Save the Triumph Bonneville! John Rosamond’s inside story of the Meriden Co-operative is now available from the MAG office 01926 844064 for £15 incl P&P. That’s a saving of a tenner for an excellent hard backed book!
MAG is full of political activists and has been at the forefront of battles to preserve the motorcycling way of life since 1973, but there are those who fought on the front-line to preserve jobs and livelihoods within the bike industry through the 1970s and 80s and all too often they aren’t remembered as they should be.
John Rosamond’s book ‘Save the Triumph Bonneville’ is a fantastic account of the workforce’s struggle to save Triumph after the dramatic collapse of the BSA parent company. From the first worker’s sit-in to the creation of the Meriden Co-operative that lasted until the factory doors closed in 1983, this books follows the twists and turns of all the political negotiations, set against the emotion of continued attempts to bring out new models.
No one is better placed to have written this book than John, who started as a welder on the shop floor, commuting to work every day on his Francis Barnett and who then became Chairman of the Co-operative.
Admittedly, some of the text can be heavy going, but it’s an enthralling read, peppered with great photos, both colour and B&W, of events at Meriden and of prototype models, old adverts etc. At over 400 pages it’s a weighty but well produced HB book telling a compelling story about developments of British manufacturing industry through what is arguably the most famous motorcycle in the world; the Triumph Bonneville.
As Tony Benn says in the forward, it is particularly fascinating and relevant because it sees all the problems from the perspective of those who made the bikes with such passion and who loved engineering, not those who owned the factories.
Although John went on to help set up the new factory under John Bloor’s ownership, he soon returned to welding until his retirement.
‘Save the Triumph Bonneville’ is published by Veloce Publishing and retails for £25 but MAG can offer it for only £15 including P&P, just call 01926 844064 Veloce and John wish to put something back into motorcycling so have offered MAG this special deal. Thanks John.