“I just wanted to tell you that you have created a fantastic website that is an inspiration to anyone interested in the ISDT.  Having studied your site myself and 2 friends have decided to go to Salzburg in July with our vintage motorcycles to follow some of the routes used in the 1939 ISDT.  I am hoping to take some before and after photos of our trip.

I am currently restoring a 1939 AJS Model 26 which is the same as the motorcycle used by George Rowley in the 1939 event.  I have attached a couple of photos from your site and wondered if you might please be able to send me a higher resolution copy of these photos or perhaps put me in touch with whomever owns the original photos.”

The two images were these

This was one of a number of images clearly scanned from the original photo and sent in to Taff Isaacs by Stephen Dolling. The given dates of many of the images were subsequently found to be wrong and since the old site was disbanded Taff no longer has the senders contact details. I did however not long ago find an account on ‘Photobucket’ that had higher resolution copies of the same images. Attempts to get a dialogue with the owner have been pursued by myself and a few others with interest in publishing the photos have yeilded no response and is possible the account holder may have moved on.

The above photo like a number on the 1939 has been found at the rather amazing archive of ISDT images held at the Technical Museum Vienna. The fact a government institution such as this is able to gather , and publish an authoritative collection of historically important images from professional motor sport photographers for public research is a credit to the Austrian Nation.The museum web entry for this image is hereThe spread sheet John Tinsley prepared listing all the British Riders who took part in the 1939 event and other details known can be downloaded from here