45 replies to this topic

[Don Radbruch]

Fay Taylour was an Irish lady racer who compted from 1928 until the mid-1950s. She started out in the speedway bikes but switched to four wheel racing in the 1930s. She competed just about all over the world mostly in match races with male drivers. Most of this racing was in the midgets. There is a fine article about Fay by John Hyam in the current issue of the British publication Short Circuit. John mentions Fay racing in the US, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, France, Germany, Italy and India. India? What sort of racing was this? Fay won some races but the payoffs couldn't have supported all that traveling. What did she do for a living?

Does anybody have any more details on Fay Taylour's life? She died in the mid-1980s.

Thank you;

Don Radbruch
Sagle, Idaho USA

[Rob29]

Her most famous race was the first Leinster Trophy of 1934 which she won.I only know of her in UK ,Ireland & South Africa.

[David McKinney]

She did a few events on hard-surface tracks as well. In 1933 she was second-fastest in the 1100 class of the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb in an MG K3 Magnette, and the following year was outright winner of the Leinster Trophy race on the Skerries course at the wheel of a front-wheel-drive Adler. (The race was a handicap, so it is impossible to judge the merits of that performance). She also raced a Dixon Riley in South Africa in January 1939, retiring in the SA GP at East London and then scratching her entry from the Grosvenor GP.
There were no doubt other events as well.

[ry6]

Don is it possible to obtain a copy of that story?

Fay Taylour (Riley) retired early on in the 1939 SAGP and scratched from the Grosvenor GP a couple of weeks later.

In 1954 she came to live in South Africa and joined the Sports Car Club.

he August 1954 issue of their magazine reports under "WE WELCOME NEW MEMBERS"

Miss Fay Taylour (Occupation - Motor Sport!)
Cars owned : Alfa Romeo 2.6 Monza, Cooper-JAP 500
Other Clubs : Royal Irish Automobile Club, Half litre Car Club

Address : Carlton Hotel, Johannesburg
or c/o 274 Oxford Street, London

"Perhaps we may be forgiven for patting ourselves on the back at having such a distinguished and accomplished new member among us!"

------------

I have no record of her racing results at this time but there is a nice picture of her racing a Triumph TR2 in Classic Car Africa (Vol 1 No 4, 1995). She is shown leading Tony Fergusson's Austin Healey 100/6.


-------

As a matter of interest also mentioned in that SCC new members list is Clive Trundell, the man who raced Coopers in the 1960's and built the Clitrun-Climax. I saw him a few weeks ago. He is 84 years old and still interested in racing.

------

PS - Don was it you who asked for the story on the SA Land Speed record? I did post it. Did you ever get it?

[FEV]

Hi Don,
Fay Taylour has often been mistankenly spelled Taylor even by Bill Boddy himself in his "History of Brooklands". I do not have the book, but I had taken some note at the library some times ago. Here is what I have : she won a woman's handicap at Brooklands in 1931 at the wheel of the ex-Brian Lewis Talbot. She was excluded from a race in 1934 with a 2600cc ALFA and also raced in 1938 with a 2300cc ALFA. I don't have more but if someone has a copy of the book, it might help you...
About her motorcycle days and some detailes about her life (1908/1983, seemed to be a professional rider if not a pro driver) you might want to look here :
http://www.argonet.c...an/old/fay.html
Frank

[Milan Fistonic]

S.C.H. Davis had this to say about Fay Taylour in his book Atlanta.

Irish Fay Taylour, who talked cheerfully without stopping, drove with skill, violence, and an occasional disregard of regulations which resulted in interviews with Stewards, who found it practically impossible to retain the necessary solemnity once the "culprit" got going with her soft Irish brogue ands a wealth of ingenious reasoning.
She it was who made a success of "dirt" track racing because she understood exactly what was required, she who had an adventurous and amusing season in the United States by all accounts and who was a great draw in South African racing of the type which appeals so much to a crowd.

[KJJ]

I've posted elsewhere that Fay Taylour was among the members of Sir Oswald Mosley's "British Union of Fascists and National Socialists" who were interned in Holloway in 1940. I've found a couple of other references to her on the internet which may be of interest and which I thought would be better posted in this thread.

