44 replies to this topic

[RCH]

I recently acquired a pile of old programmes, one of which was for Castle Combe on the 9th. April 1955. David Blakely was entered in the sports car race in his Emperor-HRG. He was murdered by Ruth Ellis the following day. Does anyone know whether he actually competed at Castle Combe that day?

[rallen]

I recently acquired a pile of old programmes, one of which was for Castle Combe on the 9th. April 1955. David Blakely was entered in the sports car race in his Emperor-HRG. He was murdered by Ruth Ellis the following day. Does anyone know whether he actually competed at Castle Combe that day?

That is interesting, apparently he wasn't much good as a racing driver - would be interested to see his stats.

[hansfohr]

I recently acquired a pile of old programmes, one of which was for Castle Combe on the 9th. April 1955. David Blakely was entered in the sports car race in his Emperor-HRG. He was murdered by Ruth Ellis the following day. Does anyone know whether he actually competed at Castle Combe that day?

David was entered for the Le Mans 24H (9/10 april) by the Bristol Aeroplane Co. to drive a Bristol 450C. Somehow he didn't compete in the 24H, the reason is unknown to me. Whether he competed with the Emperor-HRG at Castle Combe instead on 9/4: I can't find any evidence.

Edited by hansfohr, 26 May 2010 - 20:17.

[hansfohr]

That is interesting, apparently he wasn't much good as a racing driver - would be interested to see his stats.

He won quite a few minor races in the early 50's, particularly with the HRG: http://www.racingspo...Blakely-GB.html

[Alan Cox]

David was entered for the Le Mans 24H (9/10 april) by the Bristol Aeroplane Co. to drive a Bristol 450C. Somehow he didn't compete in the 24H start the race, the reason is unknown to me.

Probably because Le Mans 1955 was on 11th/12th June. The Autosport report for the Castle Combe meeting makes no mention of him, but the same issue (15th April) has a brief note to report that he died during the Easter weekend.

[P.Dron]

This may be of interest:

http://copperknob.wordpress.com/

Copperknob? Don't ask me. Anyway, the Magdala was about my sixth or seventh favourite drinking haunt when I lived in Belsize Park in +/- 1970, and would now probably be fifth or sixth, in light of the unfortunate demise of the Belsize Tavern, the undisputed Number 1. I used to have a pint in the Magdala occasionally, and it was only some years later that I realised that it was just outside that Ruth Ellis blew him away with five shots from a .38 Smith & Wesson. Or did she? I don't know. That link seems like a typical conspiracy theory to me. As to how good Blakely was, I wonder if anyone in TNF has ever spoken to Tony Crook about him...

[RCH]

Probably because Le Mans 1955 was on 11th/12th June. The Autosport report for the Castle Combe meeting makes no mention of him, but the same issue (15th April) has a brief note to report that he died during the Easter weekend.

I believe he was entered at Le Mans as a reserve driver for the Bristol team, so they presumably thought he had some ability. ISTR that in the film Dance with a Stranger a newsreel report shows the Le Mans disaster and Ruth Ellis is concerned that he may have been involved. Artistic licence of course!

Edited by RCH, 26 May 2010 - 14:39.

[Doug Nye]

David Blakely seemed to be remembered by most of the contemporary characters that I have ever spoken to about him as being - and I quote - "...a total sH*tbag" - a particularly unpleasant piece of work, over rich, self centred, arrogant, just plain nasty. His stepfather - I believe - was none other than Humphrey Cook, of Vauxhall-Villiers and ERA fame. Ruth Ellis generally seems to have been recalled as being an airheaded - and very, very unfortunate - sparky blonde, regarded as being "not as good as she ought to", attempting to find a more secure life for herself and her child. What a mess in fact. A recipe for disaster - allegedly exploited for his own ends by the apparently wimpy, enigmatic Desmond Cussen - her older would-be sugar daddy, guardian, lover, whatever... But very few people I have ever known, who actually knew David Blakely in period, seem to have had any time for him at all. It's not a great epitaph. Rather more cared for his murderess. Poor woman. But not, evidently, innocent of killing him.

DCN

[RCH]

He won quite a few minor races in the early 50's, particularly with the HRG: http://www.racingspo...Blakely-GB.html

So looking at his results he was DNA at Oulton on 2nd. April and not surprisingly DNA at Goodwood on 12th. April. No mention of Castle Combe, he doesn't seem to have raced at all in 1955 so probably DNA at the Combe as well. thanks for the link.

[hansfohr]

So looking at his results he was DNA at Oulton on 2nd. April and not surprisingly DNA at Goodwood on 12th. April. No mention of Castle Combe, he doesn't seem to have raced at all in 1955 so probably DNA at the Combe as well. thanks for the link.

