Hidden document in seatpost!

I just found a rolled up document in the seatpost of my coventry made Stokes bike. It's too small for me so I was stripping some parts off it for a frame Ive just bought:

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Here's the bike I found it hidden in:

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Interesting stuff! Is this common practice?

It's not a treasure map though is it?

still very interesting...

Is there a year in it? Looks like 1974?

woo, I love stuff like that.

The frame looks pretty vintage, I'm just not sure how I can date it. No information whatsoever about Stokes of Coventry on the internet (apart from stuff they built in 1890). It IS a 531 though. Unless it's just a sticker.

I hid a rolled up photo of my second girlfriend naked in one of the frames I sold on here.

Just sayin'

You could've put some trousers on at least, CG

What does it say at the top of the document, Singspeed? If there is a name I will do some lookups, see if I can find out more about this chap. It looks like he was called George A Cowell and he was from Coventry, is that right?

ETA He died in 2002 - this is from the Coventry Evening Telegraph, June 9th 2002:

"THE Warwickshire Royal British Legion's silver jubilee service and parade will be held next Sunday.

The service will be in St Mary's Church, Warwick, at 2pm and admission is by ticket only - all of which have been issued.

There will be 50 RBL and ex-service standards and three bands leading the parade which will follow the service at 3pm.

.........

CONDOLENCES to the family of George Cowell, a former standard bearer for the Burma Star Association.

A guard of honour of our standard bearers branch will attend his funeral on Thursday at Canley Crematorium."

A search of death records shows that he was called George Ambrose Cowell, was born on 3rd Nov 1916 and died in 2002. He had sisters called Laurel (b. 1920, d. 1920) and Amy (b. 1921).

What does it say at the top of the document, Singspeed? If there is a name I will do some lookups, see if I can find out more about this chap. It looks like he was called George A Cowell and he was from Coventry, is that right

Yes, that was the name on the top of the document. It must have been put into the seat tube of the bike so it could be recovered if stolen. I've heard that was common practice. It's a good idea tbh.

I hope you're going to put it back in there...

keep history alive and all that.

I will do that.

Gino Bartali successfully used this trick during WWII to bring documents for partisans:
Bartali in wartime

Piazza Gino Bartali in Florence

Bartali has earned respect for his work in helping Jews who were being persecuted by the Nazis in the during the time of the Italian Social Republic. It emerged in December 2010 that Bartali had hidden a Jewish family in his cellar and according to one of the survivors, by doing so saved their lives [18]
Bartali used his fame to carry messages and documents to the Italian Resistance.[19][20] Bartali cycled from Florence through Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche, sometimes traveling as far afield as Rome, all the while wearing the racing jersey emblazoned with his name. Neither the Fascist police nor the German troops risked discontent by arresting him.
Giorgio Nissim, a Jewish accountant from Pisa[19], was a member of DELASEM,[21] founded by the Union of the Israelitic Communities to help Jewish Italians escape persecution. The network in Tuscany was discovered in autumn 1943 and all members except Nissim sent to concentration camps. He met Pope Pius XII and, with the help of the Archbishop of Genoa, the Franciscan Friars and others he reorganized DELASEM and helped 800 escape.
Nissim died in 2000. His sons found from his diaries that Bartali had used his fame to help. Nissim and the Oblati Friars of Lucca forged documents and needed photographs of those they were helping. Bartali used to leave Florence in the morning, pretending to train, rode to a convent in which the Jews were hiding, collected their photographs and rode back to Nissim. Bartali used his position to learn about raids on safehouses.[22][23]
Bartali was eventually taken to Villa Triste in Florence. The SD and the Italian RSS office, Mario Carità questioned Bartali, threatening his life.[23] Bartali simply answered "I do what I feel [in my heart]".
Bartali continued with the Assisi Underground. In 1943, he led Jewish refugees towards the Swiss Alps himself. He cycled pulling a wagon with a secret compartment, telling patrols it was just part of his training. Bartali told his son Andrea only that "One does these things and then that's that".[23]

