Liberated sisters Dolly and Molly

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Most of us who like old cars also like old bicycles. It is a good way to get exercise, they are cheap to run and there are just as many lady riders as gentlemen. My picture shows sisters Dolly and Molly enjoying the July sunshine during the annual Benson Bicycle Rally which follows the narrow lanes of Oxfordshire with views of beautiful countryside and their smiles told me I was right to leave my bike at home this time. They are wearing banners saying ‘Votes for Women’ which reminds us of the suffragette movement started in 1872 to campaign for Womens’ Rights.  The increasingly active suffrage societies 'pressed pause' during WW1 and the women proved indispensable in the fields and armaments factories. By 1918, women over 30 were given the vote, and ten years later abolished the age restriction. My 1925 Trojan Utility is a slow car and perfectly suited to follow the bicycles in lazy comfort. In fact Benson’s village sign states all this quite clear. As the riders enjoyed the clean country air, not one complained about the occasional whiff of smoke emitted by the Trojan’s 2-stroke engine.

(Text and pictures Robin Batchelor)

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