1940 Triumph 3HW Motorcycle

Engine: Vertical, single-cylinder, four-stroke, air-cooled
Displacement: 342 cc (20.9 ci)
Bore & Stroke: 70 x 89 mm (2.76 x 3.5 in)
Power: 12.68 kW (17 hp)
Transmission: 4-forward, manual
Weight: 144 kg (316 lb)
Original Cost: Unknown

The Triumph 3HW was developed from the prewar Model 3H sporting motorcycle. The designation is “H” is the Triumph designation for overhead valve and “W” for War Office.  The 3HW was prized by dispatch riders because of its speed and manoeuvrability and over 42,00 examples were produced for Commonwealth forces.  

Chronology:

1885 - Siegrfried Betmann started a company selling bicycles and sewing machines.
1886 - Changed the name of his company to Triumph.
1887 - Mauritz Johan Schulte joined the company as partner and engineer.
1902 - First motorcycle produced.
1905 - First entirely in-house designed motorcycles.
1914-1918 - Production was switched to provide for the war effort, more than 30,000 Model H Roadster motorcycles were supplied to the Allies during the First World War.
1922 - Schulte left the company.
1923 - Triumph purchased the Hillman car factory and produced a saloon car under the Triumph Motor Company.
1925 - Triumph is one of Britain's main car and motorcycle makers.
1929 - The Great Depression caused financial troubles for the company and they sold off their German subsidiary.
1932 - Triumph sold its bicycle manufacturing plant to Raleigh Bicycle Company.
1933 - Triumph is struggling financially and Bettmann retires.
1936 - The Triumph car and motorcycle companies were sold off as two separate entities. The car company is bought by the Stndard Motor Company.
1936 - Jack Sangster, who also owned the Ariel Motorcycle Company, bought the Triumph motorcycle division and called it Triumph Engineering Company. Triumph started exporting to US and it became their most important market.
1937 - Triumph introduced their Tiger Series which was very popular and re-established Triumph in the motorcycle market. One of the Tiger series was the 3H sporting model.
1939 - When war broke out, Triumph's 3H was used by the military.
1940 - November 14, Triumph factory in Coventry destroyed in a blitz in the Second World War.
1941 - Triumph production moved to  Meriden Factory in Warwickshire and by June 1941, 3HW motorcycles were rolling off the production line. The 3HW motorcycles, based off of the 3H, were specifically designed for military use.
1945-1950 - Triumph production continued successfully post-war.
1953 - Triumph gained more recognition in the US market, after their 1950 Triumph Thunderbird motorcycle was featured in the 1953 Marlon Brando film, the Wild One.
1960s - Triumph introduces two scooters to their lineup.
1969 - 50% of US motorcycle market belonged to Triumph but Triumph wasn't keeping up with the technological innovations the Japanese manufacturers, like Honda, were developing, which was starting to affect Triumph sales.
1970s - US government mandated that all import motorcycles had to have their gearshift and brake pedals in the Japanese configuration. This required significant retooling in Triumph factories for their US export models.
1971 - BSA, Triumph's parent company, went bankrupt.
1972-1983 - Triumph was sold to several different companies.
1978 - Purchased by Stan Reynolds from Rochester, New York, USA.
1983 - John Bloor bought the name Triumph and started Bonneville Coventry Limited, later renamed Triumph Motorcycles Limited, and produced the Triumph Bonneville motorcycle.
1984 - This motorcycle is donated by Stan Reynolds to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum.
1988 - New factory built in Hinkley, Leicestershire.
1991 - First Hinkley Triumphs produced.
1999 - Purchased by donor from Enderby, British Columbia, Canada.
2002 - Triumph celebrates their 100th anniversary.
2018 - Donated to the Reynolds-Alberta Museum.