Here is an excellent photo of three of the five Meller brothers.
Edgar is on the right on the 6HP Iris.
On the 3 1/2 Precision is most likely James Edward Meller and standing is Frank Meller.
James in some reports in 1913 and early 1914 was riding a 3 1/2 Iris-Precision or 3 1/2 Iris, most probably the same bike as this photo, before he switched to his 6HP Matchless by April 1914.

Peter

Hi Peter,

Now that's a red rag to a bull! Fabulous photo, and very clear.

Left to right:

4387  6 h.p. side valve Matchless twin
678   8? h.p. overhead valve Matchless twin
4735  ? h.p. Vindec Special, fitted with Truffault spring front fork
Bicycle
3811  3 1/2 h.p. BSA
7211 is mostly obscured, but is another Matchless, possibly a 3 1/2 h.p. single
4304  3 1/2 h.p. Triumph
6842  3 1/2 h.p. Rudge Multi
4160  8? h.p. overhead valve Matchless twin
3615  3 1/2 h.p. Rudge Multi
4874  3 1/2 h.p. Iris (side valve Precision single)
4025  6 h.p. Iris (side valve JAP twin)

The newest registration number is 6842, fitted to a 1913 model Rudge Multi, so I'd date the photo to some time in late 1912 - early 1913.

Re St. Clair brothers in the photo: In 1909, V. (presumably Vivian) St. Clair was listed as riding a 5 h.p. v-twin Clair motorcycle in a Sydney event. Of the bikes present the Vindec Special could be powered by a 5 h.p. Peugeot twin, and date from 1908-9, and might just possibly have "Clair" on the tank. Now I don't suppose there is another photo of this bike? Any of the OHV Matchlesses could be called a "racing motorcycle". No Rex or P&M motorcycles to be seen.

We're on the Douglas site, but any red-blooded Douglas rider would want to know more about a "5 h.p. Fairy" - the Fairy being the predecessor of the Douglas, or something entirely different! 5 h.p. would be uncommonly large for the usual Fairy, but there was a bigger one?

Cheers

Leon

Brilliant! Are there more to come? We'll get away with this one because the first nose-out bike is a Douglas. L to R:
7487 2 3/4 Douglas
7211 Matchless sv twin
6727 3 1/2 Triumph
8045 Matchless sv twin
4735 Vindec Special (5 h.p. Peugeot twin motor)
765  3 1/2 LMC, with NSU two-speed gear
Again we're in the same period - perhaps 1913-14.
Leon

These are just brilliant photos Peter!

Harder to do the ID this time because of the front-on aspect of the bikes.

Left to right:
620 Yet another over-head valve Matchless (Howard will love these!)
5677 A 3 1/2 h.p. Precision-engined bike with a Sturmey Archer 3-speed rear hub. Could be something British like Calthorpe, or could be locally-made.
5325 Something else with a Sturmey Archer three-speed rear hub - possibly New Hudson or similar. Note the fan driven from the engine pulley to cool the motor, and the long range tank mounted above the top bar. He's ready!
4689 c1913 Rudge Multi

Leon

Here is a photo that will be of interest to the Australian Douglas riders who are going to the Douglas Rally in November at Bathurst.
I do not think this photo has been publicly seen or been previously published in the last 100 years.
It will be interesting to see what has changed in 100 years.
This is the start of the 1914 Grand Prix



Larger view

I agree about the Bradbury Howard - I thought that initially when I saw the picture, but didn't speak up in deference to Leon's superior knowledge of veterans to mine!