1922 - 100 years on from a record breaking year on motorcycles
Photographs play such a vital role in preserving the story of Brooklands, both past and present. This point was ably made when Martin Shelley contacted me after reading the feature on Sir Thomas Sopwith in the May-June 2022 issue of the Bulletin. Martin explained he had on loan two albums belonging to the family of Frank Halford, an early aviation pioneer at Brooklands and beyond.
What made this connection all the more special is that Martin had really been looking at the story on Adrian Ward’s amazing Jappic recreation, as Martin had helped with the build of this lightweight race car replica. A very enjoyable afternoon followed in Martin’s company going through the albums and learning more about Frank Halford, as well being given a tour of Martin’s workshops, motorcycles, and cars.
More fantastic photos appeared on my desk to accompany Martin Gegg’s detailed look at motorcycle record-breaking in 1922. It’s 100 years since Bert Le Vack achieved the first 100mph race lap at Brooklands, so seeing images that offer such clear detail of that year was a privilege.
Of course, with the advent of digital cameras and smartphones, we can all capture images in the moment. It is always a delight to see your pictures of events and visits to Brooklands, so please keep them coming!
Alisdair Suttie Editor Brooklands Bulletin
Become a Member
Brooklands Members is the official support organisation for Brooklands Museum and is dedicated to raising funds for the preservation of the historic Brooklands site.
Members receive the Bulletin six times per year and enjoy free admission to the Museum, except when major events are taking place, in which case additional charges may apply. Club Level Members have access to the Clubhouse Bar on Thursday, Friday and Sunday lunchtimes.
For full details of membership benefits, contact the Members Administrator, Sarah Dover 01932 857381 ext 226; or wwwbrooklandsmembers.co.uk where you can find the latest news on Brooklands.
Front Cover photo: Martin Gegg
Brooklands appoints Artist in Residence
Brooklands Museum has appointed renowned photographer Axel Ruhomaully as Artist in Residence. His work will help capture on film many of Brooklands most iconic exhibits, as well as others to give visitors a different perspective.
Axel is ideally suited to Brooklands as he started in the aviation industry as cabin crew before following his passion for photography. His work has a global reputation for the way he uses light and dark to focus attention on the object of the photograph. An example of his skill is the test photo of the Morgan JAP 3-wheeler on display at the Museum.
Axel said: ‘I am extremely proud to be working with Brooklands Museum. The exhibits there present many opportunities for photography, and I’m looking forward to researching and presenting them in my role as Artist in Residence.’
The Museum’s Executive Director of Operations, Engagement and Heritage Alex Patterson added: ‘This is a wonderful new role at Brooklands and Axel’s skill and passion are the perfect combination to show the Museum’s collection in a unique way.’
10 years in a row for Brooklands’ Trip Advisor Award
Brooklands Museum has won the coveted Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence for the tenth year in a row.
The award is given to attractions that consistently earn top reviews throughout the year, with Brooklands being given a super 4.5-star rating from more than 2500 reviews.
Trip Advisor noted the Museum’s visitors rave about its aviation history and aircraft collection, motorsport, buildings, and vehicle collection.
Jo Pell, Marketing Manager for Brooklands Museum said: ‘We are thrilled to be in the top 10% of attractions across the world that have been recognised and we want to thank our visitors for their support and wonderful reviews. The mix of visitors leaving reviews varies between families, couples and solo travellers, and many people have seen the Museum on our television series Secrets of the Transport Museum and wanted to see it for themselves.
Bespoke Brooklands watch
‘Our team of Volunteers, Members, and staff have been integral to us achieving this, delivering an exceptional experience for all that visit. Now we’ve hit the 10-year mark, we’ve got a big reputation to live up to, but I know that anyone planning a visit to us this year won’t be disappointed.’
The Brooklands Watch Company has released its limited-edition Triple-Four Racing Chronograph. Designed by the late Sir Terence Conran, the Swissmade watch’s design is inspired by Brooklands’ aviation and racing years in the 1920s and 1930s.
Sir Terence took his design ideas from stories of his father, who attended Brooklands races, and his mother, who learnt to fly at the Track. There are references in the design to the Napier-Railton and the Triple-Four Aero, from which the watch takes its name.
Only 500 of the Triple-Four Racing Chronographs will be produced, each individually numbered, signed by Sir Terence before his death in 2020, and presented in a blue velvet-lined leather case. Also included in the case is a brass warranty card and Members badge.
In keeping with Sir Terence’s wishes, the Brooklands Museum Trust and the London Design Museum will benefit from the sale of each watch. For further details, see: www.brooklandswatches.com
The 2022 Brooklands Members’ AGM will take place on Wednesday 21 September from 7pm in the Napier Room. Members are welcome to attend in person or they can take part online via livestream. For those wishing to take part using the livestream, a video link will be emailed with passcode prior to the meeting.
Message from Members’ Chairman
In my expanded review last year, which covered a period of 27 months, I explained how we had worked with the Museum and the Trustees to communicate with our Members during the pandemic. This gave an overview of the decisions we had made to ensure that Members still felt that retaining membership was worthwhile, even when they were unable to visit the Museum during the various closures. At the AGM in September last year, it was heartening to hear from many of those attending that our efforts were appreciated, and they would be renewing. We subsequently planned a campaign based around the New Year’s Day event to persuade lapsed Members to rejoin, and to encourage new recruits. As many of you know, this event had to be moved due to Covid to become the Easter Classic Gathering, which was a great success.
As we moved into 2022, the clouds lifted, a full programme of events started to bring people back to the Museum, and we began on the gradual path to normality, which enabled us to start a positive recruitment campaign working closely with the Museum. We were, as ever, optimistic, but never anticipated how successful that campaign would be, and in July we surpassed 7000 Members for the first time in our history – a remarkable achievement. John F Kennedy famously said that ‘Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.’ There is no doubt that our success is the result of a close collaboration with the Museum, the efforts of our enthusiastic Outreach Team, innovative marketing from Sam Hart and her team, and the brilliant Sarah Dover who has had to process more applications and renewals than ever before.
The increase in membership averages 52% across all categories of membership. In July 2021, there were 4733 Members, while in July 2022 the figure had risen to 7172. I will provide detailed current figures at the forthcoming AGM, but the increase in younger Members generally, and especially Family Members, has been the most dramatic and bodes well for the future of the Museum. Hopefully, many of the children and young people visiting now will be bringing their own families in years to come. We must now maintain our efforts to retain Members and ensure that even in difficult times they regard their membership as good value and worth retaining.
The Brooklands Bulletin is one of the most highly valued benefits of membership, and the increasing use of our e-newsletter and social media to publicise details of forthcoming events, parking arrangements, and revisions to opening times has enabled us to include more editorial content and well-illustrated articles that are not time-critical in the Bulletin. Although it is always difficult to strike the right balance between articles on cars, motorcycles, and aircraft, Alisdair Suttie and Martin Gegg, together with the Museum’s marketing team, have worked hard to ensure that all interests are catered for. Nick Hine and his team at Hine Publishing have produced an excellent Members magazine throughout the pandemic, overcoming many challenges.
Although the Bulletin plays a vital role in maintaining effective communication with our Members, we must also adapt to the
reality of 2022 that an ever-increasing proportion of them consider online channels, including social media, as their first point of reference. While this move has been evident for some time, it accelerated during Covid, and the change to the demographics of our membership, referred to above, will only increase it further. We are reviewing how we can improve the delivery of timecritical information across all channels and are keen to expand both the online access to our Talks programme and increase the Brooklands Members TV output. Mark Jarman and Tim Morris have developed these incredibly quickly, and it is abundantly clear the content they produce is very popular with Members.
One of the few regular complaints I used to receive were from Club Level Members concerning queues in the Members Bar on busy event days. However, since the Museum took catering arrangements in-house, everyone seems very happy. The Museum has been able to invite outside caterers to provide various ‘popup’ outlets around the Paddock area, reducing pressure on the Members Restaurant in the Clubhouse on busy event days. Work on the Clubhouse refurbishment, including the provision of a lift which has been partly funded by the Members, has now started and should be completed in the autumn. We are hoping to continue to use the Napier Room throughout these works for the ever-popular Talks programme, but there may be a slightly reduced capacity. Harry Sherrard now has talks booked through to Spring 2023, with an eclectic and fascinating list of speakers and it has been good to see full attendances returning. One of the early speakers this year was Paddy Hopkirk, who treated us to an unforgettable and very enjoyable evening. Sadly, Paddy passed away recently, and an obituary appears elsewhere in this issue of the Bulletin (see Members’ Matters on page 43). We were certainly privileged to have been present for one of his last public appearances.
This year, two of our Committee members are not standing for re-election, Rolie Luker and Malcolm Grubb. Rolie is a larger-than-life character, who has been a long-time volunteer and stalwart of the Outreach Team. In contrast, Malcolm Grubb is a quiet but very conscientious team player, who set up the Scoreboard team, and has additionally been very active for Members trying to resolve the difficulties in transporting vehicles and equipment into the EU following Brexit. We wish them both the very best wishes for the future and thank them for all that they have done on behalf of our Members.
Voting is underway for the Committee, and the results will be announced at the forthcoming AGM on 21 September. We will again be holding a hybrid AGM, and although we hope that as many of you as possible attend in person, we are intending to livestream it as well, so that wherever you may be, you can be informed and involved. I look forward to joining you in person or via the livestream!
Neil Bailey
Stop press: revised Members Dinner date
The Brooklands Members Annual Dinner will now be held on Friday 2 December, 2022. This is a change from the previously published date of 25 November. Brooklands Members President Damon Hill will attend and take part in a Q&A session after the meal.
Summer Classic and Autojumble Brooklands at Goodwood Festival of Speed
It was an early start for a large team of Members to prepare for The Summer Classic Gathering and Autojumble on Sunday 24 July. The weather was fine and we had a good turnout of 2650 visitors, who enjoyed admiring the cars and motorbikes along the Finishing Straight and right through the Aircraft Park.
Those attending could also peruse the fascinating items on sale in the Trading Village and the Members Car Boot Sales. Live music by the Clubhouse, some pop-up food stalls, and glorious sunshine throughout the day made for a wonderfully happy atmosphere.
The team of judges, all Members who offered their expertise, set off at 11am. With such a high calibre of vehicles, it was no easy task whittling down the winners. One extra award this year was the Kids Class, and two young Members, Freddie and Sidney Hall, were brave enough to confront me in the Paddock a few months earlier, having seen Sarah Crabtree and myself judging part of last year’s event on the telly, suggested that they could judge a class just as well. I could only agree with them, so we added an extra Kids Class this year with young Freddie and Sidney as sole judges, with no brief, just what took their fancy. They were also happy to present the trophies at the awards ceremony.
With a great crowd gathered in the Paddock, the winners were announced, with Alan Silvester’s Morris 8 lifting the prize for Car of the Show. Freddie and Sidney went for a TVR Vixen for their choice, and the Hall family enjoyed a ride in my Bentley as a special prize.
Julian Grimwade
Mike Bannister Concorde book takes off
A new book giving a personal account of flying and working with Concorde is due to be published by pilot Mike Bannister. He spent more time flying the world’s only supersonic airliner than anyone else and Concorde is Mike’s tribute to this aircraft.
The book coincides with the 60th anniversary of the Anglo-French treaty that started Concorde’s journey into the air. Now Brooklands Museum’s ViceChair of Trustees, Mike was at the controls of Concorde when it led the Red Arrows down the Mall for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. He also flew the last ever scheduled flight in the aircraft in October 2003.