Her connection to the Mosleyites is confirmed in this extract from "Action Replay" the autobiography of Mosley‘s secretary Jeffrey Hamm where he describes the old fascist‘s 80th birthday party:

“I had placed Lady Mosley on his right, and beside her two 'old girls' of her Holloway Prison days, class of 1940. One was my old friend Fay Taylour, former star of speedway and motor racing. (In the early, pre-war days of speedway women had been allowed to compete, and Fay had beaten all the leading male riders, breaking a number of track records). When I last saw her she was still a very attractive woman. She told me that a journalist once asked why such a beautiful girl had never married, but had taken up such a rough sport as speedway. She replied: "I was engaged once, but he broke off the engagement and asked me if I wanted to buy his motorbike!" During 'The Battle of Ridley Road' Fay used to drive me home after the meetings in a rather magnificent Jaguar car.

“I never experienced the slightest fear at these meetings, however many bricks were flying, but I used to be terrified by Fay's driving, and would clutch the seat with both hands, as she took every corner on two wheels. Years later (when she had returned from selling sports cars to film stars in Hollywood) I was talking to her about this magnificent car, and I was surprised to learn that it had not been hers. She told me that in Holloway she had met among the prisoners a rather high-class call-girl, and when they were released she had given her friend driving lessons in return for the occasional use of her Jaguar.

“The Special Branch must have been quietly amused when they first noted its number and checked on its owner. 'Fabulous Fay' indeed, as she was always known in speedway and motor-racing circles”

Some further details of Fay Taylour’s life were given by a correspondent to the Daily Mail in 2000.

It seems that she won a domestic science prize at her school and used the money to buy her first motorbike. Entering scrambles she managed to get sponsorship from the Rudge Whitworth company and when dirt track racing came to the UK in 1928 she became well-known as “the Speedway Queen”.

She went out too Australia with the returning Australian Speedway team and on her return to England broke the Wembley Track record, a further visit to Australia in 1931 saw her return to the UK only to find women riders banned.

Turning to four wheels her first race was the Calcutta to Ranchi race, which saw her breaking the course record. After the war she lived in Hollywood and continued to race on American circuits, eventually retiring to Winterbourne Tomson in Dorset where she died in 1983.

[Jimmy Piget]

There was project of a bnook on her in the late '90s, by a female author. Is this book out ?

BTW, she was born in 1904, no other details.

[KJJ]

Frances Helen "Fay" Taylour, born 5/4/1904, died third quarter 1983 in the Registration district of Weymouth : source General Register Office index.

[Kvadrat]

There are some pictures of her in Getty Images archive. Go to this link:

http://editorial.get...chAdvanced.aspx

Type 'motor racing' in Search window, and 'Fay Taylour' in People window.

[Barry Lake]

Originally posted by KJJ
Frances Helen "Fay" Taylour, born 5/4/1904, died third quarter 1983 in the Registration district of Weymouth : source General Register Office index.

Is that 5th of April or 4th of May?

[KJJ]

5th April. By the way the GRO index only shows the quarter in which the death occured although it gives the date of birth. Interestingly the US Social Security Death Index also lists Frances Taylour as being born on 5th April 1904 and lists the death as August 1983 in Europe. Does this mean that she had taken out American citizenship during her time in Hollywood?

I see elsewhere on the web that her birthplace is given as Birr which is in Co. Offaly, but that would have been called King's County in 1904.

The "Battle of Ridley Road" which Taylour seemingly took part in were a series of fascist street meetings in the East End of London which often led to fighting with local Jewish groups. What surprised me was that this was going on after the war in 1946 and 1947 and not before as might be assumed.

[FredF1]

Originally posted by KJJ
....


The "Battle of Ridley Road" which Taylour seemingly took part in were a series of fascist street meetings in the East End of London which often led to fighting with local Jewish groups. What surprised me was that this was going on after the war in 1946 and 1947 and not before as might be assumed.

This was due to the fighting/insurrection in 'Palestine'. There was a lot of public anger in Britain after the bombing of the King David Hotel etc. There were also attacks against jewish individuals and businesses in other British cities at this time.

[Pete Stowe]

Originally posted by Jimmy Piget
There was project of a book on her in the late '90s, by a female author. Is this book out ?

Jimmy, I believe this is still being researched.

