14 The Stolen Motorcycle, TSM (Jul 1958)

Ian Oliver and Cliff Smith dress for a bike ride

'The Stolen Motorcycle' is a relatively lightweight storyette featuring Ian Oliver and Cliff Smith, two lean and youthful models who played significant roles in Royale's early months. It's included in List 'A' of the 1960 Royale Studio Catalogue, which was a condensed list of the most popular photo-sets from 1957-58. It was also featured in a Royale display ad in the first issue of 'Man Alive' magazine, which dates it to around July 1958.

In the story line, the bikers get dressed for their motorbike ride only to find their machine has been stolen so they have to use a pedal cycle instead. The image above was used for the catalogue thumbnail, it shows the two men getting dressed for their bike ride. The official Royale description is shown below.

This joke at the expense of biker paraphernalia is revealing. Basil Clavering (48 years old) seemed to have an ambiguous attitude to the youth phenomena of the 1950's. We think of the era in terms of rock 'n roll today, but it also encompassed more showy fashion for men and increased independence and mobility via the growth of motorcycling (and later motor scooters). Bikers eventually became associated with criminality and gang violence in the minds of older people. In 'TEDS' Clavering disapprovingly and inaccurately conflates biker dress with the completely separate 'Teddy Boy' culture*, contrasting it with the clean and responsible character of a military man (a sailor). 

There is also a military element in this set, via Cliff Smith's 'Hussar' breeches, and in the picture above you might conclude that he's also about to give his partner a whipping - and with his own belt too. (see also Hussar Entrance Exam). However, the other available pictures in this set (the Archive has 8 of the 12) show the two men behaving as buddies. Cliff's himself is wearing a most unusual, over-size belt in this picture, which seems to wade into leather fetish. However, it doesn't appear anywhere else, it's presence here is possibly a deliberate wild card.

View 'The Stolen Motorcycle'

*Teddy boys and bikers were succeeded in the 1960's by the 'mods' on their scooters and 'rockers' on motorbikes. At one point, they were staging organised, pitched battles on UK seaside beaches.