Mike Bannister said: ‘From the age of seven, being a pilot was my dream. When Concorde first flew, that dream narrowed and I wanted to be a Concorde pilot. The fates were with me, and my dream came true.
‘Flying the most beautiful aircraft in the world, at twice the speed of sound, just with your fingertips as you cover 23 miles every minute, was the ultimate aviation experience for me. Through the high times, and the low times of this sensational and unique flying machine, this book is a welcome opportunity for me to pay a deserving tribute to the truly remarkable aircraft that shaped my life.’
The Museum attended the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June with the NapierRailton. Allan Winn and Andrew Lewis drove the Napier-Railton and took it in turns to drive up the famous track during the pre-war car runs.
Allan and Andrew were also joined by Martin Strick, Chris Moore, Ralph Brough, Garry Matthews, Nick Bond, Karen Anderson, and Steven Green over the duration of the event. The support of the team across the weekend ensured the Napier-Railton ran perfectly. It’s at least a four-person job to get the engine going, so it was great to have such a fantastic team.
Rosie Maggs
Brooklands goes to the Ball
Brooklands Museum attended the Grand Prix Ball 2022 held at The Hurlingham Club, London ahead of the British Grand Prix that was run at Silverstone.
To support Racing Pride, the Museum took the Delage 15 S8 and Alta Voiturette. The Delage team dominated both British Grands Prix run at Brooklands. Brooklands, which were held in 1926 and 1927. Delage won both races.
The cars were surrounded by new Aston Martins and old Formula 1 cars, and stood out from the crowd as the two oldest cars there. It was great to showcase the Brooklands cars to a new audience, who enjoyed hearing the stories of these important racing cars.
Rosie Maggs
E-mail: enquiries@pa-wood.co.uk www.pa-wood.co.uk
MUSEUM updates
Chief Executive’s Message
As I write, we have just signed off the Museum’s annual report and accounts, and it has been a pleasure to take time to reflect on all that has been achieved in the past year. I am looking forward to sharing some of these successes with Members at your AGM on 21 September.
One of the main things to celebrate is the rapid increase in the size of the Membership over the past year, surpassing 7000 households for the first time ever this Spring. Family memberships have grown most over that period, up by an amazing 140% between July 2021 and the same month in 2022. We are delighted that so many people, young and old, are finding they enjoy Brooklands so much they want to be part of our community and be able to visit as often as they can.
The Annual Report reflects on what a tumultuous year 2021 was. Lockdown meant that the Museum was closed for nearly half of the year and our income reduced accordingly. However, across 2020 and 2021, we raised around £2.5 million in emergency grants to cover some of the lost income and, as a result, we finished 2021 with a surplus. This money is being invested in catching up on maintenance and improvement works to the buildings and collection, especially the renovations and installation of the lift in the Clubhouse, which the Members have also so generously contributed towards. This work got underway earlier this month and it’s very evident as the front of the building is covered in scaffolding. Any temporary changes to access can be found on the Members’ area of the Museum website.
Promotion for Alex Patterson
Alex Patterson has been promoted to the new position of Executive Director, Operations, Engagement and Heritage at Brooklands Museum.
The new role puts Alex at the heart of the Museum and will encompass much of what he was doing as Director of Engagement and Heritage. It will enable Alex to take a broader view of how the Museum can and will develop to bring together the many programmes the Museum has, as well as ensuring the vast number of stories there are to tell about Brooklands are core to the collection and experience for everyone who visits.
Another aspect of the new role involves a strategic oversight of the Museum’s operations, including admissions, retail, property, visitors, schools, the wider community and, of course, the Members.
Alex said: ‘I am looking forward to working with the Members and everyone at Brooklands even more closely to make sure we have events to suit all seasons and the interests of everyone who come to the Museum. Everything we do is approached with a view to inspiring those who already love Brooklands and the next generation of innovators and designers.’
So much happened during 2021 and into the first part of 2022, including the airing of two series of Secrets of the Transport Museum, the opening of our exhibition with McLaren Automotive, and the introduction of the Heritage Skills Academy’s apprenticeship programme on site. There are also the fantastic improvements to the exhibitions in the London Bus Museum and the exceptional visitor numbers achieved last summer, which were our highest ever for August. There were a number of great events, even though many had to be reorganised because of Covid restrictions. Among the highlights in 2021 were the Sir Stirling Moss tribute organised by the Members Committee and the 95th anniversary of the first British Grand Prix, while in 2022 we have enjoyed the Centenary of Speed celebration held earlier in May.
Through all this, the Brooklands team of trustees, staff, volunteers, and the Members committee, have worked together to overcome a lot of challenges, adapt to the changing requirements of Covid, and make a success of unexpected changes such as bringing the Museum’s catering and hospitality business in-house. The early part of 2022 was another difficult period as we, like much of the country, were hit by high absence rates due to the spring wave of Covid. However, we have emerged on the other side, full of the Brooklands’ spirit and looking forward to a busy and exciting remainder of the year.
Tamalie Newbery
After joining the Brooklands team in June 2018, it has been an incredibly busy period for Alex with many unique challenges presented to him.
Alex appreciates that everyone involved with the Museum has a passion for Brooklands, which makes it a very special place to work, visit and volunteer. In his new role, Alex is looking forward to continuing to meet with Members, Volunteers, and visitors at Brooklands in the coming weeks and months, and listening to what they think is important to the development of the Museum.
Alex added: ‘I am looking forward to the opportunity that his new role gives me to help to make Brooklands Museum an even more exciting, interesting, and vibrant place to visit.’.
Birkin blip
Dear Sir,
I have just received the latest copy of the Brooklands Bulletin which is excellent, as usual, and I particularly enjoyed the article on Tim Birkin’s Blower Bentley. However, I felt I should point out a small error which you may or may not already be aware of.
Airline update
Dear Sir,
Thank you for Gareth Tarr’s kind remarks about the MG PA Airline at MG and British Marques Day in the latest issue of the Bulletin.
I am the owner of the car, and the current P Type Registrar for the MG Car Club. The car is one of only two known roadworthy examples in the UK, with a third under restoration. Only 42 P Types were built with Airline bodies and about a dozen are known to survive with their original body type worldwide.
I had driven the car up from the Isle of Wight for the event. I was initially parked around the corner, out of sight, but invited to join the MG display by members of the organising group. The car certainly drew some attention as it has had little public exposure so far. It was restored over a period of around 35 years by the previous father and son owners and returned to the road with an
Holden family request
Dear Sir,
I am writing to ask you if you can help me with some further research that I am doing about my family which involves both Brooklands and BSA.
I understand that in 1913, Kenneth Holden was BSA’s chief test rider who achieved the company’s first motorcycle race victory at Brooklands. Also, in 1920, Sir Henry Capel Lofft Holden was a director of BSA. Are you able to advise how I can find out if these two men were related and if so, how?
The photograph on the front cover of the magazine, also repeated inside with the article, shows the Barnato Hassan Special and not the Birkin car. It is the 1935 500-mile race and I believe the driver is Oliver Bertram. The car was a strong contender for the win but retired due to a split fuel tank and the race was won by the Museum’s own NapierRailton driven by John Cobb and Tim Rose Richards.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for an always interesting and attractively designed magazine, please keep up the good work.
Kind regards, Clive Sparkes
Thank you for your clarification. The mistake is entirely my fault and apologies to readers. - Editor
MoT in 2011, although still incomplete. It had been little used from then until I bought it in 2019 from the son, then in his 80s. I had intended to take it to Brooklands for the 2020 MG Day, but then came Covid and the lockdown. I managed to finish the outstanding restoration during the lockdown and it is now as close to its original condition as I think it will get, including colour. I bought it on impulse following the sale of a troublesome MG VA saloon, but it has proved to be an inspired purchase, making me smile every time I set eyes on it.
The drive up to Brooklands was uneventful, but the return was interrupted by the failure of the petrol pump, which, incidentally, was probably the newest component on the car, dating from around 2013. At Bishops Waltham, about 10 miles from the ferry at Southampton, the engine spluttered and stopped. I managed to get a little further by gently tapping the pump, but it stopped again.
A call to the breakdown service included in my insurance promptly produced an AA patrol man who is a classic car enthusiast. He managed to make a temporary repair using a plastic cable tie, and followed me to Southampton and safely onto the ferry. The repair lasted long enough to get me home on the Island, just an hour later than planned.
The day was most enjoyable and I intend to be back for the event next year.
Regards,
Mike Long
Also, can you advise where I can obtain any biographical information on Kenneth Holden? Any information you or the Brooklands Members could provide would be very much appreciated.
With thanks and regards, Bill Holden
Any information can be passed on to Mr Holden via the Editor - Editor
Birkin Bentley goes to school
Dear Sir,
I was pleased to see the article in the JulyAugust edition of the Bulletin and wonder if the following would be of interest.
From 1951 till 1958, I attended my first school. It was a private school at the top end of The Avenue in Worcester Park and was called Blakesley House. The owner and headmaster was named Dudley and I think his Christian name was Eric. He was an avid motoring enthusiast and possessed considerable artistic skills, with some of his cars as subjects. For a young lad such as I was, he had quite an influence on my interests, which have lasted all my life and, in the main, centre around cars and motorsport.
His own collection of cars comprised two Rolls-Royces, one a stuffy vintage saloon and the other a Silver Ghost. There
was also a Bentley. I later learned that whilst it looked like a 3-Litre, it actually had a 4.5-litre engine. He was a member of the Bentley Owners Club, which I also found out later.
One day, it would have been around 1957-1958, there was considerable excitement in the playground and several children gathered round a car parked up for our inspection. Naturally I was one of them. It was a red Bentley and we were told that it had an important history connected with Brooklands and had lapped at 137mph when driven by a chap named Birkin. Although I can’t remember the details, it now looks from information in the recent Bulletin article that it would have been in two-seater form at that time. It is also possible that the timing of its visit to my school coincided with the death of
Peter Robertson-Roger and its passing to new ownership.
There can’t have been many occasions when this car visited a school playground and I was lucky enough to be there when it did. There may be some readers who remember the name of Eric Dudley and I would be interested to hear of any stories relating to him and his lovely wife whose name escapes me. He was a big man and could be intimidating to us youngsters but his influence on me went way beyond learning the reading, righting and rithmetic. Shortly after I left to go to senior school, Blakesley House was sold off and the Dudley family moved down to Wells.
Regards, Richard Bradbury
Heat exchange
Dear Sir,
The dial on the radiator of my 1934 Morris Cowley Four is not a calorimeter, which is an apparatus for measuring heat but a Calormeter. A Calormeter only measures temperature. Having glass both front and back it is easy to see against the light of the headlamps at night
It is, perhaps, unfortunate that Wilmot Breeden chose such a name for this excellent gauge. Perhaps they were inclined to confuse heat and temperature, which is all too common even today.
Yours sincerely,
Michael Kent
Coupe conundrum
Dear Sir,
I was intrigued by the Austin A40 Somerset Coupe displayed at Brooklands Relived. Research revealed that the only production Somerset Coupes were drop-heads bodied by Carbodies of Coventry, so I guess this is a one-off. I did find some images of the car on the internet but no description.
My inkling is the coupe conversion is more recent, but whenever it was done it looked a very professional job. Can any Member shed more light on this car which drew so much attention at Relived?
