MCI ANNOUNCES DEATH OF HUGH PALIN - MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT 1978-1979
14 July 2004 - Motor Cycle Industry Association Ltd

The MCI is sad to announce the death of Hugh Palin one of the last representatives of the era of the“old” British Industry, a Director of the Cycle and Motorcycle Association, Managing Director ofNorton Villiers Europe Ltd, President of the Motorcycle Industry Association.

Hugh sadly died in hospital after a very severe stroke on July 1st at the age of 92 and a life time devoted to the motorcycle industry and motorcycling. Hugh’s funeral will be held on Monday 19th of July at the Church of St Faith and St Tyfel, Lamphey at 11.45am and the cremation at Narberth at 1.00pm.

A pre-war clubman with the Carshalton Club, Hugh competed in trials on Levis, Imperial and Douglas
machines. However, it was his organisational skills that were most recognised, earning him a Carshalton Silver Star for his work as Club Secretary.

Like most of Hugh’s generation of young men, he saw very active wartime service initially with the
Westminster Dragoons, and then with the Royal Tank Regiment. He survived the great battles of
Normandy, where the Allied armour was decimated by the excellent German 75 and 88mm guns. He
ended the war as a Major in the Royal Tank Regiment.

Post-war Hugh joined the British Cycle and Motorcycle Manufacturers and Traders Union, and in 1952 was appointed Director in succession to Major H.R. Watling. Hugh was invited to join Norton Villiers by Dennis Poore in the late 1960s. He then led the drive for European sales of the Commando very successfully, before the fatal merger with the failed BSA/Triumph group. Sadly, there followed the
workers sit in at Triumph’s Meriden factory where Hugh was asked to act as Dennis Poore’s spokesman. This must have been a particularly sad part of Hugh’s career as it was followed by the final
destruction of Norton Triumph and the end of the original British industry.

Thankfully, the revival of Triumph by John Bloor has provided the start of a successful new chapter.
Tom Waterer of the MCI said, “Hugh’s tenure at the Association saw the industry having to address
the “Mods and Rockers”, the creation of the Schools Traffic Education Programme to improve safety and the image of motorcycling, the National Training Scheme, and many other programmes to rebuild the image of motorcycling after its destruction on the beaches of Brighton and Margate.
“Those were challenging days but Hugh was a dedicated and capable man who served the industry well and had a life to celebrate.”

www.mcia.co.uk

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