D.Hobson, Penistone

[bucket 0]

I was dismantling a 2v. jawa engine recently and came across the name D. Hobson Penistone, scratched inside the timing cover. Anyone have any idea who this is?

[Beowulf 1,513]

Well I know there is a penistone road in Sheffield, so perhaps it's someone from that neck of the woods.

[oxford duke 0]

Penistone is in huddersfield, west yorkshire

[Shoddy 1]

Penistone is also just on the outskirts of Sheffield - at the end of Penistone Road oddly enough!

[Guest big al]

Penistone is in huddersfield, west yorkshire

 

Don't think the good folk of Penistone would be very happy to be thought of as "in Huddersfield"!

[rusky 113]

I was dismantling a 2v. jawa engine recently and came across the name D. Hobson Penistone, scratched inside the timing cover. Anyone have any idea who this is?

Yes, I can help you there. Derek Hobson lived in the small village of pennistone, just outside of Sheffield. He was a good engine tuner, in the days when engine tuners were very much in the background. His specialist field was Magneto repairs (Which would be why you found his name in the timing cover). He really was quite an ingenious sort of guy, who essentially worked out of his garden shed, and it was quite an experience to go and visit him, as I did in the late 70's early 80's with Reg Wilson & Pete Smith.

Derek was also responsible for the magneto conversions on the Weslakes in the days of battery and coil, and I'm fairly sure introduced the first "magic" boxes under the name penistone ignitions.

[bucket 0]

Thanks Rusky. As you say, in the past tuners used to reside very much in the background, and I must be honest I've never heard of the gentleman, but he must have done some work on my engine in the past, so it's great to be able to add some history to it .