Kind regards,
Gareth Tarr
forthcoming events
2022 Museum Events
The Events List is subject to change, so please check the website: www.brooklandsmuseum.com. Email events@brooklandsmuseum.com or telephone the Museum on: 01932 857381 for information. Test Hill, car rides and engine runs are subject to operational conditions.
September
4 American Day. A celebration of chrome, fins and motoring muscle.
11 Emergency Services Day. One of the most popular events of the year pays tribute to all those who keep us safe and save lives.
23 Scouts, Guides and Cadets: Twilight Opening. A chance to get hands-on with activities and demonstrations to find out what happens in a factory at night.
4 September 11 September 25 September
American Day. Classic metal in all shapes, sizes and power outputs come to Brooklands for this celebration of chrome, fins and motoring muscle. There’s live Rock ‘n’ Roll music and you can treat yourself to a hot dog or burger from the food stalls.
25 German Day. A day out for fans of all things German, whether it’s on two wheels or four. Enjoy German-themed food, entertainment, and memorabilia.
October
2 Jensen Owners Club. To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the C-V8, the Jensen Owners Club is aiming to gather a record-breaking number of this model at Brooklands.
Emergency Services Day. If there’s a vehicle used to help save and protect life, it will be at Brooklands for this great celebration of the machinery and people who work to keep us all safe. With historic and current emergency vehicles on show, this is a brilliant day out, and there will be catering outlets across the site, as well as picnic areas.
9 Autumn Motorsport Day. Racing fans can thrill at the sight of everything from Group B rally cars to Formula 1 machines.
23 London Bus Museum Transportfest. Buses, taxis, military and emergency vehicles make up this amazingly varied day for all the family.
November
6 Military Vehicles Day. More than 100 vehicles across the decades tell the story of machinery used in armed conflict.
German Day. Say Jawohl to a celebration of all things German, from motorcycles to supercars. Whether you’re into Porsche or Volkswagen, Audi or BMW, or maybe it’s NSU that captures your imagination, there will be all sorts of Teutonic machinery and engineering excellence on show. There’s also German-themed food, memorabilia, and entertainment.
Autumn Motorsport Day. One of the most popular days in the Brooklands calendar where you can come to see competition machinery in all its amazing forms. Racing cars will be put through their paces on the Mercedes-Benz World track and Test Hill will be in action. Expect to see everything from Formula 1 single-seaters to Group B rally cars, and you can experience competition for yourself with a demonstration autotest on the Finishing Straight.
Brooklands Members Talks: update
The Talks programme is enjoying a busy diary and our next event is on 22 September when we have a talk from Matt Jones. Along with his crew, Matt piloted the Silver Spitfire on a 120-day route through 24 countries and completed 22,130 nautical miles before arriving back in the UK. This inspiring story will include lots about Matt’s adventures in and out of cockpit as he took the most iconic aircraft in the world on this incredible journey.
In October, we have the pleasure of an evening with Tony Jardine. Familiar to many as a motor racing commentator, Tony is also an active competitor and former outright winner of the St Mary’s Trophy race at the Goodwood Revival meeting. Expect plenty of tales and insights into the world of motorsport from someone who knows on 20 October
Another entertaining evening lies ahead with a talk from Peter Stevens on 17 November. Best known as the designer
of the sensational McLaren F1’s body style, Peter has an amazing CV of car design and a wealth of stories to tell. As engaging as he is talented, Peter’s talk promises to be a great evening.
Towards the end of the year, we have Andy Richardson giving a talk on Britain’s V Bombers on 8 December. With six years of experience as crew on an Avro Vulcan, few have better insight into these Cold War era aircraft, and Andy will discuss how crews were selected and trained.
These Talks will all be on BM.tv Livestream for those who cannot attend in person. Previous talks can be viewed on our BM.tv channel. You can find a link on the BM.tv section of the Museum website. Talks can be booked online at: www.brooklandsmuseum.com/brooklandsmembers/Members-Area/memberevents. The Talks email address is: talks@ brooklandsmembers.co.uk
Harry Sherrard and The Talks Team
Military Vehicles Day. More than 100 vehicles across the decades will be on hand to tell the story of machinery used in armed conflict. The Paddock and Motoring Village will be busy with displays, and you can see plenty of these military vehicles put through their paces in the Mercedes-Benz World 4x4 course. Test Hill will also be in full swing to show the climbing abilities of many of the hard-working classics.
2022 Members’ Events
For Members’ Tours and Trips information, please contact Angela Hume on: angelahume@brooklandsmembers.co.uk Events at the National Motor Museum should be booked directly with Beaulieu. Brooklands Members are charged the Friends of the National Motor Museum rate for entry.
September
4 Shere Hill Climb. Come and join us in the Brooklands Paddock. If you want your car in our Paddock, please contact Angela Hume.
24-25 Kop Hill. Brooklands Members put on a great display at this wonderful event. This year marks the 110th anniversary of competition at Kop Hill. Any car or motorcycle registered between 1900 and 1982 is being invited to enter and there will be timed and untimed runs in front a 16,000-strong crowd.
October
7-10 Llanerchindda Farm. This tour is always very popular and books up quickly, so get in early to make sure you have a place as entries are limited. Enjoy superb roads and great hospitality in the company of Brooklands Members.
Ahead of the Museum’s exhibition celebrating Sir Barnes Wallis, we take a look at his life and what inspired him.
THE LIFE OF BARNES WALLIS
Words: Alisdair Suttie
Photos: BAE Systems, Brooklands Museum Collection, DeeDay, Mike Venables
Barnes Wallis with the Barnes Wallis Trophy for schools. The award was established to reward fresh and creative thinking among pupils.
Sir Barnes Wallis is a widely known figure today for his work on developing aircraft and munitions. However, prior to the 1955 film
The Dam Busters, Barnes Wallis, as he was then prior to his knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 1968, was not someone in the public eye. This suited him very well as he was not especially comfortable in social settings, often withdrawing to his study from gatherings at his home of 50 years in Effingham, Surrey.
This is not to say that Barnes Wallis was shy about putting forward his ideas and thoughts. He was a gifted engineer and prepared to back his ideas fully,
though this sometimes brought him into conflict with those who held the purse strings. Even so, he was determined and diligent in his work, as well as every project he was involved with in his private and family life. An example of this is when he decided to build a pond at his home for the grandchildren to play in. Most people would have left the work to the builders, but Wallis designed the pond himself and oversaw its construction, even taking a knock to the head from the block and tackle used to position the large stones.
This focus developed early in Wallis’ life as he was aware his parents were not wealthy, so he knew hard work and application would be required. His father was a doctor, running a practice in Ripley, Derbyshire when Barnes was born as the second of four children. He was very close to his mother, who suffered from asthma and died when young Barnes was only 24-years old.
Edith, his mother, started Barnes’ education before he attended Haberdashers’ Aske School in south east
Barnes Wallis at his desk at Brooklands, where he started as Chief Designer of Vickers in 1930. A picture of the Brooklands site hangs behind him.
Barnes Wallis and Professor Jack Morpurgo, who went on to write an authoritative biography of Wallis.
The headstone that marks the grave of Barnes Wallis and his wife Molly at St Lawrence Church in their beloved village of Effingham.
London, where the family had moved to with his father’s work. From this school, he moved to Christ’s Hospital on a scholarship. However, despite showing considerable promise in scientific subjects, Barnes left the school aged 17 with no formal qualifications. By the time he was 18, he had obtained an apprenticeship at the Thames Engineering Works, which was based in Deptford close to his parents’ home in London.
The problem with this apprenticeship was that ship building was in steep decline on the Thames by the early part of the 20th Century. Recognising this, and with help from his uncle, Barnes switched his apprenticeship to the J Samuel White and Company yard at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. It set in place a lifelong love of ships, which might have resulted in a very different career path for Barnes Wallis were it not for
a job offer from his friend Hartley Blyth Platt to join him at Vickers as Chief Designer on the burgeoning new airship project.
From this job based in central London, Barnes tried his best to make progress in catching up on the lead in airship design held by Germany. However, inconsistent support and policy from the British government at the time made this difficult, so it was an easy decision by Barnes to volunteer for the Royal Navy at the outbreak of the First World War. Unfortunately for Barnes, his work was deemed too important and he was discharged from the Navy within days of signing up and returned to work on airships. In 1915, he was part of the Fleet Air Arm and posted to Walney Island, Barrow in Furness to oversee airship building. Barnes then resigned this and went to work for Vickers.
Although this time in Barnes Wallis’ life proved very frustrating to him as the government continued to vacillate on support for airships, and Wallis suffered badly from migraine headaches, it did inform his future ideas. The lightweight and strong structures needed to support the outer shell of an airship went on to form the basis of Wallis’ geodetic structures for aircraft. His airship experience also taught him a great deal about metal alloys and how best to use them.
Brighter times lay ahead for Barnes Wallis when he married Mary Frances Bloxham, better known as Molly, in April 1925. They enjoyed a very happy period living in Howden, Yorkshire while Barnes was working on more airship projects for the Royal Naval Air Service. Although his R100 airship was successful and completed a non-stop flight from England to Canada, the problems of the flawed R101 brought this programme to a close. Barnes had been highly critical of the R101, so when Vickers Aviation’s chairman Sir Robert McLean offered him a job as joint Chief Designer based at Brooklands, the Wallis family was on the move again.
The family settled in a new house, built on the edge of the golf course in
Barnes Wallis with the actor Michael Redgrave, who played Vickers’ Chief Designer in the 1955 film
The Dam Busters
The strong, lightweight geodetic structure developed by Barnes Wallis is clear to see on the Museum’s Wellington.
Deep in thought at his drawing board at Brooklands, Barnes Wallis was a prodigious inventor and innovator.
Effingham, and they were to stay there for almost 50 years. It took them some time to decide which house to buy as their son, also called Barnes, suffered from mastoiditis, an infection behind the ear. Doctors told Barnes and Molly the higher setting and chalk soil of their new house would help their son’s health, and that sealed the deal.
From here, Barnes Wallis would commute the short distance to Brooklands each day and his work resulted in many impressive designs. Most notable among these are the Vickers Wellington and Warwick aircraft that employed Wallis’ innovative geodetic frame. They also showed how Wallis understood the need for these planes to be simple to build and maintain as they used standardised parts and processes.
Among Wallis’ many ideas and designs during the Second World War period, the most famous is the bouncing bomb. This was used on the raids against dams in the Ruhr valley in north eastern Germany to disrupt industrial production. After the war, author Paul Brickhill wrote an account of how this bomb was developed and it went on to become the film The Dam Busters in 1955. At the age of 68, Barnes
Barnes Wallis, family man
A tireless inventor and engineer, Barnes Wallis was also a devoted father, grandfather and family man. He and Molly had four children, two born in Howden, Yorkshire and the younger two after they moved to Effingham, Surrey. Despite his busy work life, Barnes would always make time for his children and nurtured their interest in music and the outdoors. The family enjoyed many camping trips and regularly took summer holidays under canvas in Dorset
Molly and Barnes were both great
believers in education for everyone, so it’s no surprise their two daughters went on to university. Later on, his children produced their own offspring and Barnes was an equally enthusiastic grandparent. In all, there were 19 grandchildren.
The house in Effingham was always a focal point for family gatherings, and it was as well it had been extended from four bedrooms to seven when the couple bought it in 1930 as it had to cope with large numbers of guests throughout almost 50 years of the Wallis family living there.
