After a quick discussion with Nick Jefferies I thought I'd post this response as a postscript to the Drinkwaters thread as there are some Island links. Reuben(Ben)Drinkwater was a motorcycle dealer from Rochdale who incorporated Ben Drinkwater Limited in March 1945. He sadly lost his life at the '49 TT. His widow Ruth continued to run the business until '51 when it was initially bought by Tom & Percy Clegg haulage contractors from Rochdale.
Tom Clegg was a fine racer himself and competed in the TT on an Excelsior Manxman and eventually moved there living first at Laxey and latterley at Santon. Toms son Noel Clegg has an excellent record at the TT and continues to compete to this day. He also has a motorcycle shop in Rochdale which for a time was run from the original Drinkwaters premises!
Tom & Percy wanted Harry Robinson to run Drinkwaters but he decided he needed to own it for himself and bought it from them keeping the name Drinkwaters until the sixties when it was changed to H Robinson & Sons (Rochdale) Ltd. I have a photograph of what is alledgely the last ever production AJS 7R being sold outside the premises to a local racer called Cyril Huxley. The business traded at the original site until 1970 when we moved to our current location 500yds away. However a motorcycle shop still operates on the original shop site.
Harry Robinson also retired to Laxey and his 3 sons, Peter, Tom & Hugh all have ridden in the Manx two day trial as well as Matthew his grandson. I bought 50% of the business 3 years ago from Hugh Robinson and to keep the Island connection going I competed in the Manx in '83 & '84 (third in the newcomers 250) and then in the TT, in I think '85 '86 & 87 before doing the Manx with some success again on David Bailey's Aermacchi 350 and Fred Walmsleys NorStar and his original replica Seeley G50. Freds son Matthew now works as a salesman for us and the thread continues...................