people to give up, but not this courageous and determined Englishman.
If any of us ever need inspiration to carry on with a difficult ride, we know where to find it…
On December 9th 1903 Tom Silver embarked on the ship Kildonan Castle for Britain, having proved to the World that a motorcycle was capable of withstanding extreme punishment and could therefore be taken seriously as a viable means of personal transport.
He was contracted by Quadrant in 1907 he became the managing director. The arrangement was not a success, however, and the company collapsed from internal disputes in 1907, with Silver leaving to form Silver Motors.
