The connection to Royal Enfield comes with World War II. First, because they were Jewish, Germany pulled the concession they had for selling the DKW RT98. They turned to Royal Enfield to build a copy of the RT98 to sell. This was called RB for Royal Baby in the Netherlands and RE in the UK (the "Flying Flea"). The story is well told by David Blasco in his blog.
But worse was to come. When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, many extended family members died tragically in the Holocaust. John and Edward Stovkis managed a daring escape and settled in New York where they started Whitehall Distributors that secured the exclusive nationwide distribution rights for Royal Enfields from 1946 to 1949, successfully creating a massive dealer footprint.
By 1950 elements of the family returned to Holland, where they continued to sell Royal Enfields. Here is a picture of one of the Stovkis of that time,
They also created their own motorcycle brand called RAP.
John chose to stay but pivoted away from motorcycles and created the Multiton MIC Corporation creating pallet jacks and industrial dollies that became ubiquitous in the US. This independent family empire in Holland and the US was eventually absorbed by global conglomerates. The Multiton brand was retired in 2006.
