I recently finished reading a fabulous book: 'Franklin's Indians', Irish motorcycle racer Charles B. Franklin, designer of the Indian Scout & Chief by Harry B. Sucher, Tim Pickering, Liam Diamond, Harry Havlin.
Franklin was one of Ireland's earliest and most successful motorcycle racers. Born in Dublin, he started racing an FN in 1903, switching to JAP in 1905 and to Triumph in 1909. In 1910 he started racing Indians and henceforth was exclusively associated with that brand. He quit his job as an electrical engineer with the City of Dublin and opened an Indian agency. He raced at the IOM from 1908 through 1914, finishing 2nd in the 1911 Senior, when Indians finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd. He raced and set records at Brookland from 1910 through 1914.
Greatly respected for his technical expertise and machine preparation, he was offer a design job at the Indian factory in Springfield, Ma. and immigrated there in 1916, a good time to leave Dublin as he may have sensed he was on the wrong side of the civil unrest that was increasing then. In Springfield he was heavily involved with the design and development of special works racers as well as production machines, though he never raced himself in the States. He died early at 52 in 1932 having largely set the course for Indian.
The book is extremely comprehensive and well researched. It touches on the social history of Ireland, the early days of racing in Britain, Europe and the U.S., the technical development of the motorcycle, and the business reality of the motorcycle industry. While Indian is now probably known for it's flat heads, Franklin also designed OHV and OHC engines, both singles and V-twins. While a biography of a remarkable man, the book gives an overview of the development of motorcycles and racing from the earliest days to a mature industry.
Highly recommended, The Franklin's Indians book is available from Chris @ Motorsport Publications for $59.99 (includes postage) - its on the web page at www.ClassicBikeBooks.com, reachable via phone (715 572 4595) and by email (chris@classicbikebooks.com). Readers on the English side of the Atlantic will want to buy it directly from the publisher at www.Panther-Publishing.com, where it sells for £29.95 (postage included for UK; £4.50 p&p for Europe, £12 for the Rest of the World.)
Dr. Jan Waclav, organizer of an annual Indian rally in the Czech Republic, sent me this Indian leaflet telling the story of the 1911 TT
The 1911 Indian team: #31 is Arthur Moorhouse, #55 is Jimmy Alexander, #17 is Charles Franklin, #43 is Jake DeRosier, #26 is Oliver Godfrey, the man in back is Billy Wells, and the woman is Julia Hedstrom.
A Québéçois racing in the 1911 TT
On the face of it, the birthplace of Jacob DeRosier (or DesRosiers), Indian factory 1911TT race team member, would seem to have little bearing on his ability to put a racing motorcycle into competition. However nationality is a cherished element in the imagination of historians, academics, and journalists linked to motorcycle culture. In my brief exploration into the nationality of Jacob/Jake DeRosier at the request of Dave Roper, I was party to some rather illuminating correspondence on this matter.
The life of Jacob DeRosier after the turn of the 20th Century is widely known and part of public record. The specific circumstances of his life, prior to 1900, is less clear, and this is where some controversy occurs. Open participation, on- line resources either related to the Indian marque or DeRosier in particular, have him born in Canada in 1880, which as we can suspect might not necessarily be meticulously researched from primary sources. In private email exchanges, and I will paraphrase, Jacob DeRosier was said to be: born in Ontario, Canada near the Quebec border, in Quebec near the border of Maine, in France, and emigrated to the USA, and my favorite, born in outer space. These various observations were put forward by persons linked to the 2011 TT project and the entry of the Canadian built replica Indian race machine. After quickly consulting my own modest moto library, general consensus, with the exception of T. Rafferty who referred to Jacob as French Canadian, from historians Glendinning, Carrick, and Shilling refer to Jacob DeRosier as American. Nationality within motorcycle culture is a contested territory especially when world records and championships are at stake.
It could be argued that French is the language of speed and motorsport in Canada, one has only to think of the families’ Villeneuve and Duhamel for confirmation. To add Jacob DeRosier to this list is very tempting, if not essential. However, place of birth and nationality are not necessarily equivalent and in the case of the Québéçois motorsport families, international careers served to blur this distinction. Yet, place of birth does play to the imagination no matter where a sportsman or sportswoman engages in competition “away from home” and is an essential enrichment for spectators, journalists, and historians alike. The confirmation of Jacob DeRosier’s birth place therefor, cannot be left to conjecture.
In May of this year Maggie Humberston , of the Springfield Musems in Springfield MA, through perseverance and expertise has come the closest to verification of the birth place of Jacob DeRosier. In an email she makes this assertion:
“I think I’ve finally got it, by process of elimination! The birth record of Joseph Jacques Desrosiers of St. Ulric, Quebec (right next to Baie Des Sables) baptized 10 December 1879,legitimate son of Alphonse Desrosiers and Georgina Ratte”
It must be said that digital mediation of physical archive material for the most part, led Humberston to this conclusion. Nevertheless, enthusiasm and an intuitive intelligence is a far more powerful research tool. Her further research reveals the marriage record of Jacob Derosier to Melvina Castonguay on Oct. 28, 1899 in Fall River, Mass. and lists both sets of parents, as Massachusetts records from this time period do.
“As an aside, Jake DeRosier was an uncle by marriage to Woodsy and Frenchy Castonguay, the 1930s Indian racers. His first marriage didn’t work out, but he had two children, a girl born in 1900 and a son several years later. We haven’t been able to track what happened to them”.
A Québéçois in competition at the TT in 1911 seems closer to a matter of fact than the product of romantic imagination.
Bill Rodgers July 2011,with thanks to Maggie Humberston
The 1911 Indian TT Team
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| OC Godfrey, winner 1911 |
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The photo above is not from 1911, but he is seen aboard a similar racing v-twin. Note the inner tubes slung around the racers' shoulders, capped off at both ends to allow installation without removing a wheel.
Franklin was recruited into Indian's engineering department in 1914, an emigrated to the USA where he became a naturalized citizen. His work with Indian was substantial to say the least; among other accomplishments, he designed the immensely popular v-twin 500cc Indian Scout and ultimately became the company's vice president. He died in 1932.
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| Jake DeRosier, the favourite to win the TT. Pictured here on a bike very similar to his TT mount. |
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(not pictured) Privateer J R "Jimmy" Alexander crashed on the 2nd lap of the 1911 TT. He raced in the TT five times, from 1910 through 1914 aboard an Indian, then in 1921 for Douglas. His best result was 8th in 1912 (Indian). We're looking for more information!
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Later entries
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| FW Dixon, 3rd place 1923 |
