A vintage Royal Enfield Flying Flea and its parachute cage were among several bikes which were stolen, along with the van which had the bikes inside. According to reports, the Flying Flea is part of Royal Enfield's own historical collection and was on loan for a photoshoot when the van was stolen in the UK. It's still not clear what other bikes were inside the van when the theft took place. There's been no official comment from Royal Enfield about the theft yet, but the stolen Flying Flea is apparently the same bike which was on display at Royal Enfield's UK Technological Centre at Bruntingthorpe Proving Grounds, near Leicester.
The Flying Flea was pressed into service in World War II
Historical re-enactment group Poor Bloody Infantry posted on Facebook to say that the Mercedes Sprinter van with the bikes has been stolen from outside a lodge. According to the post, the van contained the Flying Flea and parachute cradle along with other bikes, all belonging to Royal Enfield. There are several Flying Flea motorcycles on display, one at the National Motorcycle Museum at Birmingham, as well as one at the recently inaugurated Royal Enfield Garage Cafe in Goa.
The Flying Flea used to be dropped by parachute from aircraft to be used by troops
The Royal Enfield "Flying Flea" or the Royal Enfield WD/RE was pressed into service in World War II in the early 1940s. The bike was designed for the British War Office as a means of transport that could be dropped by parachute or carried in gliders, to swiftly carry messages and signals between airborne and assault troops where radio communications were not in place. The best known such model was the Flying Flea, with a 125 cc engine, designed to be dropped by parachute with airborne troops. It's not known if the stolen motorcycle was ever in active service during the war.