[KJJ]

Just for the record Fay Taylour died 2nd August 1983, source : Deaths, The Times, 20/8/1983

[Cappo]

FROM THE IRISH TIMES

Flying Fay's fast-paced life

     
     
 
The remarkable Fay Taylour, star of the race tracks, is recalled by Hugh Oram

Fay Taylour, the first Irishwoman to win acclaim on the world's motor racing circuits, is largely forgotten today. But in her time, she swept all before here in a high-octane racing career.

Now she is the subject of a book being researched by Deborah Cherry, a writer based in Preston, Lancashire, who specialises in writing about Irishwomen who have made a difference. She has been researching Taylour's life for over five years and plans to publish a biography of her.

Taylour was born in Birr, Co Offaly, in 1904. Her family was well off by the standards of the time - her father was a district inspector in the RIC and they lived at Oxmanton Mall in the centre of Birr.

She was educated at Miss Fletcher's boarding school in Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin, and in 1919 went to Alexandra College, then in Earlsfort Terrace, where the Conrad Hotel now stands.

She had learned to drive a car at the age of 12 and while she was at Alexandra College,"graduated" to motorcyles.

At the present-day Alexandra College in Milltown, Dublin, librarian Jean Hazlett keeps files of cuttings on well-known past pupils and Fay Taylour is one of them, meriting a sizeable collection. In her last term at Alexandra in 1922, Taylour won the tennis trophy cup and also a £50 prize for housecraft, a surprising win in view of her subsequent career. She spent the money on her first car.

After leaving Alexandra College, she went to England, and started to race, but on motorcycles. During the 1920s, she took up motorcyle trials and grass tracking and became a major attraction. Then she changed track, going for speedway racing, which was more spectacular and paid better. She was already travelling the world, becoming a familiar speedway competitor and a big attraction for the crowds in both England and Australia.

Eventually, she switched over to car racing. Her first racing appearance at the Brooklands circuit in England was in the autumn of 1931, when she took part in a womens' handicap, driving a Talbot 105 and lapping at 107.80 mph. In a similar race at Brooklands in the autumn of the following year, she came second, lapping at 113.97 mph.

After this particular race, she was so wound up by the excitement that she did several more very fast laps of the track and ignored all entreaties to stop. In the end, one very intrepid flagman stepped out in front of her 2.6 litre Monza Alfa Romeo and she did come to a halt. She had a great reputation for smooth talking her way out of awkward situations, but couldn't bluff her way out of this one and was fined and disqualified.

In 1934, she came home to Ireland and won the Leinster Trophy road race, in a front wheel drive Adler Trumpf. She was the only woman competitor in the race, as she had been a short while previously, when she drove a works Aston Martin in the Italian Mille Miglia.

She also took part in 1934 in the Craigantlet hill climb in Co Down. Her racing clothes were a jumper and a tweed skirt, according to a newspaper report of the event.

By now, Fay Taylour was thoroughly hooked on motor racing. One newspaper columnist said of her that she was so engrossed in motor sport that she had little time for the things that women usually enjoyed. She also said, memorably, that the day she met a man who was more difficult to handle than a racing car, she would probably give up racing.

She remained unmarried. For her, racing was her champagne. Like most racing drivers she had a certain addiction to charms against bad luck on the track. Her own lucky charm was very unusual. After one experience when her car came off the track and she was carted off to hospital and dressed in a coarse hospital gown. Ever afterwards, she placed a small suitcase with a pair of satin pyjamas beside whatever track she was racing on. When talking about charms against bad luck, she sometimes remarked "Don't eat peanuts in the pit".

Her racing career took her all over the world. In Europe, she raced in Ireland, England, Italy and Sweden. She made frequent appearances in Australia and New Zealand and, on her way out there, often stopped off in India to race there.

She also raced in the US and on one occasion in Miami, a local newspaper christened her "Lady Leadfoot".

Much more commonly, she was known as "Flying Fay from Dublin". She had a very successful racing career before the Second World War. Her last major race before that war was with a Riley in the 1938 South African Grand Prix, where she received a hero's welcome for her spirited driving, even though she was unplaced.

She became the only leading woman driver from pre-war days to resume racing after the war, when she returned to racing on circuits around the world, although her appearances became fewer. Usually, however, she was the only woman to take part.

