Baughan were motorcycles produced in 1921 and from 1930 to 1936. The company also produced light cars, the first of these in 1919 shortly after he returned from service in the Great War.
Initially based in Harrow, in 1921 H. P. Baughan moved his workshops to Lower Street, Stroud, Gloucestershire. Harry was an aircraft engineer who had been a keen competitor in motorcycle trials and an ISDT event organiser.
Baughan became prominent as a sidecar rider in motorcycle trials and later became involved with event organizing.
1930-1936 Baughan's outfits had a driven sidecar wheel and he built machines to order - at the rate of about one per month. He also built solos and his models had engines ranging from 250cc to 500cc, with sv or ohv, sourced from Blackburne, Sturmey-Archer or JAP.
Henry Baughan offered his all-wheel drive system to the British Army in 1932, but by the time they had decided to place and order for 2000 units, Harry had moved away from motorcycle production. Baughan did not patent his invention, so when Norton adopted the idea for their SWD Big Four no royalties were forthcoming.
As war clouds gathered, he began to build aircraft parts and was involved with Frank Whittle and the development of the jet engine. Post-war, his company focused on building machinery for the new plastics industry.
Sources: Graces Guide, Wikipedia, bmct.org
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