Wallis with Elisabeth and Molly meeting Richard Todd who played Guy Gibson in The Dam Busters film.
suddenly found himself an instantly recognised figure, which he was not always comfortable with but he used the celebrity to help many of the causes he already supported.
Among the many projects and charities that Barnes Wallis was involved with beyond his busy professional life were being a parish councillor in his beloved village of Effingham and helping his former school, Christ’s Hospital. Aware that many RAF crew killed during the war had left orphaned children, Wallis helped set up a foundation for these children to be educated at Christ’s Hospital. His name helped win an award from the Royal Commission on Awards, which was used to provide £10,000 to set up the RAF Foundationers Trust to fund 20 places at the school.
Wallis remained a committed supporter of Christ’s Hospital School and
only stepped down from his positions as Treasurer and Chairman in 1970 at the age of 83. Even then, he was still giving regular lectures and talks, and he received the Albert Medal from the Royal Society of Arts in 1968 for his ‘contributions to the development of aeronautical science and engineering.’ This was also the year when Barnes Wallis was knighted, which many thought was long overdue.
When Sir Barnes Wallis died on 30 October, 1979, his name was known around the world and his designs for supersonic aircraft helped form the basis for both commercial and military aircraft to fly safely and routinely beyond the sound barrier.
Thanks to Vivien White and her excellent book: Sir Barnes Wallis – A Commemoration of his Life and Career.
Barnes Wallis on the set of the film The Dam Busters He and Michael Redgrave talked at length about how the designer should be portrayed.
Barnes Wallis in his office at Brooklands with a model of the Swallow, which incorporated his ideas for ‘swing wing’ aircraft.
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Martin Gegg explores some of the motorcycle highlights of 1922, culminating in the first motorcycle to lap Brooklands at an average speed of 100mph, the first motorcycle Gold Star, and the records set by the Museum’s 1922 Rudge.
Words: Martin Gegg
Photos: Brooklands Museum Collection
Last year we commemorated the first person on a motorcycle to reach 100mph at Brooklands and as 1922 dawned the big V-twins continued to make their mark. In May, the then Duke of York, later to become King George VI, attended Brooklands with his chauffeur SE Wood riding the Duke’s 994cc Trump-Anzani in the 1000cc race. Unfortunately, the Duke’s bike failed to finish, but by way of some consolation another Trump-Anzani ridden by J Hall won the race, with pre-race hopeful Claude Temple and his 998cc HarleyDavidson way down the finishing list having been heavily handicapped.
Also in May, the latest one-hour 500cc record dual was under way, with Jack Emerson setting the record at just under 79mph.
Trump was topping the charts again on 14 June with Colonel Robert ‘Bob’ Stewart smashing the 1000cc two-hour record. The following day, the Duke’s Trump-Anzani had better luck with Wood winning the five-lap solo handicap race after a two-minute start on the field. Allchin was second, with Claude Temple third. In the same race was Bob Dicker on a Rudge, who led into the second lap before dropping to fourth. We are not sure if it was the same bike now owned by the Museum. Herbert Le Vack was also in action in the sidecar race, coming second on a Zenith JAP behind a Morgan 3-Wheeler powered by an Anzani engine.
A RECORDBREAKING YEAR
The 1922 Rudge ridden by Dicker and Mathers to such great effect. It was gifted to the Museum in 2019 by the family of the late Bryan Reynolds.
Machine gun silencing
Just prior to the 15 July Brooklands Motor Cycle Racing Club (BMCRC) Members meeting, a notice was issued by the Clerk of the Course requiring vehicles, particularly motorcycles, to be adequately silenced. Claude Temple, perhaps taking advantage of the period prior to silencing, set two new 1000cc records. On the following Wednesday and Thursday, Gwenda Janson (later to become Stewart) became the first rider to set a Double 12-hour record riding a Trump-JAP supplied by her future husband and proprietor of Trump Motorcycles, Colonel Bob Stewart.
On 22 July, there were 17 starters in the Essex Club’s 500cc Solo race. WH Sheraton
won on a 490cc Norton, with Bob Dicker on a 499cc Rudge third. Bob was in action later in the 1000cc event and was narrowly beaten at the line by Cyril Pullin on a 746cc Douglas. The motorcycle press commented that nothing had changed since the silencing notices and the noise of the bikes was like ‘the bark of a machine gun.’
Also in July, Bert Le Vack set a new 350cc one hour record at 74.17 mph on a New Imperial-JAP. It was suggested at the time that more progress in speed was being made in the 350cc Class which had achieved an increase of more than 8mph in the last 12 months while the 500cc class had only gained 1.8mph during the same period.
Gwenda Janson returned to the track with her 249cc Trump-JAP on 29 July in the Ealing Club’s under-350cc Novice Handicap race, but it was Mrs OM Knowles who led the way on her 349cc AJS from the start. Gwenda was eventually to win the race by 250 yards from GH Rusco on a 348cc RuscoBlackburne, with Mrs Knowles in third.
The Clerk of the Course, Colonel Lloyd, and Hugh Locke King again complained about the motorcycle noise, which had not improved since the earlier notice. The BMCRC were put on notice that if noise was not reduced further by the next meeting, the club would no longer be able to use the track. This led to some unusual approaches to noise reduction during August, including Col Bob Stewart’s Trump- Anzani silencer that formed a
SE Wood riding the 996cc Trump-Anzani belonging to the Duke of York, later King George VI, at Brooklands in 1922.
Gwenda Janson with Selwin Edge at Brooklands in 1922 after setting their motorcycle and car Double Twelve records.
Bob Mathers on the 998cc Rudge V-twin at Brooklands, with the Clubhouse in the background.
Cyril Pullin on a 494cc Douglas. He was the first rider to exceed 100mph over the half-mile distance on a 500cc machine from a flying start at Brooklands in March 1922.
streamlined box behind the seat seen at the 12 August meeting. This meeting was an opportunity for those present to make their mark as it was reported the big names had stayed away because of a handicapping dispute. The rain cut the afternoon short, but not before Bob Dicker had achieved second place in the 500cc sidecar race and first in the under-500cc Solo on a 499cc Rudge. Bert Le Vack went out on a brand new 250cc New Imperial, but even with a 54-second start over the larger bikes he failed to make the top three.
The week of 14 August brought the under-600cc Sidecars to the track, with Jack Emerson on a Douglas breaking the 1 Mile record at 68.82mph. On the Tuesday, he set new 5 Mile and 10 Mile records. This was followed by DR O’Donovan on a Norton, who set long distance records of one, two, and three hours as well as 50, 100 and 200 Miles. It is interesting to note the Norton did not attack any of the Douglas records and each bike had different tyre, magneto and oil manufacturers, meaning that all could claim record beating efforts in their advertising. Later in the week, but too late to be reported in the following week’s The Motorcycle magazine, Victor Horsman on a Norton outfit broke Emerson’s records. Emerson returned in September
to break O’Donovan’s 50- and 100-mile achievements, as well as the One and Two hour records, which meant more record breaking bonuses for all concerned.
August also saw the Six Day Trial with 144 entrants undertaking some gruelling special stages between York and Brooklands via Wales. Gwenda Janson and Mrs OM Knowles completed the full six days, with Mrs Knowles gaining a Gold Medal, while Gwenda’s bike failed on the
very last special stage. Commentators blamed the engine and magneto failure on her unnecessarily spirited race with E Searle, claiming ‘They started a small TT on their own,’ with Gwenda paying the price as her engine failed to start for the final run of Test Hill.
Gwenda was back racing at Brooklands in September and was up against Bert Le Vack in an under-350cc race and then a record-beating session
Colonel RN Stewart sitting on a 770cc Trump JAP. He later married Gwenda Janson.
The Rudge being refuelled by cans and the oil tank being replenishedduring its record-breaking run.
where she set a new 250cc standing mile record at 44.45mph on a Trump JAP. Col Bob Stewart set the Kilometre record at 48.91mph on the same bike. Meanwhile, during the same session, Le Vack covered the 350cc Flying Mile at 91.88mph and the 350cc Flying Kilometre at 93.79mph on a New Imperial JAP. The Trump JAP records soon fell and so the merry-go-round of the smaller capacities continued.
Into October and rumours were circulating about new and exotic alcoholbased fuels which were to increase the speeds of the 1000cc bikes. The largest crowd of the year was at Brooklands for the championship meeting with Le Vack winning the 250- and 350cc Solo races, and a second place in the 350cc sidecar race. Then it was the turn of the 1000cc Sidecar class, which Le Vack won easily. The premier event of the day was the 1000cc solo race. Le Vack was out on a Zenith JAP and up against Claude Temple and Tommy Allchin on Harley-Davidsons, E Remington riding a Blackburne, and George Brough on a Brough Superior. The buzz around the track was for speeds of more than 100mph on the new ‘dope’ fuel.
Le Vack made a good start ahead of the Blackburne and two Harleys, while George Brough suffered a puncture at 95mph that caused him to crash out without injury. Le Vack almost lapped the field and set a new 10-mile standing start record of 91.54mph, winning the race in front of the Temple and Allchin Harley-Davidsons. There was now an expectation of a 100mph racing lap of Brooklands very soon and Bert Le Vack’s convincing win made him the favourite.
October record runs
On 27 October, Bert Le Vack was back at Brooklands to set a new 1000cc Five-Mile record. The week of 22 October was a designated record session, meaning that all the timing apparatus and officials were in place to record the speeds and times of the bikes on the Track. Besides Le Vack, Bob Dicker and Tony Mathers were going to attempt a mammoth Triple Eight, 24 hours of riding over three days. This was a reworking of the Double Twelve record, which was not possible so late in the year.
On the morning of Wednesday 25 October, Dicker and Mathers tossed a coin for the first stint and commenced the first eight hours of riding, reaching an average speed of 66.51mph. Thursday was too foggy for any runs to take place and, on Friday 27 October, they achieved an average of 52.99mph, pounding the track hour after hour while Rex Judd set new 250cc Kilometre and Mile records, and Pullin achieved 350cc Kilometre and Mile
records and 500cc Sidecar records over the same distances. Le Vack also joined the track on this action-packed Friday, but after the exhaust fumes had settled, Dicker and Mathers were back out on the Saturday for their last eight-hour session at an average of 65.65mph, making an overall average for the 24 hrs of 61.72mph.
During the hectic track action of 27 October, Bert Le Vack arrived for the 1000cc Five-Mile record. After the previous race, and with his tuning expertise and experimentation with different blends of fuel, he must have been confident in breaking the 100mph lap barrier. It was
reported that a 50/50 mix of BP Petrol and Anglo Benzole was the desired fuel mixture. Although a cynic may say this had more to do with sponsorship than performance, different blends were used to enhance speed over short or longer distances. He set off on the same 998cc V-twin Zenith JAP that won just six days before. Le Vack screwed down the steering damper as he entered the Railway Straight and fought to keep the bike on the best line as he hit the Banking behind the airfield buildings and onto the Byfleet Banking, which is now adjacent to Marks & Spencer and Tesco. Into the second lap and
Herbert Le Vack getting ready to go out on a 350cc New Imperial-JAP. He was winner of the 350cc Class 200 Mile Race at Brooklands.