But there was a dark side to her life. In the late 1930s,she became enamoured of the extreme right-wing political beliefs of Sir Oswald Mosley, the British fascist leader. Mosley and his second wife, Diana Mitford Guinness,were interned in Britain between 1940 and 1943, as a danger to the state, and Taylour suffered a similar fate.

Amazingly, when she resumed her racing career after the war, this unsavoury episode was airbrushed out of all her publicity. The file on her in the Alexandra College library has many cuttings about her from all over the world, but nowhere is there a mention of the trouble that her extreme right-wing political beliefs got her into.

By late 1944, Fay Taylour was back in Ireland, staying at the headquarters of the Girls' Friendly Society in Upper Merrion Street, Dublin. By 1947, she was working for a Dublin company selling farm harvest machinery.

She was also into farming herself at this stage, but in 1949, she was lured away again by speed, cars and glamour. She had an offer from a US car dealer to go and work for him in Hollywood selling Jaguars and MGs and she couldn't pass up the chance of meeting so many stars.

In the US, she discovered the popular sport of midget car racing on dirt tracks and began an enthusiastic new stage of her career which took her to tracks around the world.

In 1953, she was back in Dublin,when midget car races were being staged at the old Chapelizod Stadium.After the races were over, she gave a driving exhibition.

Taylour was still a star in her own right. A large advertisement for the long vanished Vigzol motor oil in The Irish Times that year proclaimed "Miss Fay Taylour, the internationally acclaimed Queen of the Speedways".

During the 1950s, she was still racing with a 500 cc Cooper at the big British circuits, including Brands Hatch and Silverstone. She had been so long in the business at that stage that she was starting to compete against such brilliant young drivers as Stirling Moss and Peter Collins.

Retirement came finally at the end of the 1950s. She went to live at Blandford in Dorset. In 1982, she had a stroke from which she never recovered, dying in August, 1983, at 80.

Fay Taylour had an amazing talent for racing, whether in cars or on motorcycles. She had a fearless approach to the sport, and was regarded as something of a daredevil.

Interest in her life story, so incredible in many ways, may be revived when Deborah Cherry's book is published.

[Barry Lake]

Originally posted by KJJ
Just for the record Fay Taylour died 2nd August 1983, source : Deaths, The Times, 20/8/1983

KJJ

Thanks for the birth and death dates for Fay Taylour. I only had the years recorded, prior to your generous gestures in posting these details.

Do you, by chance, know the place of death? All we have so far, from the above posts, is "Europe".

Are there any clues as to whether she was in the UK or on the continent, or wherever.

[KJJ]

Yes, her Times death notice confirms that she died at her home in Winterbourne Tomson, Dorset, England.

[KJJ]

Fabulous Fay is still in the news. The 1904 date of birth listed higher up the thread is confirmed by her Times death notice and the GRO Index, so the 1908 date given in her MI5 file would seem to be wrong.

[Frank S]

Second page displayed in this
1949 Carrell Speedway program
tells something about Fay Taylour.

Edited by Frank S, 12 May 2012 - 01:35.

[Derwent Motorsport]

How did she fund her racing and life style?

[raoul leDuke]

There is very good book on her life by Brian Belton called Fay Taylor Queen of Speedway available from Panther Publishing. (www.panther-publishing.com). However, from memory, there is no major references to the financial side of her life.

Brian Belton might be worth tracking down as her knew her quite well.

[Rob29]

Originally posted by raoul leDuke
There is very good book on her life by Brian Belton called Fay Taylor Queen of Speedway available from Panther Publishing. (www.panther-publishing.com). However, from memory, there is no major references to the financial side of her life.

Brian Belton might be worth tracking down as her knew her quite well.

This book was mentioned in a previous thread,and I understand it only covered her Speedway career.This sport I believe has always been paid.We are still awaiting a second volume on her car career.

[thunder427]

whats the chance's she was a lady "James Bond"....A Spy !! for the establishment.................worth considering,..........Oh well, just a thought !!!

[Eric Dunsdon]

I saw Fay Taylour drive an Alta single seater in a Formula Libre race at Boreham in June 1952. I recall that she seemed to handle the car quite well but was unplaced in the race which was won by Dennis Poore in his 8C Alfa Romeo.