Gino Bartali successfully used this trick during WWII to bring documents for partisans:
Bartali in wartime

Piazza Gino Bartali in Florence

Bartali has earned respect for his work in helping Jews who were being persecuted by the Nazis in the during the time of the Italian Social Republic. It emerged in December 2010 that Bartali had hidden a Jewish family in his cellar and according to one of the survivors, by doing so saved their lives [18]
Bartali used his fame to carry messages and documents to the Italian Resistance.[19][20] Bartali cycled from Florence through Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche, sometimes traveling as far afield as Rome, all the while wearing the racing jersey emblazoned with his name. Neither the Fascist police nor the German troops risked discontent by arresting him.
Giorgio Nissim, a Jewish accountant from Pisa[19], was a member of DELASEM,[21] founded by the Union of the Israelitic Communities to help Jewish Italians escape persecution. The network in Tuscany was discovered in autumn 1943 and all members except Nissim sent to concentration camps. He met Pope Pius XII and, with the help of the Archbishop of Genoa, the Franciscan Friars and others he reorganized DELASEM and helped 800 escape.
Nissim died in 2000. His sons found from his diaries that Bartali had used his fame to help. Nissim and the Oblati Friars of Lucca forged documents and needed photographs of those they were helping. Bartali used to leave Florence in the morning, pretending to train, rode to a convent in which the Jews were hiding, collected their photographs and rode back to Nissim. Bartali used his position to learn about raids on safehouses.[22][23]
Bartali was eventually taken to Villa Triste in Florence. The SD and the Italian RSS office, Mario Carità questioned Bartali, threatening his life.[23] Bartali simply answered "I do what I feel [in my heart]".
Bartali continued with the Assisi Underground. In 1943, he led Jewish refugees towards the Swiss Alps himself. He cycled pulling a wagon with a secret compartment, telling patrols it was just part of his training. Bartali told his son Andrea only that "One does these things and then that's that".[23]

thanks for that, was completly unaware of that....a great man becomes even greater....NO PASARAN!

to the OP...cool as fuck...love stuff like that...a direct link to the original owner, a tiny piece of social history resonating through the decades....

BobbinBird good effort and repped :)

Gino Bartali successfully used this trick during WWII to bring documents for partisans:

[snip]

Bartali used his fame to carry messages and documents

[snip]

His sons found from his diaries that Bartali had used his fame to help.

So did he actually use his frame, or just his fame? It doesn't specify it further in this source.

Bartali continued with the Assisi Underground. In 1943, he led Jewish refugees towards the Swiss Alps himself. He cycled pulling a wagon with a secret compartment, telling patrols it was just part of his training.

This is just mind-boggling. How could he possibly have got away with that? Was there a person/were there several persons hidden in the wagon?

Maybe whoever's sold this frame wanted the original owner's identity to be passed on. Provenence, as it were.

Actually, its a bit more complicated than that. Bartali was a devout cathlolic , hence the tension between him and Coppi in the 50s. He was also a bit of poster boy for the regime pre war. I don't think he was ever a fascist.

In some way's he's a bit like Schindler, the person least likely to help is the only one who can. If it had been any one else caught doing this then they would have been on a train to a camp.

On the other hand his Catholicism and his actions to save and protect jews is part of the pre and post war tradition of social action in the cathlolic church; and other churches for that matter.

As has already been pointed out, he rarely if ever talked about this after the war.

I find people like Schindler and this chap Bartali absolutely fascinating. I really couldn't honestly say what I'd do in their position. But the idea of putting your life right on the edge, risking being executed, to save others is absolutely mind boggling. It's easy to say "yeah I'd do the same" but who knows... I think these were truly open minded people who didn't just follow the rest which sadly happens far too much...

Thanks for the interesting bit of knowledge!