The Joyride

A motorcycle, a sidecar, and one last wild ride through the English countryside. 

One of the most purely fun scenes in the Band of Brothers miniseries shows Don Malarkey and Alton More tearing through green English roads on a U.S. Army motorcycle with a sidecar—wind in their faces, laughter in the air. 

It’s a moment of joy, and it’s real. 

The story behind that ride is even better. 

After surviving thirty-three brutal days in Normandy, Easy Company was headed back to England. Before boarding the LST at Utah Beach, Alton More showed Malarkey what he’d “picked up” from a nearby motor pool: a Harley and sidecar, hidden behind the dunes. 

“If you can get it on that ship, I don’t care,” Lt. Buck Compton told them. 

So they did. Malarkey gave the signal, and More gunned it over the dune and up the ramp like a man on a mission. Compton didn’t blink. 

By the time they rolled off in Southampton, the motorcycle was official enough. 

Back in Aldbourne, with forged fuel tickets in the saddlebag and nothing but countryside ahead, the two friends flew. More drove, Malarkey waved from the sidecar, and for a little while, it felt like the war was behind them. 

They weren’t heroes on that ride. They were just kids again. 

Eventually, Captain Sobel would confiscate the bike. But the memory—speeding past hedgerows and stone walls, fists in the air, howling with laughter—that couldn’t be taken. 

If you visit today 
The village of Aldbourne still remembers them. You can see the stables where they lived behind the brick house on the green. The roads are the same. You won’t need forged gas vouchers to follow in their tracks. 

Further Reading 
— Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose 
— Easy Company Soldier, Don Malarkey 
— Call of Duty, Buck Compton 
— The Band of Brothers Travel Guide: Get it on Amazon!
— Bergs & Burgs website: Learn more about the trip.

Photos: Thank you to the U.S. Army Signal Corps, James Skeffington, and Unsplash. 
Location Tags: Aldbourne, England; Utah Beach, France