In a quiet corner of southern England, an imposing manor known as ‘The Frythe’ underwent a chilling metamorphosis in WWII from stately mansion to Station IX.
The British government commandeered the estate near the town of Welwyn and transformed it into a weapons development and production center, a hub for producing guns and gadgets like the Welbike motorcycle created for Special Operations Executive (SOE) spies.
The SOE, formed in 1940, was an underground army that waged a secret guerrilla war in enemy-occupied Europe and Asia. Their job was to ‘set Europe ablaze’ by working with resistance forces and blowing up railway lines, factories, and bridges. To be effective, they needed subversive tools and the Welbike was an ingenious device that could be dropped by parachute and used in covert operations.
The Welbike, part of the SPYSCAPE museum & experience collection
Setting Europe Ablaze
The prototype for the single-seat, folding motorcycle was produced at Station IX - aka, the Inter-Services Research Bureau - and went into production at Excelsior in 1942 and ‘43. Only about 3,650 Welbikes were manufactured, so it is rare to find one of the original masterpieces today.
The Americans, Italians, and Germans also developed small motorcycles for their forces in WWII but Britain felt the Welbike design stood head and shoulders above its competitors. It was the brainchild of SOE motorcycle maestro Harry Lester and the visionary Lt. Colonel John Dolphin, commanding officer of Station IX.
It had drawbacks, of course. The 70-pound Welbike was heavy enough that it sometimes landed miles away from its intended user. It also lacked suspension, so it wasn't a comfortable experience, and was only suitable for one person. Still, it was portable and practical.
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In a quiet corner of southern England, an imposing manor known as ‘The Frythe’ underwent a chilling metamorphosis in WWII from stately mansion to Station IX.
The British government commandeered the estate near the town of Welwyn and transformed it into a weapons development and production center, a hub for producing guns and gadgets like the Welbike motorcycle created for Special Operations Executive (SOE) spies.
The SOE, formed in 1940, was an underground army that waged a secret guerrilla war in enemy-occupied Europe and Asia. Their job was to ‘set Europe ablaze’ by working with resistance forces and blowing up railway lines, factories, and bridges. To be effective, they needed subversive tools and the Welbike was an ingenious device that could be dropped by parachute and used in covert operations.
The Welbike, part of the SPYSCAPE museum & experience collection
Setting Europe Ablaze
The prototype for the single-seat, folding motorcycle was produced at Station IX - aka, the Inter-Services Research Bureau - and went into production at Excelsior in 1942 and ‘43. Only about 3,650 Welbikes were manufactured, so it is rare to find one of the original masterpieces today.
The Americans, Italians, and Germans also developed small motorcycles for their forces in WWII but Britain felt the Welbike design stood head and shoulders above its competitors. It was the brainchild of SOE motorcycle maestro Harry Lester and the visionary Lt. Colonel John Dolphin, commanding officer of Station IX.
It had drawbacks, of course. The 70-pound Welbike was heavy enough that it sometimes landed miles away from its intended user. It also lacked suspension, so it wasn't a comfortable experience, and was only suitable for one person. Still, it was portable and practical.
In addition to the SOE, some Welbikes were issued to the British 1st and 6th Airborne Divisions and Royal Marines Commando units for beach landings including D-Day in Normandy, the Western Allied effort to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation.
The Welbike has the distinction of being the smallest motorcycle ever used by the British Armed Forces. Powered by a Villiers 98 cm3 single-cylinder two-stroke gasoline engine, the Welbike was designed to fit into a CLE Canister - the standard parachute airdrop container 51 inches long, 15 inches high, and 12 inches wide.
Mini-bikes were used in Normandy, France on D-Day
Welbike: The Ride of Your Life
Because the airborne equipment container was so small, the Welbike had no lights, suspension, and just one rear brake so that it could be loaded into the container on an angle. On the ground, SOE operatives would twist the handlebars and engage spring-loaded pins. With the saddle raised and the footrests unfolded, the Welbike was ready for a push-start of the two-stroke engine.
The Welbike had the fuel capacity to drive 90 miles
Sneaky spy gadgets
Once assembled, the Welbike was good to go - but not for long. The small fuel tank needed to be pressurized from time to time by a hand-pump built into the tank. If handled properly, the motorbike had the fuel capacity to drive 90 miles at a maximum speed of about 30 mph. The name Welbike is derived from Welwyn’s customary naming convention - all Welwyn clandestine equipment began with the prefix ‘Wel’ - followed by the more obvious description ‘bike’.
There were three versions of the Welbike. The first 1,200 were called the Mark 1 (with tuned engines and no rear mudguard); the 1,400 Mark 2 Series 1 Welbikes included a rear mudguard; and the last batch of 1,340 Mark 2 Series 2 Welbikes had ‘saddle’ fuel tanks and an improved filler cap. Many of the later models weren’t deployed - instead, they were sold as military surplus or exported to the US for off-road use.
Other inventions from Station IX include the Welman submarine with a detachable warhead, and the deadly Welrod pistol, an assassination tool with a built-in silencer used by irregular forces and resistance fighters. The word ‘rod’ was gangster slang for a gun which helped keep its deadly mission under wraps.
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