A relaxed looking Bob Dicker on the 499cc 4-Valve Rudge-Whitworth. This photo is from 1929 but shows the large silencers needed to comply with noise regulations.
he was recorded at 100.65mph but had no way of knowing he had beaten the 100mph barrier for a lap of Brooklands until he had completed and broke the Five-Mile record for the Class at an average of 100.29mph. However, the drama was not over as Le Vack protested that his time and speed had been calculated on a line 10ft from the inside of the track when he was forced, due to his speed, to ride beyond the 50ft line, meaning the actual speed for the recordbreaking lap should have been recorded as 100.69mph.
Le Vack was subsequently back to get more records before the end of the season, but after losing out in 1921, I am sure the achievement he was most proud of would have been the first person to do a lap of Brooklands at more than 100mph. This achievement was recognised by the British Motor Cycle Racing Club with the award of the first ever Brooklands Gold Star. He was to go on to win another in 1925 in the 500cc class and a further Gold Medal in 1928 in the 750cc class. In 1939, the year the Track closed, there were 13 Gold Stars awarded, including five in the 350cc class indicating how speeds had risen. By the end of 1922, Le Vack was the holder of 36 British and World Speed Records in the 250-, 350- and 1000cc classes, with most coming from the 1000cc sidecar class. Only Cyril Pullin came close with 30 records in 350-, 600-, and 750cc, as well as most coming from the 350cc Sidecar class.
Dicker and Mathers were also back at the Track in November for the last chance to gain some records for the RudgeWhitworth Company before the Olympia Motorcycle Show. Early on the morning of Saturday 25 November, they began another
A
of their 1000cc long distance record attempts, clocking up new World Records for 500 miles, 600 miles and six hours, averaging 71.29mph over a period of eight and a half hours and improving on their October speed over the same period. There was high praise in the press for Le Vack, Dicker, and Mathers, who had achieved these records on British Bikes.
Background
100 years ago, Brooklands was the place to compete as far as motorsport was concerned. Clubs were running motorcycle races most weeks, as well as testing and record attempts being undertaken. There were also car races and record attempts, and other activity taking place on the airfield. This piece provides a flavour of the motorcycle activity gained from the contemporary motorcycle press, All the Years at Brooklands by Gerry Belton, and Peter Hartley’s Brooklands Bikes in the Twenties that takes 30 pages to cover 1922 in exquisite detail. More on the 998cc Rudge can be found in Record Rudge Returns in the NovemberDecember 2019 Bulletin, and the Gwenda Stewart story was covered in 2019’s September-October and November-December Bulletins.
JAP advert from the 16 November Motorcycle Show issue of The Motorcycle. Le Vack was widely expected to be the first to achieve this after previous race successes.
Bert Le Vack and the 998cc Zenith-Jap on which he won the 1000cc five-lap Scratch Race at Brooklands on 1 October, 1922
HRH The Duke of York with his chauffeur, SE Wood, who is riding the 994cc Trump owned by the Duke.
Le Vack with the 980cc Zenith-JAP. He finished second in the 150-1000cc Handicap and the 1000cc Scratch Race at Brooklands in 1922.
LEARNING TO FLY
Frank Halford was a talented aero engine designer who learned to fly at Brooklands. Here is a privileged look at some of his photographs from that period of his life.
Words: Martin Shelley Photos: Frank Halford Albums
The fascinating article in the May-June Bulletin about TOM Sopwith’s flying school, one of eight operated at Brooklands during the immediate pre-First World War years, prompted me to offer a glimpse into another such enterprise which was run by the Bristol School of Flying, part of Sir George White’s Bristol-based industrial empire which started with the creation
of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company. A chance meeting in France in 1909 with Orville Wright had led White to realise the business potential of aviation. As a result, he set up a separate venture, The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company. Initial experiments based on a Voisin biplane were not met with success, but quite soon the company adapted a successful Henri Farman biplane design
published in the fledgling British aviation press, which was launched as the Bristol Boxkite. This quickly established itself as one of the workhorses of pre-war aviation on which many early pilots learned to fly. By 1914, nearly half of the more than 660 flying certificates issued by the Royal Aero Club had been gained by pilots trained on Boxkites by the Bristol Schools at Brooklands and Larkhill on Salisbury Plain.
One notable character who followed this route was aero-engine luminary Frank B Halford, who left university before graduating to gain his flying
Halford was fixated by the engineering he met at Brooklands. This Howard Flanders B2 sesquiplane had an unusual Isaacson radial engine, not a rotary. It was based on the components of the 50hp Gnome but rated 60hp, and is complete with distinctive Chauvière propeller. The engine was not a success as it lacked the cooling benefits conferred by rotating the whole engine.
Several
of
certificate at Brooklands as he saw this as the fastest way to gain access to his chosen career in aviation. Halford’s achievements have been well documented by Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust (RRHT) historian Douglas R Taylor in his authoritative 1999 book Boxkite to Jet. Halford’s engine designs are
almost too numerous to list but include the BHP (Beardmore/Halford/ Pullinger), a development of Beardmore’s licencebuilt Austro-Daimler six-cylinder 160hp engine which powered many early De Havillanddesigned First World War aircraft, including the DH4 and DH9; the Cirrus and Gypsy families of engines which powered many of DH’s long serving Moth aircraft of the 1920s and 30s; the complex ‘H’ configuration Rapier, Dagger and Sabre engines for Napier where the Sabre powered the Typhoon and Tempest; and of course the whole De Havilland family of jet engines, including Goblin, Ghost, and Gyron which powered the Meteor, Vampire, and the ill-fated DH106 Comet four-engined jetliner.
Born in 1894 in Nottingham, the son of a city Alderman, and later Sherriff of Nottingham, Halford attended Felsted School in Dunmow, Essex where he excelled in the school’s Engineering Department. This afforded him accelerated
Before leaving to join the Bristol Flying School, Frank’s mother bought him the latest thing in flying gear. Naturally, she was concerned he was properly attired, although it seems unlikely he ever wore this garb at Brooklands, probably on grounds of weight.
copies
this untitled photo are included in his albums so it must have been a favourite image.
While at university, Frank was an enthusiastic motorcyclist who competed in local club events with some success. His belt-drive stable comprised a 1909 500cc Triumph, a 1911 350cc Martin ohv JAP, and a 1912 single speed Rudge, seen here outside his parents’ home in Edwalton, Nottingham shortly before the Mablethorpe Open Speed Trials in September 1912. These machines were sold to help finance his new interest in aviation.
Frank’s fascination with engines and motorcycles was no doubt the origin of this improbable concoction, a motorcycle powered by a Gnome rotary aeroengine.
Frank took this picture of the track from 2000ft, flying as a passenger with F Warren Merriam, Chief Instructor of the Bristol School of Flying.
entry to the second year of the Engineering Tripos at Nottingham University College. However, before he took his finals, he persuaded his mother to lend him the £75 fee to learn to fly on a short course at the Bristol Flying School at Brooklands, recognised then as the home of British aviation and an obvious choice for the young enthusiast. When he left home for Brooklands, he took a large diary notebook in which to record his experiences. He also obviously took a camera with which he shot the photographs in these albums. In little more than two months, Frank gained his pilot’s certificate, and he applied for a vacant post in the school’s team. After just a year, at the outbreak of hostilities, his career in aviation took off, first as an
aero engine inspector for the Aeronautical Inspection Directorate at Farnborough, and then as a Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps helping to improve the power and reliability of the engines powering their aircraft.
Researching his Halford biography in the 1990s, historian Douglas Taylor discovered the diary and albums were still in the possession of his family. Aware of their historical significance, Ann Spring, Halford’s step-daughter, donated the diary to the Royal Aeronautical Society. As an RRHT member, I bought a copy of Taylor’s book. Interested to know more about his early exploits as a motorcyclist in the prewar period, I approached the family to ask if the Halford albums might be available
for my research into a motorcycle I was restoring which was the same obscure Martin JAP that Halford campaigned in local competitions in 1912 and ‘13. When I received the albums on loan, I was immediately struck by the variety and details they contained, almost all of which related to Halford’s time learning to fly and subsequently, after he applied for and was offered a job with the Flying School team. He was helping to maintain the school Boxkites, an offer far too good to refuse for a man who had gone to Brooklands with the hope of advancing his aviation career aspirations.
In November 2018, I gave a talk to the RRHT Scottish Branch about Frank’s life and times at Brooklands. I suggested to
Mrs Billing ran the Blue Bird café, which occupied a glazed extension to one of the existing hangars at Brooklands beside Herbert Spencer’s Flying School. Mrs Billing’s husband built the Eardley Billing biplane, a replica of which featured in the 1965 film Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines. Eardley’s brother Noel Pemberton Billing founded Supermarine, which built the Spitfire. Brooklands habitué and Land Speed Record-holder, Captain Malcolm Campbell, named his Land Speed Record cars after this popular haunt.
Frank B Halford in the pilot’s seat at last.
The Bristol Flying School at Brooklands class of August 1913.
Another view of the Howard Flanders B2 sesquiplane. Judged unfit for strenuous military service, this aircraft was briefly used for coastal reconnaissance duties but was struck off charge in January 1915. Frank captioned the Isaacson engine as 50hp, a rare inaccuracy in the albums which record the make and HP of almost every plane.
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the family that perhaps the best place for the albums would be to join Frank’s diary in the RAeSoc archives, now relocated from central London to their new National Aerospace Library (NAL) at Farnborough on the old Royal Aircraft Establishment site. Happily, the family agreed to this proposal and on 15 September, I hope to reprise my RRHT talk at Brooklands and present the albums to NAL. The plan is for the Halford diary also to be brought to the talk so these documents can be seen together again, before being placed in the care of NAL in Farnborough. Here is a small selection of images from Frank’s albums. His hand-written captions reveal some of the remarkable events of those days when aviation was gaining momentum.
My grateful thanks to Frank’s family, in particular Jeremy and Emma Spring, for their generous loan of Frank’s albums on which this article is based, and to the staff of Brooklands Museum and the RAeSoc National Aerospace Library at Farnborough for help compiling this article and lecture.
On leaving Brooklands, Frank was presented with this whimsical cartoon recording some of his achievements to date.
Martin will be giving a talk at Brooklands Museum on 15 September from 2-4pm titled Frank Halford learns to fly at Brooklands, 1913. For more information, check the Museum website on: www.brooklandsmuseum.com/whats-on
One of Frank’s most memorable days was spent passengering Harry Hawker, then Sopwith’s Designer and Chief Test Pilot, on record attempts with the recently completed ‘Tabloid’ racing plane. He meticulously wrote the details of their exploits on the photograph and mount. As it was built as a single seat racing biplane, one can imagine Halford only just squeezed in. The same plane, fitted with floats and flown by another Sopwith pilot, Howard Pixton, went on to win the second Schneider Trophy competition held in April 1914 over a triangular course in the bay off Monaco.
Count Serge Vincent de Bolotoff was a wealthy aviation enthusiast. He commissioned Gabriel Voisin to build him a large triplane powered by a Panhard Levasseur engine. While taxying for its maiden flight, the aircraft was caught by an unexpected gust which led its undercarriage to collapse. Halford’s picture captures the moment and the crowd gives it scale. Bolotoff was a popular society figure and married to American entrepreneur Mr Selfridge’s daughter Rosalie. He abandoned his ill-fated aircraft venture.
MY FAMILY AND BROOKLANDS
In the second and final part of his Brooklands memories, Keith Jennings tells us about his blossoming career in computing and how it helped with the development of Concorde.