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by ry6


In 1954 she came to live in South Africa and joined the Sports Car Club.

I have always wondered what the reason was for Taylour’s decision to briefly settle in South Africa. Does anyone know?

After reading of her alleged political views, I wonder it this had anything to do with it. Although, there were strong anti-British sentiments amongst several South Africans before, during and after WW2, I doubt if this played a role in her decision.

[Derwent Motorsport]

I wonder if there is any connection with "Spanking Max's" interest in motor racing. By the sound of it Faye was around the family when he was a kid?

[fines]

The Altamont Enterprise of July 8 in 1955, in its report about the Fourth-of-July races at the Fairgrounds (Eddie Gallione Wins Feature Race Here In July 4th Event):

The special event pitting the "woman's fastest driver," Fay Taylour of Dublin, Ireland, against two male drivers in a match race, never materialized.
The crowd, already in an impatient mood, with the track watering down, etc., sweated out numerous tries by the woman driver to run through time trials.
At any rate, Miss Taylour did manage to give the crowd a few chuckles with her Gorgeous George-like gimmicks, — a youngster following her around with an umbrella to shield her from the sun; a lengthy discussion over where a couple of pillows would be placed in the car she drove and adjustments of her goggles and weird face mask.
Miss Taylour did drive — and out of four trips around the half-mile track she made it without spinning out but one time. It was her first time in big cars and apparently that was the reason there was no match race.

[speedyguy]

Don is it possible to obtain a copy of that story?

Fay Taylour (Riley) retired early on in the 1939 SAGP and scratched from the Grosvenor GP a couple of weeks later.

In 1954 she came to live in South Africa and joined the Sports Car Club.

he August 1954 issue of their magazine reports under "WE WELCOME NEW MEMBERS"

Miss Fay Taylour (Occupation - Motor Sport!)
Cars owned : Alfa Romeo 2.6 Monza, Cooper-JAP 500
Other Clubs : Royal Irish Automobile Club, Half litre Car Club

Address : Carlton Hotel, Johannesburg
or c/o 274 Oxford Street, London

"Perhaps we may be forgiven for patting ourselves on the back at having such a distinguished and accomplished new member among us!"

------------

I have no record of her racing results at this time but there is a nice picture of her racing a Triumph TR2 in Classic Car Africa (Vol 1 No 4, 1995). She is shown leading Tony Fergusson's Austin Healey 100/6.


-------

As a matter of interest also mentioned in that SCC new members list is Clive Trundell, the man who raced Coopers in the 1960's and built the Clitrun-Climax. I saw him a few weeks ago. He is 84 years old and still interested in racing.

------

PS - Don was it you who asked for the story on the SA Land Speed record? I did post it. Did you ever get it?

Do you still want a copy of the article. If so, please email me at john.hyam1@btinternet.com

[Paul Rochdale]

Fay Taylour's one time home in Lucerne Cottage, Notting Hill Gate, London.

http://taylour.atspace.com/

pic: Kelvin Adams

Edited by Paul Rochdale, 19 May 2010 - 13:59.

[Cappo]

From the MI5 website

Fay Taylour
File ref KV 2/2143-2144

This heavily weeded and reconstituted file deals with the Security Service's interest in Fay Taylour (1908-1983), well known in the inter-war years as an Irish speedway motorcyclist and motor racing driver, who came to the attention of the Security Service because of her extreme right-wing views.

Her support for the British Union of Fascists is noted in KV 2/2143 (1939-1941) which contains the correspondence leading up to her internment in May 1940. The file includes the text of her appeal hearing in August 1940, which was characterised by such peculiarities as her distress at having to appear without a hat (serial 58a). The appeal against internment was rejected. The file includes some of Taylour's intercepted correspondence, including some that she managed to smuggle out of prison to avoid the censor. In one letter to a friend, she said: "I love Nazi Germany and the German people and their leader and this war seems terribly unfair."

The story continues in KV 2/2144 (1941-1953) of which perhaps the most interesting element is the Home Office decision, against the advice of the Security Service, to release Taylour from internment on the Isle of Man in October 1943. The Home Secretary approved her release on condition that she left the UK and resided in Ireland. The Service was worried that she would provide details to the German legation in Dublin of arrangements for internees and particular cases on the Isle of Man.