Concerning Oulton: although regarded as DNS in stats his Emperor apparently broke down in practice, according to this story:
http://www.trutv.com...en/ellis/9.html

Edited by hansfohr, 26 May 2010 - 20:29.

[P.Dron]

David Blakely seemed to be remembered by most of the contemporary characters that I have ever spoken to about him as being - and I quote - "...a total sH*tbag" - a particularly unpleasant piece of work, over rich, self centred, arrogant, just plain nasty. His stepfather - I believe - was none other than Humphrey Cook, of Vauxhall-Villiers and ERA fame. Ruth Ellis generally seems to have been recalled as being an airheaded - and very, very unfortunate - sparky blonde, regarded as being "not as good as she ought to", attempting to find a more secure life for herself and her child. What a mess in fact. A recipe for disaster - allegedly exploited for his own ends by the apparently wimpy, enigmatic Desmond Cussen - her older would-be sugar daddy, guardian, lover, whatever... But very few people I have ever known, who actually knew David Blakely in period, seem to have had any time for him at all. It's not a great epitaph. Rather more cared for his murderess. Poor woman. But not, evidently, innocent of killing him.

DCN

I think you have hit the nail on the head on most points, as usual, Doug, but I expect that from Blakely's viewpoint he was not 'over-rich'. The Humphrey Cook connection is interesting. It was obviously a tragic tale of two rather desperate people who were in no way suited to each other.

However, that does not answer the question of how good he was as a driver.

[Doug Nye]

Judging by results - not much...

DCN

[ensign14]

One of Blakely's racing friends was Archie Scott Brown, according to Robert Edwards' book. They were introduced by Cliff Davis, who was a member of the Little Club, which Ruth Ellis managed.

[JtP1]

While surfing about Ruth Ellis, I found a link to a newspaper article about the sale of Blakely's rebuilt HRG. The car broke down and he did not attend the race meeting and was thus in Hampstead to meet his fate.

Another photo shows Blakely at a race meeting with the Lotus bus in the background. Did he not have some connection in driving a/for Lotus?

[JimBradshaw]

Judging by results - not much...

DCN

I would of thought from the results we see he had a potenial to be at least, in the Fairman , Flockhart, Bueb category.
JB

[Terry Walker]

Cliff Davis knew Blakely and Ellis - in an interview years ago he summarised them: Ruth was a darling, Blakely a sh!t.

[ensign14]

How much though is ex post facto? If Davis thought so little of Blakely, why did he introduce him to Archie Scott Brown? Wouldn't he want to keep Blakely away from other drivers as much as possible?

If there's any good that came out of the whole sorry saga, it's that a number of innocent people were not hanged because of public revulsion at the ultimate penalty this case provoked.

[JtP1]

If there's any good that came out of the whole sorry saga, it's that a number of innocent people were not hanged because of public revulsion at the ultimate penalty this case provoked.

Didn't help James Hanratty.

[f1steveuk]

Didn't help James Hanratty.

To go further off thread, didn't modern forensics prove beyond doubt, that Hanratty WAS quilty?

[ensign14]

With an incredibly high degree of certainty, yes. The DNA found at the scene is 2,500,000 times as likely to have come from Hanratty as from anyone else.

[f1steveuk]

With an incredibly high degree of certainty, yes. The DNA found at the scene is 2,500,000 times as likely to have come from Hanratty as from anyone else.

And also, iin another case, in every likelyhood that Crippen was innocent, and that the remains found in Springfield Road were that of a man, and planted to get a conviction as Mrs crippen had run off to America.

[ensign14]

Yeeeessss...although any case where Giovanni di Stefano represents a disappointed party automatically has lots of :confused:s closely attached.

[Geoff E]

Blakely's father was charged with murder in 1934 http://www.chrishobb...johnblakely.htm

[RCH]

Blakely's father was charged with murder in 1934 http://www.chrishobb...johnblakely.htm

David Blakely appears to have been entered at three race meetings over the Easter weekend. Castle Combe on the Saturday; Goodwood on Monday and now apparently at Aintree as well?

Chillingly, for me at any rate since I bought the topic up, I have now discovered that he and I shared a birthday, 20 years apart.

[JtP1]

David Blakely appears to have been entered at three race meetings over the Easter weekend. Castle Combe on the Saturday; Goodwood on Monday and now apparently at Aintree as well?

Chillingly, for me at any rate since I bought the topic up, I have now discovered that he and I shared a birthday, 20 years apart.

Worse for me. I share it with Nigel Mansell. Oh I must be reeeeely reeeely pleeeesed.