Words: Keith Jennings Photos: Jennings family archive, Brooklands Museum Collection
Normal work resumed for me, or rather began, following my extraordinary start during the floods of 1968. At that time, the major revenue earner for BAC at Weybridge was the 1-11 aircraft and the factory was producing large parts of the structure including the wings. The 1-11 was not assembled at Brooklands and the structures were taken to Hurn, Bournemouth for assembly. The Brooklands factory was also producing the last of the VC10s. These were super versions for BOAC and East African Airlines. The VC10s were built in the big ‘Cathedral’ hangars near the present location of the Brooklands Hotel.
The sight of a VC10 taking off from the short Brooklands runway caused excitement
Keith at work inside the van that was used for mobile real-time noise analysis. The occasion was Concorde noise trials in Toulouse in 1973.
The Design Office football team ahead of the annual competition. Keith is second from the left in the front row. Unfortunately, his team went on to lose the 1973 final
and we would go and watch if we knew one was going out. It usually followed days of taxying up and down the runway performing pre-flight checks. Concorde production was also in progress and Weybridge built more parts of Concorde than any other factory. There was a long hangar called B1 which stretched along about one-third of the runway on the Byfleet side. At one time in B1, I saw Concorde structures in various stages of completion all the way down one side. Tucked away in the corner at the far end was the replica Vickers Vimy which was being constructed by apprentices with the help of some old hands mostly at weekends. It was an incongruous sight, the flimsy vintage bomber and the sleek supersonic airliner being built in the same space. Both very charismatic and each made their mark crossing the Atlantic, the first and the fastest.
A noisy job
The main part of my job was to help write the computer programmes used for aircraft noise analysis. To gain certification, an aircraft type had to not exceed statutory noise levels measured at points at stipulated distances from the runway. There is an international standard day defined by atmospheric conditions such as temperature and humidity, and noise levels had to be quoted as they would be on the international standard day. This required conversion from the atmospheric conditions on the day of measurement
to the international standard day. There were two main computer programmes involved. One performed the conversion and calculated perceived noise decibels (PNdb), the unit in which noise levels had to be quoted. The other programme produced accurate flight track data which was inputted to the first. Both programmes ran on an ICL mainframe computer in the Design Office (DO).
When I started, the flight path programme was embryonic and my job was to develop and complete it. As I mentioned in the previous Bulletin, I had some knowledge of computer languages from my university days and I was sent on some courses in the Apprentice Training school. Before either programme could be used, a lot of noise analysis had to be performed to produce the raw noise data. This task was very labour intensive and was carried out on recorders and analysers in the laboratory and Clubhouse. With the advent of mini-computers, which initially were a bi-product of the American space programme, the decision was made to computerize this analysis process. We
developed a mini-computer system for aircraft noise analysis in real-time. This was heady stuff in the day and I attended more computer training courses for this project. The system was housed in the Barbara Cartland Room and it could be installed in a van to give a mobile capability. It was first used for BAC 1-11 noise trials. Later and perhaps more notably, this was the system and place used for Concorde noise analysis.
Concorde noise was a very contentious issue at the time. There was an antiConcorde lobby and they claimed the project should be cancelled because of the cost and unacceptable noise levels. This was not so much about the sonic-boom but the take-off noise. The subject was very topical and often in the news and we were sworn to secrecy over the matter. The high jet velocity of the Olympus engines meant there was very little that could be done to reduce Concorde noise at source and a lot of effort by the teams in the Acoustic Department went into devising take-off procedures that would lower the noise levels at the measuring sites. This work was carried out by teams of talented engineers, many of them quite young and some who had served apprenticeships at BAC, in the DO using the data produced by the real-time system in the Barbara Cartland Room. So, the Barbara Cartland
Keith’s Mother, who had phoned Vickers to ask about graduate jobs and which led to Keith’s career at Brooklands. His Mother had worked for Vickers during the Second World War.
A BAC Fairford visitor’s pass and sticker from one of Keith’s visits to the site. However, Keith was there to meet Mr Coates rather than interview him.
and it was the place where Concorde noise was analysed. This was a key part of the certification process without which there would have been no commercial Concorde story to celebrate. It would be good to see recognition of this work one day in the Barbara Cartland Room. Maybe just a framed presentation on the wall would be in order.
Another part of our work was carrying out recordings during noise flight trials for later analysis. The trials took place at various airfields depending on circumstance. I took part in BAC 1-11 trials at Torrejon Air Base near Madrid, Spain using G-ASYD now housed in the museum. These were trials of various jet nozzle configurations and were part of early investigations into hushkits. I also took part in Concorde noise trials at Fairford and Toulouse. On one occasion, two of us drove a van full of noise recording equipment and the realtime analysis system from Weybridge to Toulouse, a trip of about 700 miles which took two days. On another occasion, I cadged a lift home from Fairford to Wisley on the company’s light aircraft together with members of the Concorde flight test crew. The aircraft was piloted by Chief Test Pilot Brian Trubshaw. On arrival at Wisley, he made a heavy landing and bounced the aircraft quite dramatically. There followed hoots of derision from his ‘knowledgeable’ passengers. He just laughed!
Government deals
One afternoon, I had to go to the B1 hangar to speak to the foreman, which was a senior post in the factory. I can’t remember why I had to see him, but I remember that we were speaking on the shop floor when his secretary interrupted and asked him to take a phone call from Toulouse. He went to his office and returned a few minutes later saying: ‘Those French! I will have to go out there again, I just keep going out there and telling them don’t drill those holes there, drill them here, don’t put rivets there, put them here. Seems they have trouble reading a drawing.’ I believe a big reason the French were in the Concorde programme was to learn and that was typical of the way knowledge was transferred.
On occasion, I was able to continue the family tradition of playing in the Dunbar Cup football competition. I played for the DO team and in 1973 we were runners-up. I still have the runners-up medal somewhere but I wasn’t quite able to match my father’s achievement of winning it.
By the early 1970s, VC10 production had ceased and the 1-11 programme was running down. The future of sub-sonic airliner production at Weybridge rested on the proposed BAC 3-11 project. There had been a BAC 2-11 project but as they used to say ‘it never got off the drawing-board.’ The BAC 3-11 was to be a wide-bodied 1-11 and this project got a lot further. I remember there was a mock-up of the fuselage in the Bellman hangar with various
cabin layouts at different times and I believe part of a fuselage was made in the factory. There was an agreement with the Government where ministers stated that, if BAC achieved an encouraging number of provisional orders for the 3-11, the Government would help fund the setting up of the production line. BAC achieved around as many as 60 provisional orders and the time came to push the government for financial support. There was a Minister of Aviation Supply and he was to speak on the subject in the House of Commons. We gathered in the DO with a radio to listen to a report on his speech. In short, he simply said the Government would not support the BAC 3-11 programme. At the time, the Rolls-Royce RB211 engine project was running into major cost over-runs which the government was having to help fund. The Minister said there was no more money available for the aerospace industry. RollsRoyce went bust a short time later.
The Government had already pulled out of the European Airbus A300 programme, leaving Hawkers to their great credit to go alone privately providing the wings. There was no longer a supplier of complete airframes for large sub-sonic airliners in the UK. The BAC 3-11 would have competed directly with the Airbus A300 and whether it could have succeeded will never be known. For sure, though, the long-term market was huge and maybe there was room for two European players.
The DO was a very large space and
A payslip for Keith and envelope with BAC 1-11 franking mark dated April 1969. His monthly take-home pay was £70 12 shillings.
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there was a sea of drawing boards stretching over a wide area. There were a lot of contract draughtsman working on the 3-11 and by 4pm on the afternoon of the announcement many had left their boards and gone. They knew what was coming. Some of the boards were not used again in my time.
The cancellation of the 3-11 was a blow to young employees looking to continue a career at Weybridge. Although the end of Weybridge would be a long time coming, to me this was the event that triggered it. For now, the future rested solely on Concorde and at the time there was the possibility large numbers might be ordered. Moves were made to extend the life of the 1-11 and this resulted in the development of the 475 Series which had a short take-off capability and would be fitted with a hush kit to reduce noise. The Museum’s 1-11 G-ASYD is the 475 prototype. In time, assembly of the 1-11 was moved to Weybridge to provide work for the factory.
Concorde was an exciting project to work on and kept many of us interested through 1972 to 1974, but options on orders gradually evaporated and it became evident the aircraft would not sell in large numbers. Ironically, perhaps the biggest blow to Concorde sales was the cancellation of the American Boeing Super Sonic Transport project which cast a worldwide doubt on the viability of commercial super-sonic travel. Whatever,
the future seemed brighter elsewhere and in 1975 I moved on for much the same reason that my father had done all those years before.
My knowledge of computer systems and, in particular mini-computers, enabled me to move into the burgeoning IT industry. I got a job developing software for a mini-computer manufacturer just as sales were taking off and they were being put to all kinds of uses, including dedicated functions such as measurement and control, and departmental functions
such as finance, marketing, and personnel. I eventually made it to Managing Director of two IT Systems companies and enjoyed a long and eventful career. I was given a great start to working life by BAC at Brooklands, including an introduction to computer systems for which I will always be thankful.
In retirement, I became a Friend of the Museum and then a Volunteer. I have met old friends and made new ones, and enjoyed every minute. Brooklands is a place full of nostalgia for me.
Keith was fortunate to see many of the Concorde aircraft during their production at the Weybridge factory.
One of Keith’s colleagues, Kevin Griffiths, in the mobile noise analysis van in 1977. By this time, Keith had left BAC to pursue his career in IT that had been nurtured at Brooklands.
Among Brooklands Museum’s many historically important racing cars, the Delage 15 S8 is one the most popular with visitors. It’s 10 years since the French Grand Prix machine was bequeathed to the Museum by Alan Burnard, who did so
much to restore, preserve and demonstrate this car.
One of four chassis built by the Delage factory for the 1926 Grand Prix season, Alan Burnard had already owned one other when he acquired this car as little more than a chassis frame in 1964. After a
great deal of effort to collect the parts to complete an engine, Burnard built a Rileybased ERA motor for the car, complete with supercharger. It ran well in this form and proved fast in sprints and hillclimbs, but ever the perfectionist Burnard decided to create a correct eight-cylinder 1.5-litre
A FITTING HOME
Ten years after it was bequeathed to Brooklands, the Delage 15 S8 is one of the highlights of the Museum’s collection.
Words: Alisdair Suttie Photos: Brooklands Museum Collection
The Delage 15 S8 chassis No 2 as it is today in the Museum collection after it was bequeathed to Brooklands 10 years ago by Alan Burnard.
engine for the car to bring it back to its original specification.
With help from Rodney Ramsey and others, this work was finished and the engine ran for the first time on French soil on its way to an event in France. Graham Ramsey, Rodney’s son, explained in the JulyAugust 2022 Bulletin: ‘They were sat on the harbourside at Le Havre and both thought the same thing: I wonder if the engine will run? They unloaded the Delage from the trailer, primed the carburettor, Alan climbed behind the wheel, Rodney pushed, and the car fired for the first time. They jumped up and down like excited school boys. What made it special for them was the car ran with its straight-eight engine for the first time on French soil.’
Back when the car was new, chassis No 2 was used as a spare for the 1926 British Grand Prix, which was the first time a GP had been held in Britain. The race was won by Delage with Robert Seneschal and Louis Wagner at the wheel. Seneschal had to relinquish his seat to Wagner on lap 81 as the Delage’s exhaust was running so hot it burned his feet. Even when Wagner took over, he had to pull in regularly to dip his feet in cold water to prevent severe burns. Even so, the Delage proved quicker than the opposition and Wagner won the 110-lap race almost 10 minutes ahead of Malcolm Campbell in a Bugatti. Third position was taken by the Delage of Robert Benoist and André Dubonnet.