In the minuting leading up to this decision in June 1943 Taylour is described as "...one of the worst pro-Nazis in Port Erin...she is in the habit of hoarding pictures of Hitler and had in her possession a hymn in which his name was substituted for God's."

Following the war, Taylour resumed her motor racing career, from which she retired at the end of the 1950s. However, as the Irish Times has noted Flying Fay's fast-paced life (17 December 2003), her wartime detention was "airbrushed out of all her publicity".


https://www.mi5.gov....extremists.html

[Vitesse2]

The latest edition (Volume 21 Issue 2) of the academic journal "Women's History Review" includes an article on Fay by Stephen M Cullen called "Fay Taylour: a dangerous woman in sport and politics":

http://www.tandfonli....657887#preview

[austmcreg]

Fay Taylour spent the last part of 1952 in Australia (as she had done previously and would do again in 1953) doing exhibition races in midget speedcars in most states, including several matches against Sydney lady driver Edna Wells. In the week preceding the Mt Druitt road race meeting on 30 November 1952, publicty in a Sydney newspaper had her down to drive John Crouch's Cooper Mk V JAP 1100 at the meeting. However I cannot find a report on the meeting in the newspapers, and I dont have the relevant Australian Motor Sports edition. Can anyone advise what happened? Did she race the Cooper, and if so, what was the result?
Rob Saward

[Catalina Park]

Just looking online and I found a Brisbane Courier mail from the 28th of November saying that she will be racing against Stan (Satan) Brewer at Exhibition speedway on the night of Saturday the 29th.
The SMH on the 27th says she will be driving a Cooper at Mt Druitt on Sunday 30th.

It appears that she did race in a couple of speedway meetings in Sydney on the following weekend.

[kevinbartlett]

Just looking online and I found a Brisbane Courier mail from the 28th of November saying that she will be racing against Stan (Satan) Brewer at Exhibition speedway on the night of Saturday the 29th.
The SMH on the 27th says she will be driving a Cooper at Mt Druitt on Sunday 30th.

It appears that she did race in a couple of speedway meetings in Sydney on the following weekend.

She certainly did race at the Sydney Showground Speedway in those years. I recall my dad taking me to see this Lady race against Edna Wells, then I think the only Aussie female racing midgets. I had heard her mentioned in a program for races at MtDruitt, which I attended frequently but memory doesn't serve me on that point.

[275 GTB-4]

SMH 14 Feb 1929
MISS FAY TAYLOUR.Miss Fay Taylour, who is probably tho only English lady racing motor cyclist competing on the small dirt tracks, will arrive In Sydney on Friday morning. She will appear at at the Speedway Royal on Saturday night.

Adelaide Advertiser
5 Dec 1929

Riding a 3½ Douglas racer. Miss Fay Taylour, the celebrated Irish lady rider was successful in winning the A Grade Handicap on Saturday night. She was never in danger of losing any of the events in this race, and her time In the semi final. 1.33 4-5 sec. was the fastest recorded for the season. Miss Taylour has ridden several makes or machines, but she prefers the English Douglas for reliability. Charlie Gray, also on a Douglas, won the match race against Miss Taylour. and was second to her in the handicap. Gard Bros, will soon be landing a large ship ment of 1930 Douglas. James, and New Hudson, machines. The latter two are a new agency taken over by them this year.

SMH 6 Mar 1954
Fay Taylour Wins Trials

Irish speedcar driver Miss Fay Taylour, beat Sydney girl Miss Edna Wells in both the time trial and pursuit race at the Sportsground Speedway last night.

Edited by 275 GTB-4, 21 January 2013 - 04:03.

[275 GTB-4]

Fay certainly tore up the tracks all over Australia...1929 to 1954?

Courier Mail 13 Feb 1954
Fay Taylour's final race here

Well-known woman speed way driver. Fay Taylour, will make what will probably be her final appearance at the Exhibition track to-night. This is her last racing tour of Australia, and she will not be available for Brisbane again. One of the most spectacular woman drivers to race anywhere in the world. Fay will meet top Queensland drivers, Alan Belcher and Fred Allen, in match races to-night. She is also keen to race in the open handicap and scratch events to prove she can match the men in any company. A full programme of motor cycle, side-car, and speedcar events will be held.