[Vitesse2]

BBC4 are heavily trailing a three-part investigation into the trial of Ruth Ellis, to be broadcast shortly. There's also this article which appeared in BBC History Magazine:

 

https://www.pressrea...281651075515787

[Vitesse2]

David Blakely seemed to be remembered by most of the contemporary characters that I have ever spoken to about him as being - and I quote - "...a total sH*tbag" - a particularly unpleasant piece of work, over rich, self centred, arrogant, just plain nasty. His stepfather - I believe - was none other than Humphrey Cook, of Vauxhall-Villiers and ERA fame.

DCN

Just checked this - Humphrey Cook was indeed Blakely's stepfather. David's parents had divorced in December 1940 and his mother Annie (née Moffett) married Cook in February 1941.

[RCH]

I get the impression that in common with most Humphrey Cook didn't have a particularly high opinion of Blakely. David Blakely is always described as a "rich boy" yet he struggled to find the money to develop his Emperor HRG. He inherited some money from his father but presumably failed to gain any support from Cook who was a wealthy man. I think maybe he deserves some credit for attempting to develop his own car rather than buying say a Lotus or Cooper.

 

When I was doing some research for the sadly now defunct "Historic Sports Racers" range of models, made by Tony Smith which I was marketing some years ago I discovered that Blakely drove Lionel Leonard's Leonard MG on a few occasions in 1954. This was a Tojeiro chassis with an MG engine and a body similar to Cliff Davis's Tojeiro Bristol.

[Steve L]

Interesting thread.

 

Is there anything anywhere which describes the Emperor-HRG in more detail please?  I'd like to know how it came to be and if it was an old car with new body or a completely new build.

[Tim Murray]

Google Books throws up this page from The Singer Story by Kevin Atkinson, which says that the car was one of the three HRGs raced in the 1949 Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Peter Clark and Mortimer Morris-Goodall. It was later rebuilt as an Aero model before passing to Blakely, who presumably carried out further mods.

[Charlieman]

Is there anything anywhere which describes the Emperor-HRG in more detail please?  I'd like to know how it came to be and if it was an old car with new body or a completely new build.

A quick web search should throw up a link to a 1999 auction of the car. I'd like to know more and see some detailed pictures if anyone has links.

 

https://www.invaluab...03-c-7rc8j3a0ly

 

In brief: The HRG part of the name refers to HRG's version of the 1500cc Singer engine. This was a clever choice by the designer, Anthony Findlater. The tubular chassis frame, Emperor, is a custom design. Suspension is described as VW front (presumably a trailing arm design) and de Dion rear. It is potentially a tricky car at the limit or one which magically works against the laws of physics. 

[Steve L]

A quick web search should throw up a link to a 1999 auction of the car. I'd like to know more and see some detailed pictures if anyone has links.

 

https://www.invaluab...03-c-7rc8j3a0ly

 

In brief: The HRG part of the name refers to HRG's version of the 1500cc Singer engine. This was a clever choice by the designer, Anthony Findlater. The tubular chassis frame, Emperor, is a custom design. Suspension is described as VW front (presumably a trailing arm design) and de Dion rear. It is potentially a tricky car at the limit or one which magically works against the laws of physics. 

 

Very interesting, thanks.

[Charlieman]

I should warn you, Steve L, that Blakely is reported as owning an earlier HRG, so the history of the Emperor-HRG is certain to be muddled. However the Emperor-HRG as described in the link above is distinct from other HRGs.

[jeffbee]

This might help:  http://hyde1841.blog...agic-story.html

 

Or this:  http://www.imcdb.org...peror-1954.html

[dgs]

Interesting thread.

 

Is there anything anywhere which describes the Emperor-HRG in more detail please?  I'd like to know how it came to be and if it was an old car with new body or a completely new build.

A magazine article  in Octane magazine May 2004, written by Mark Dixon would be worth seeking out.

 

Mark Dixon tells the story of David Blakely and his two cars  (HRG Le Mans) and (Emperor)  

[RCH]

So far as I can see the Emperor only raced once, at a national event at Brands in 1954 where it finished second to John Coomb's Lotus Connaught.. According to Martin Krejci's site it had a number of "also on the entry list" to its name.  Blakely and Findlater raced the HRG in the Goodwood 9 hours in '52 and '53 finishing 11th. in '52.

 

I suspect Blakely was a reasonably competent driver but didn't have the best of cars to drive.

[Vitesse2]

BBC4 are heavily trailing a three-part investigation into the trial of Ruth Ellis, to be broadcast shortly. There's also this article which appeared in BBC History Magazine:

 

https://www.pressrea...281651075515787

Broadcast dates now announced. It will be shown on BBC4 on three successive nights - March 13-15th - at 9.00pm. Episode synopses from digiguide.tv.

