AFTER a break due to COVID and other difficulties, this month saw a huge welcome back to the Sunbeam Motorcycle club by St Barnabas congregation in Bexhill.
The Ixion Cavalcade celebrates motorcycle enthusiast the Revd. Canon Basil Davies, who was priest at St Barnabas between 1929-1940. Canon Davies was once a well-known motorcycle author and journalist (known as ‘Ixion’) for The Motor Cycle magazine, from 1903 to 1961.
The church had no idea of this aspect of Canon Davies’ life, as the motorcyclist didn’t know that he was a priest.
‘We were delighted with the day’ said Sunbeam MCC organiser Dan Towers. ‘There was a great turn out, especially as the event hadn’t run from here for a couple of years, due to Covid and we had a very warm welcome from everyone at St. Barnabas’ he explained. ‘The blessing of the bikes was a high-light for many and everyone enjoyed the run, even the sun making an appearance in the afternoon. We are already planning our return next May (12th) in what will be the club’s centenary year.’
The oldest motorcycle, still roadworthy, was a 1897 Leon Bollee 2 horse power Vorturette with three forward gears, belt transmission and a maximum speed of 21 mph.
Fr Martin Harper, himself an eager enthusiast for the day, was around to support the bikers, and he said, ‘What a great day! It was a pleasure to bless such remarkable machines and their riders. I am told by the Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club that, following the blessing of these bikes, there were no breakdowns during the Cavalcade, and some members are now wondering where they can lay their hands on some holy water! We look forward to their next visit to Bexhill.’
Judith Meredith, churchwarden, said: “It was a superb day spent with a lovely group of people. The motorbikes are fascinating pieces of engineering from the late Victorian period to 1949. All the motorbikes are in working order, and went together on a Cavalcade of some forty miles.”
St Barnabas look forward to the next annual event on 12th May 2024, and between now and then to welcoming visits from the individual Sunbeam members.