In 1927, chassis No 2 was back at Brooklands for that year’ Grand Prix, making it the only Delage 15 S8 of the four made to attend both Grands Prix at Brooklands. Held on 1 October and with Robert Benoist at the wheel of this car, the pairing came home in first place exactly seven seconds ahead of Edmond Bourlier in an identical Delage, and third place went to another Delage driven by Albert Divo. It was a dominant performance as Louis Chiron in a Bugatti was the only other driver
to complete the full 125 laps of the race, and he was finished some 25 minutes behind Divo. Such a show of strength from the Delage team, and four of five wins that season for Benoist, gave Delage the Manufacturers’ World Championship.
In 1928, the factory sold off the four 15 S8 cars, with Malcolm Campbell buying chassis 2 and 3. He didn’t race the car that is now in the Museum’s collection that year and then sold it to WB Scott, who went on to use it successfully for racing and recordbreaking at Brooklands and Montlhéry. Soon after taking on the car, Scott set new records at Brooklands for the 200-mile and 200-kilometre distances, with Brian Lewis as his co-driver. In 1930, Scott lapped Brooklands in the Delage at 117.22mph at the Easter meeting, pushing
this up to 122.37mph at that year’s August Gold Star race ahead of Campbell in the No 3 Delage.
This car’s Grand Prix career was revived at the 1931 French race, but Scott had to retire the car. Then, in 1932, he sold the Delage to Captain JC Davis, who continued to race the car at Brooklands. Subsequently, it was passed on to Prince Chula, followed by a number of other owners until Alan Burnard bought the car and began its restoration to the condition it is in now when he so kindly bequeathed the car to the Museum a decade ago. For a car that was such a formidable machine in Brooklands events, it’s very fitting this is where it now resides.
Note the ‘Miles per hour’ scored out and replaced with ‘Kms’
for WB Scott’s 200-Kilometre record-breaking run in 1929 with the Delage.
The start of the 1927 British Grand Prix at Brooklands, with Robert Benoist in the Delage with number 4 on the grille.
Robert Benoist, centre, and the British Grand Prix-winning Delage on the right. Along with Bourlier and Divo, the Delage team took all three podium positions in 1927 race.
The potent eight-cylinder engine of the Delage 15 S8, which Alan Burnard went on to reconstruct and fit to chassis No 2.
THE BICESTER HERITAGE SALE
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VIEWING DAYS
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See the website for all entries and to register to bid in-hall, by phone & online
members’ matters Stars at Motorcycle Show
More than 2800 people poured through the gates of the Museum for the annual Motorcycle Show. This year saw BSA Motorcycles demonstrating their new Goldstar, with Motorcycle Team Member Fred Wade on the replica of Wal Handley’s Empire Star along with other Goldstars to bring the BSA Goldstar story up to date.
Royal Enfield’s project Origin, a replica of their 1901 motorbicycle, was also on track alongside manufacturers with a Brooklands heritage, including Francis-Barnett, Triumph, Indian and Harley-Davidson, who also brought their latest LiveWire electric motorcycle. We were also privileged to have a rare selection of
The perfect Spa days
Continuing my 2022 riding season, I was able to confirm an entry for the Bikers Classic at Spa Francorchamps, Belgium. Due to previous covid lockdowns, the organisers had changed the event format from three days to two, and replaced the four-hour endurance race with a two day off-road Enduro and an off-road trial.
The organisers advertise Spa as ‘the most beautiful circuit in the world’ and, having been to two events there, this is not an over statement thanks to its location in the Ardennes mountains and the circuit itself which is 7km (4.4-miles) long with 22 fast flowing corners. The plunge down from the start into the famous Eau Rouge, taken at speed, is unforgettable once you have it in your head it is possible.
The paddock is a massive area. It needs to be as it housed close to 700 competitors. For me, it also has a unique atmosphere, laid back, rule free, with an international flavour. In addition to the locals, there were Germans,
original 1920s TT bikes, while over in the trials arena junior riders thrilled the crowds with their skills.
There were appearances from John Nelson of BBC2’s The Speedshop to promote the Project Pitstop pop-up café, providing engineering help for bike projects and promoting men’s health. Henry Cole, Guy Willison, and Allen Millyard were filming an episode of Junk and Disorderly, and Allen also found time to run his Kawasaki Z1 Super Six up Test Hill. If you missed the event, catch up on BM.tv.
Martin Gegg
Members’ Talks and BM.tv
Dutch, a few Swiss, including one who does his yoga in the morning, an Australian, and a small contingent of Brits from Yorkshire, so we get about.
In the paddock, we were next to the Red Hot Racing Team from Germany. They were a well organised team of 11 with caravans, portable fridge for beer, a covered area with long table, and barbeque for communal dinning.
We set up our modest pitch next to them and our pop-up display to promote the Museum. The majority of entrants were on more modern bikes dating up to the 20-year cut-off date, and also larger capacity machines needed for the long straights and 300-foot elevation changes. My Yamaha, which I believe was the only one at the event, was quite an attraction. A good number, of knowledgeable spectators came looking for us in the paddock, so we had a stream of visitors.
During Sunday, I had problems with the relatively new front brake and without the help of our adjacent German race team I would have been side-lined early on Sunday morning. This is one of the great aspects and camaraderie of amateur motorcycle racing.
If anyone is interested in classic motorcycles and wants to take part or simply have a different and enjoyable weekend break in Belgium, put the first weekend in July 2023 in your diary. I can guarantee you will enjoy it.
John Bottomley
The most recent Talks got under way with The Peoples Mosquito, which was delivered by the Director of Finance and Chairman of the TPM club Alan Pickford. He gave a fascinating potted history of the ‘Wooden Wonder’, as the Mosquito was affectionately known, and went on to detail how The Peoples Mosquito project is working towards putting one of these important aircraft back in the skies.
This was followed up by a very entertaining evening hosted by Steve Parrish in conversation with motorcycle adventurer Charley Boorman. Between the two of them, they could have kept the audience laughing and gasping all night with their tales of derring-do and near misses.
If you missed either of the superb evenings in person or via video link, you can catch up with them on BM.tv. Also available on BM.tv now are videos from the Summer Classic Gathering, British Marques Day, and Motorcycle Day. You can find these films at: www.youtube. com/c/BrooklandsMemberstv/videos or: www.podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ brooklands-members-talks/id1449720627
You will also find a vast back catalogue of videos from Brooklands events to keep you amused, informed, and entertained. Whether you missed the original event or want to revisit a highlight at Brooklands, it’s all there to watch.
Paddy Hopkirk 1933-2022
One of the highlights of the Members’ Talks recently was that given by rally legend Paddy Hopkirk. Sadly, this turned out to be the famous driver’s last public appearance before he passed away on 21 July, so we are all very honoured to have shared that time with him. A measure of how highly regarded Paddy was among Members comes from John O’Dell, who said: ‘Paddy was my first sporting hero. I remember seeing the film clips of the 1964 Monte Carlo
Mike Goodall 1927-2022
One of Brooklands Museum’s most longstanding supporters, both as an early member of staff and as a volunteer, passed away in April and will be greatly missed. Mike Goodall joined the staff of Brooklands Museum in 1986 and was instrumental in establishing its photographic archives. His extensive knowledge of pre-First World War aviation had already brought him into contact with those working to establish a museum at Brooklands and it proved an invaluable resource to them. In 1985, he joined the rescue party at Loch Ness for the recovery of the Wellington Bomber ‘R for Robert’. After around 10 years of employment at the Museum, Mike continued in his role as a dedicated volunteer until a few years ago.
Rally on the BBC tea-time news the evening after the finish. After that, I was hooked on rallying and all kinds of motorsports. In my opinion, the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally remains the greatest sporting event in my life.
‘At the Talk, a dream came true when I met Paddy. He was kind and signed a print of his number 37 Mini in the hills above Monaco, and the roof of my Scalextric model of his car. I will always treasure them.’
That 1964 win on the Monte Carlo Rally made Paddy and his co-driver Henry Liddon household names. Paddy was a natural in front of the cameras, but it was behind the wheel where he was happiest. He had already enjoyed success at Le Mans and in touring cars before his Monte win and continued to drive in many different types of motorsport. This included competing in the 1968 LondonSydney Marathon and the later 1977 edition, as well as winning the Pirelli Classic Marathon in 1990.
Paddy campaigned tirelessly for better driving standards on the road through his position as Vice President and then President of the British Racing Drivers Club. Again, his charm and ready smile won him many victories in these efforts, as well as helping him in his successful business life.
Paddy is survived by his wife Jennifer and their three children and six grandchildren.
Born in London in 1927, Mike went to school in Sale, Cheshire, followed by some years at Merchant Taylors when the family moved to Bushey in Hertfordshire, and eventually to Hampstead in London. At 18, he spent three years in the RAF doing National Service. He met his wife-to-be, Shirley, in the 1950s and they moved as a married couple to St John’s, Woking.
Although spending his professional life in the wool and then the sugar industries, his family connections were with the Goodall firm of greetings and playing card manufacturers, Mike being the great-great grandson of the company’s founder Charles Goodall. Mike had been a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of the Makers of Playing Cards since 1985 and was installed as Master in November 1996. He had a comprehensive collection of Goodall playing cards and also some of the greetings cards that the Goodall Company produced.
Mike was a prolific researcher, producing at least 19 books on the subject of playing cards, and several on early aviation including The Wight Aircraft 1913-19, British Aircraft before the Great War, and in conjunction with the Brooklands Museum Trust, Flying Start, which unravelled the complex history of the numerous Flying Schools and Clubs at Brooklands.
Far more to the Museum than just a resident authority on early aviation, Mike turned his enthusiasm to helping in many
ways, including approaching companies for sponsorship and support. A tall, engaging man with a gentlemanly character, he cut an imposing figure and was regularly deployed greeting dignitaries and special guests, who were soon captivated by his deep knowledge and keen sense of humour. Indeed, when the romantic novelist and ex-Brooklands socialite Dame Barbara Cartland invited the then Museum Director, Morag Barton, back to her house, Camfield Place in Hatfield, for afternoon tea, she specifically requested that Mike accompany her.
Mike was also able to assist in the field of motor racing history, introducing his father’s cousin, Mortimer Morris-Goodall, the 1930s Aston Martin racing driver, Brooklands 1000 Miles Race contestant, and founder of the Aston Martin Owners Club, to the Museum where he shared his memories with his contemporaries, George Harvey Noble, and ‘over-the-top’ survivor Harry Clayton.
Mike’s wife Shirley, who predeceased him by 18 years, was also a keen volunteer at the Museum. In the Museum’s early days, she was one of a group of volunteers who, before organised catering was possible, would set up trestle tables in the Clubhouse and serve cups of tea and home-made cakes to visitors.
Mike leaves a daughter, Amanda, and a grandson, Charlie, who have been a central part of his life.
John Pulford
Noggin ‘n’ natter Pride of Ownership
There was a good turnout for the Brooklands Noggin ‘n’ Natter Pride of Ownership evening in June. These evenings are held on the second Tuesday of the month all year round from 7.30pm, but the June meeting is always reserved for an informal concours.