 

 

The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story

 

Episode 1

 

Series in which film-maker Gillian Pachter re-examines the Ruth Ellis case. In July 1955, Ruth was the last woman to be hanged in Britain for the murder of her lover David Blakely. It is a case that shocked the nation and has its place in ushering in the defence of diminished responsibility and the eventual abolishment of capital punishment. Gillian wants to find out why, in such a seemingly open-and-shut case, it still divides opinion on whether Ruth got the justice she deserved. In this first episode, Gillian takes a forensic look at the police investigation and discovers worrying assumptions and problematic omissions. There is also a key witness who was never questioned by the police - Ruth's 10-year-old son Andre, who took his own life in the 1980s. He left behind an cassette that Gillian uses to piece together what the boy knew. Experts shed new light on the involvement on an alleged accomplice and Gillian tracks down those who met Ruth and David.

 

Episode 2

 

Gillian turns her attention to Ruth's trial, which took just a day and a half. She starts with a tape-recorded conversation from the 1980s between Ruth's son Andre and the barrister who led the prosecution. Andre expresses doubts about his mother's trial, calling into question her state of mind and whether she was a cold-blooded killer. Gillian is interested to know whether the defence shared these concerns and she turns her attention to Ruth's solicitor. There are immediate and compelling questions about how he was hired, who by and why. He pursued a defence strategy so risky that the judge was forced to put his foot down. Gillian draws on expert opinion from top legal minds who know the case intimately, and they paint a portrait of a woman trapped not only by the constraints of 1950s society but by the narrow parameters of English.

 

Episode 3

 

Gillian turns her attention to Ruth's execution and the last-minute attempts to save her life even though Ruth herself was determined to die. Gillian explores the role of her case in the introduction of the defence of diminished responsibility in England and its place in the eventual abolition of capital punishment in Britain in 1965. But Ruth's personal legacy is much more tragic as Gillian explores the effects of the events of 1955 on Ruth's family. This takes Gillian to a taped conversation recorded by Ruth's son in the 1980s, where his despair at what happened when he was ten is movingly clear; Andre lost his mother and he lost David who he loved. He took his own life in the 1980s and today his ashes are close to his mother's in a cemetery in Hertfordshire not far from where David Blakely was buried. Three victims of a truly tragic set of circumstances.

[Doug Nye]

The Revs Digital Library carries a number of interesting pictures of Blakely driving an assortment of cars...

 

 

 

http://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/collection/p17257coll1/id/388829/rec/1

 

http://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/collection/p17257coll1/id/394820/rec/2

 

http://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/collection/p17257coll1/id/386416/rec/4

 

http://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/collection/p17257coll1/id/327971/rec/5

 

http://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/collection/p17257coll1/id/411410/rec/8

 

http://library.revsinstitute.org/digital/collection/p17257coll1/id/419050/rec/11

 

DCN

[RCH]

The first two pictures are of the Emperor. Third is the Leonard MG which was a Tojeiro as captioned. The last picture is wrongly captioned and is the Leonard/Tojeiro MG rather than a Lester.

[Eric Dunsdon]

Roy Watling Greenwoods R.W.G crumpled against the bank at Copse in the background and a youthful me  among the crowd somewhere in picture three.

Edited by Eric Dunsdon, 12 March 2018 - 09:02.

[john winfield]

Broadcast dates now announced. It will be shown on BBC4 on three successive nights - March 13-15th - at 9.00pm. Episode synopses from digiguide.tv.

 

I'm going to persevere with The Ruth Ellis Files - some interesting issues are raised - but the programme's style drives me mad: numerous shots of the presenter poring over files, gratuitous insertion of film noir clips, silly recreations of 1955 featuring 'my neighbour and her son'....Aaagghhh!

 

Interesting to hear the voices of both Ruth Ellis and David Blakely, in a private recording made only months before his death.

Edited by john winfield, 14 March 2018 - 08:47.

[pete53]

I gave up after 15 minutes. I couldn't take all the silly and often irrelevant film clips which, for me,  were reducing the impact of the rest of the content. A shame because it might have been worth persevering with.

[Paulleek]

Was anyone on here involved in, or present at, the filming of the scenes shot at Goodwood for "Dance with a Stranger"? I've always thought they managed to evoque the sort of atmosphere of a club type meeting of the time rather well.

[Vitesse2]

Talking Pictures TV will be airing a 1977 documentary about Ruth Ellis tonight (Sunday Feb 4th) at 22.05. They give the title as 'Ruth Ellis and the Mystery Lover', but a bit of research seems to indicate that it was originally broadcast on ITV on June 28th 1977 as 'The Ruth Ellis Story'. Made by the 'This Week' team. I don't think it's been shown since then?

 

Will be repeated on TPTV at 12.35 on Feb 9th - and presumably also available on their catch-up services.

 

I also came across this BNA Blog post: https://blog.british...-of-ruth-ellis/

[Vitesse2]

Another Blakely/Ellis TV series in the works, for broadcast in March: My grandmother Ruth Ellis was hanged but she deserves a pardon