[ken devine]

I recall Fay Taylor driving a speedcar in Western Australia about 1954, i think she may have driven the Wyatt Motors Holden no12
which was the top car in WA at the time.The late Johnny Hamilton was the regular driver of the car at the time.

[austmcreg]

In the week preceding the Mt Druitt road race meeting on 30 November 1952, publicty in a Sydney newspaper had her down to drive John Crouch's Cooper Mk V JAP 1100 at the meeting. Can anyone advise what happened? Did she race the Cooper, and if so, what was the result?

Thanks to Brian Lear, who sent me a scan of the AMS report on the meeting, we know the result. Miss Taylour did indeed drive the Cooper at what appears to have been her only road race appearance on that Australian tour. She was unplaced in an under 1500cc heat, and in the 50 mile race the Cooper refused to start. She started a later race in a sports MGTC loaned by another competitor, but was not competitive in that car.


Rob Saward

[Catalina Park]

Wow! So she must have done an overnight run from Brisbane to make it to Mt Druitt.

[275 GTB-4]

Wow! So she must have done an overnight run from Brisbane to make it to Mt Druitt.

Believe she jumped on the mail train Mike

[Catalina Park]

Believe she jumped on the mail train Mike

I doubt it. I caught a northern mail train once, left Taree at about 10.30 and I watched the sunrise at Wingham.

[Vitesse2]

Fay drove a "Freddie Dixon Riley" in South Africa in 1939. I don't believe she brought it back.

Does anyone know what happened to it?

[David McKinney]

I believe there were only two ground-up "Dixon Rileys" by 1939. Reg Parnell had one of them by 1945, and the other went (from the UK) to Australia in 1947

So either Miss Taylour's car did indeed return, or it was some other form of Dixon Riley

[Vitesse2]

The latest edition (Volume 21 Issue 2) of the academic journal "Women's History Review" includes an article on Fay by Stephen M Cullen called "Fay Taylour: a dangerous woman in sport and politics":

http://www.tandfonli....657887#preview

Three years on, this article has been expanded into a fully-fledged book entitled Fanatical Fay Taylour. Stephen Cullen is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Warwick and has written extensively on the history of British Fascism, the Communist Party of Great Britain, Jewish political activism and the social history of the Great War. In 2011 he wrote a well-received book on the history of the Home Guard, published by Pen & Sword. He's been researching Fay Taylour's political life for some years and since his article was published he and I have been in fairly regular contact regarding this project. I've been researching Fay's motor racing life and Stephen's book draws on and references some of my own unpublished material - so I'm also declaring a (non-financial) interest here!

 

Don't expect a race-by-race account or lots of pictures: much of this book is concerned with Fay's personal life and politics, but it fleshes out what Brian Belton's book on her speedway career leaves out and provides some details about her subsequent career on four wheels. Belton has abandoned his original plan for a second book and Deb Cherry's project also seems to have sunk without trace. In Stephen's notes, you will see references to my project 'Fay on Four Wheels': once I've made a few corrections and additions, I may publish this myself as an ebook.

 

Whatever you might think of Fay Taylour - and she is without doubt a divisive figure - the research Stephen has done sheds new light on her life. I only received my copy today and have really only had time to skim-read it, but it's clear that Stephen has produced a well-rounded portrait of a very complicated woman. He has published it himself at the very reasonable price of £5.50 (post free in the UK, £3.00 p&p elsewhere) and is selling it via eBay: http://www.ebay.co.u...3-/331508418627

 

[gubulawayo]

Hi All, I have recently discovered that Fay Taylour raced a Bentley in the 1939 Coronation 100 at Mountain Rise Natal, South Africa. She was due to drive a Ford in the race so how she eneded up with a Bentley is still unknown to me. Does anyone have any photos of this Bentley please. I imagine it must have been a local car (I need to work through my Bentley research to narrow down possible cars). I am sure if she had brought along her own car the press would have mentioned it,  though you would have thought that they would have mentioned who she got the car from if it was a local car as well!

 

Any info or photographs would be most welcome please.

Regards Wayne

 

Wales, UK