The organiser of these evenings is Danny Byrne, who is a long-standing MG man, so it is perhaps not surprising that cars with octagon badges were there in strength, but the many Brooklands Members attending
Scenic Jersey is a highlight
had brought along a good spread of other marques as well, from Allard and Aston Martin through BMW, Borgward and Jensen to Rover.
The weather was warm and sunny so, although the bar was well patronised, most people stayed outside around the cars until Danny rang the bell to call people in for the prize-giving and always popular raffle.
In the Pride of Ownership competition, third prize went to Dave Keen for his 1949 Jaguar 3½-litre, which is a familiar sight at
Following the cancellation of 2021’s Scenic Tours trip to the Jersey International Motoring Festival, the Brooklands Motoring Group was delighted to be there this year. As always, Angela Hume’s organisation was faultless.
The Motoring Group members consisted of a total of 26 cars, one van including two motorcycles, and 44 people on the trip. The total Scenic Tour group was in the order of 60 cars and two of their staff were on hand to help. There were opportunities to travel via Guernsey
In Memory of…
Sadly, each issue we do lose some of our Members and we would like to pass on the condolences of the Brooklands Members, Chairman and Committee to the families of the following who we have been notified have recently passed away.
Mr Colin Greig, a long-standing Member with his wife Ann, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
Mr Edward Westley, an Individual Member since last year, who
Brooklands events and is kept in sparkling condition. Second place was taken by Chris Ranstead’s 1950 Mercury Coupé, which he rescued from a scrapyard, ‘chopped’ its bodywork, and replaced its original flathead V8 with a later overhead valve unit. The winner was David Naylor with his 1933 MG L2 Magna. This car, from Brooklands’ active period, has won many prestigious awards and is used for a wide range of events, including frequent visits to the continent.
An honourable mention was made of Dave Kilby’s well-presented Kougar Monza Ferrari replica, and an award was also given for the best period dress. More refreshments and more ‘natter’ were then enjoyed before everyone made for home.
If you would like to know more about ‘Danny’s night’, which has now been running at the Museum for 18 years, please call him on: 01932 829814.
Chris Bass with additional photos from Martin Chandler
and take part in activities there as well as travelling directly to Jersey. Most people made a full week out of the trip. Angela organised a dinner at the Yacht Club on the final night where everyone had the chance to share their stories.
Having competed in the festival in years gone by, we know they love their motorsport and organise interesting events which always have a great atmosphere for both competitors and spectators. The only criticism is there is too much to do in the time available.
All vehicle owners attending the festival were invited to a parade through St Helier town, possibly a couple of hundred in total, including, cars, motorcycles, and a superbly restored Ferguson tractor.
Day one of the competition saw Brooklands Member Nigel Webb campaign his Jaguar in the very wet sea front sprint together with John Bottomley in the motorcycle section. As darkness fell and the rain came in, conditions became really tricky for both two wheels and four.
Over the following two days and over two different courses in beautiful sunny weather conditions,hill climb events were held in the town. John Bottomley received a special award for entering the two most interesting motorcycles, a 1968 250cc Ducati and a highly modified 1939 400cc Velocette.
A small Brooklands promotional presence was maintained at both hillclimbs and many visitors came by to chat about the Museum. The Jersey International Motoring Festival is certainly an event to put on your calendar for next year, with plenty to do and see on a most scenic and welcoming island.
Cliff Bolton and John Bottomley
sadly passed away in the summer.
Mr Michael Duckett, an Individual Member with us for 10 years, who passed away in June.
Mrs Patricia Kay, a Double Member with her husband Neville for many years, who sadly passed away in June.
Mrs Eileen Bishop, a long-standing Club Level Member with her husband Geoff, who sadly passed away in the summer. Geoff continues his membership with us.
Remember Brooklands in your Will
Since 1907 extraordinary people have been making their mark at Brooklands in the fields of Motorsport, Aviation and Engineering, leaving legacies that still resonate today.
Brooklands Museum depends solely upon income from our visitors and the generosity of our supporters and sponsors to fund the restoration and interpretation of our objects and site.
If you have been inspired by the pioneers of Brooklands, please help us ensure the enjoyment of future generations at the museum by including a gift to Brooklands Museum in your Will.
If you would like to receive further information about making a charitable gift in your Will or other ways you can help support Brooklands Museum, please contact the Chief Executive’s O ce: call 01932 857381 ext 243, email tnewbery@brooklandsmuseum.com, or visit our website www.brooklandsmuseum.com
A flying tale
Some might argue that little good came out of the 2020 lockdown due the pandemic. However, it has given us these two books, written by keen pilot Martin Leusby who is a regular at Brooklands fly-ins. The Airborne Ghost and Pilots Progress complement each other and should ideally be read as a pair in this order of publication as the second title helps to explain the first.
Starting with The Airborne Ghost, it’s an entertaining thriller set against a trip to France. It then leads into a chase involving drugs and plenty of aviation action. For those not so well versed in flying terms, there’s a handy glossary at the back of the book to help out. As much of this book is based on fact, it’s a thoroughly well-related tale.
Following up with Pilots Progress, Martin tells many of his real-life stories, which help fill in some of the details of the earlier book. As with any seasoned pilot, Martin has his fair share of near misses and scrapes to keep the reader turning the pages.
Together, this is a very enjoyable pair of books clearly written by someone with a passion for flying and aviation. Even if your interests are more earth-bound, they are more than worth the small price and the books are available direct from the author on: martinleusby@outlook.com
A coachbuilt book worthy of its subject
Marcel Pourtout was a French coachbuilder, or carrossier as this book’s title says, in the grand style. Among the company’s finest work was the Embiricos Bentley, which was extensively tested at Brooklands ahead of its continental road tests and post-war entries at Le Mans. However, Pourtout’s craftsmanship graced many others among the best names in European car building, including Delage, Delahaye, Hispano-Suiza, and Peugeot’s Darl’mat cars.
Author Jon Pressnell has been indefatigable in his research into the Pourtout family archives, and it says much about his credentials as a journalist that he has been granted such access by the family. The result is a book of 488 pages and some 754 images, many never seen before. As the story progresses from the company’s heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, it also goes into the detail of how it continued in business in the post-war decades by working for car manufacturers, and also building caravans, bateaux mouches cruise boats for use on the Seine, and even some of the wonderful promotional vehicles for the Tour de France cycle race.
All of this is backed by detailed appendices and Dalton Watson’s typically high standards of production and binding. It makes the considerable price of £110 very worthwhile as this is a book that satisfies not just on first or second reading, but for much longer as a vital reference. For anyone with an interest in this era of coachbuilt cars, Marcel Pourtout: Carrossier is an essential book to have in your library.
Bryan Robertson
Airborne
and Pilots Progress by Martin
are priced £7 and £5 respectively. Published by Martin Leusby: ISBN 979-8-42304-0277 and 979-8-41346-9330
The
Ghost
Leusby
Marcel Pourtout: Carrossier by Jon Pressnell is priced £110.
Alisdair Suttie
AROUND THE COLLECTION
Brooklands Members
Members’ Administrator
Sarah Dover 01932 857381 ext 226 Mon-Fri members@brooklandsmuseum.com
Chairman
Neil Bailey 07970 206778 chairman@brooklandsmembers.co.uk
Clifford Bolton, John Burch, Sarah Dover, Martin Gegg, Angela Hume, Keith Jennings, Andrew Lewis, Rosie Maggs, Beatrice Meecham, Martin Shelley, Harry Sherrard, Gareth Tarr, Mike Venables
Advertising, Design and Production: Hine Marketing, Tel: 01452 730770 Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton Gloucestershire GL2 9LN
E-mail: nick@hinemarketing.co.uk
Address change and Bulletin distribution queries 01932 857381 ext 226 members@brooklandsmuseum.co.uk
Chairman Sir Gerald Acher CBE LVO gerryacher@brooklandsmuseum.com
CEO Tamalie Newbery ext 243
Executive Director, Operations, Engagement and Heritage
Alex Patterson ext 247
Visitor Experience Manager
Jenny Pettit ext 302
Volunteer & HR Manager
Aimee Nelson ext 303
Learning Officer
Laura Barclay ext 257
Curatorial and Archive Enquiries
Andrew Lewis ext 246
Head of Track and Air Events
Steve Castle ext 244
Concorde Bookings ext 266
flyconcorde@brooklandsmuseum.com
Hospitality Sales Manager
Andrew Webber ext 251 hospitality@brooklandsmuseum.com
Marketing Director
Sam Hart ext 225
Email addresses are available on the Museum website www.brooklandsmuseum.com/about/ contact-us
The noise a racing car or motorcycle makes is such an evocative part of its appeal. However, in 1924, noise was on the minds of those in charge of Brooklands for very different reasons. For the previous four years, there had been growing complaints from some local residents about how loud the racing machines were, even though the Track predated most of the housing that surrounded it.
To tackle the issue and appease nearby residents, the Brooklands authorities introduced specific regulations about exhausts and silencers. For cars up to 2.0-litres in capacity, the ‘fishtail’ end piece had to be 6x¼-inches and all largerengined cars had to be fitted with a 12x½inches finisher.
Drivers and riders met these demands with grudging acceptance, and many believed the new silencers dulled the performance of their machines. Evidence to support this was put forward when the engines of Denly’s Triumph and Temple’s
Parking arrangements
Montgomery-Anzani blew up due to excessive back pressure after the Whit Sunday BMCRC meeting. However, they had both featured in the fastest ever motorcycle race at Brooklands up to that point, which may have had a bearing on this.
More tellingly, noise tests carried out since have shown what became known as the Brooklands Silencer did little in reality to dampen down the noise from an engine. Luckily, residents were satisfied with the action by Brooklands, which agreed to keep the silencer rules permanently in place, and thus avoided a potential legal action.
Another consequence of the 1924 exhaust regulations was the development of some ingenious designs. One of the most outlandish was used on Tommy Hann’s Delage-engined HP5, called Handy Andy. With pipes poking vertically from the bonnet, it looked more like a misplaced musical instrument, and it certainly sounded like one.
Please note that for all events marked ‘Parking in The Heights’, designated vehicles only can enter via the Campbell Gate, off Brookland’s Road. All other Members including Club level and visitors please park in The Heights or main public car park unless otherwise specified.
Parking arrnagements for other weekend events are:
Club level Members: entry via Campbell Gate and parking outside the Paddock. Period and classic vehicles only inside the Paddock by invitation. Please abide by staff directions.
All other Members and visitors: entry via main public entrance off Brooklands Drive.
This issue of the Brooklands Bulletin (incorporating The Spirit) is published on behalf of Brooklands Members, supporters of Brooklands Museum Trust Ltd, by Hine Marketing, Hill Farm Studios, Wainlodes Lane, Bishops Norton, Gloucestershire GL2 9LN.
The statements and opinions expressed in the Bulletin are not necessarily those of the Brooklands Members’ Committee or Brooklands Museum Trust Ltd.
While every effort has been made by the Publishers to include correct information, they are unable to accept responsibility for errors or omissions. The Publishers, Brooklands Members and Brooklands Museum Trust Limited cannot accept responsibility in the event of misinformation or lack of source relating to images supplied by a third party by electronic or other means.
Charity number 296661. Please quote this if making donations or requesting them via a funeral director.
Period style seat belts for pre-1973 vehicles, not forgetting your modern classic post-1973
• Seat belts and harnesses supplied and fitted
• Bespoke service • Original belts refurbished
• New original equipment available on certain vehicles
