49 replies to this topic

[cooper997]

This comes about after encouragement from rupertlt1 on the 'Lost Lotus Elevens' thread, http://forums.autosp...-elevens/page-4 having posted the following Lotus Eleven photo for possible identification. Dug out from a couple of boxes of 'stuff' from Englishman, Peter Coleby,

 

 

I've pondered it a little and had a search to see if there's a suitable existing thread. There was one BARC related thread for the rejected BARC Gazette feature mentioned over on the Lotus thread, but in the end the decision was made to start something fresh.

 

Peter was obviously involved with RAF duties to receive his 'Distinguished Flying Cross'. He was a member of the BARC and an enthusiast of eclectic motors, The occasional of which he competed with in England. Before making what would have been a huge decision in 1959, packing his bags and moving his family to Australia. Settling in to life 'down under' on the outshirts of Melbourne and continuing his motoring adventures.

 

I shall get to the rejected BARC feature mentioned on the Lotus Eleven thread, but in the meantime, here's his story published in the 10 March 1961 issue of Autosport.

 

 

Hopefully Rupert will copy and paste his Coleby findings and photo links to this thread.

 

 

Stephen

[Rupertlt1]

In 1957 Peter Coleby competed at the following events:

Goodwood 25th Members Meeting, May 11 (5-lap handicap, Goggomobil entered by Rob Walker)

Mallory Park 1st Members Meeting, Aug 17

Goodwood 27th Members Meeting, Aug 31 (Goggomobil)

He did not trouble the scorers.

(Source: B.A.R.C. Yearbook, 1958.)

 

See:

 

https://revslib.stan...tem/xv493rp3426

 

Edit: https://library.revs...rc-27th-members'-meeting/413336

 

https://revslib.stan...log/np680yk0334

 

Edit: https://library.revs...rc-27th-members'-meeting/403008

 

Competed at Hants & Berks M.C. Great Auclum Speed Hill Climb, in 1957 in Goggomobil.

 

There is a letter from Peter Coleby, Motor Sport, Page 664, October 1958, lamenting the lack  of British minicars. Sent from Horsham, Surrey.

 

I would say XJH 781 is a lost Lotus Eleven - I can find no trace of it.

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 07 March 2022 - 07:04.

[cooper997]

Thank you to Rupert for adding the data and photos he has found regarding Peter Coleby.

 

Hopefully this works, as postimage, in their wisdom have a new system to get my head around.

What follows is the BARC letter sent to Peter Coleby in April 1959, having rejected a lengthy feature he had written for their Gazette. Once I post the feature you will get to understand why

 

[/url][url=https://postimage.org/]

 

Stephen

[Vitesse2]

Some biographical stuff from Ancestry and the London Gazette.

 

Peter Coleby appears to have been born in Midhurst, Sussex in 1918. Commissioned into the RAFVR 18/9/1943 as a Pilot Officer, promoted to war substantive Flying Officer 18/3/1944. Gazetted DFC 3/10/1944, serving with 226 Squadron (then a light bomber unit, part of 2 TAF). Temporarily commissioned as a Flight Lieutenant, June 1947, with seniority as of January 1947 - transferred to Aircraft Control Branch. Reverted to F/O, November 1947. Transferred to Reserve List, 1951. Promoted Flight Lieutenant January 1955 (still in the Reserve - commission extended for five years June 1955).

 

Married Patricia M Jones, Fulham, 1955. They presumably emigrated as 'ten pound Poms' - arrived Fremantle November 1959 on the Fairsky.

[cooper997]

Nice work Richard - thank you for that. I surmised Peter may have been born in the teens or early 20s, given his RAF duty, So your detective work helps with a year. Interesting they arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia. Maybe they thought they'd get off there and then trip around until they found somewhere to setup camp in Australia. As it turned out, on the opposite spectrum, that is the east coast of Australia - the outskirts of Melbourne.

 

What follows is Peter's rejected BARC Gazette feature, a mere 57 and a bit, years to be published! It's long for starters - 7 full foolscap pages. So full in fact I couldn't scan all of page 2 in one hit - hence the 2 half pages. It doesn't have much in the way of motor racing, but does have an insight to one man's efforts to keep his shoestring motoring 'on the road' and indeed confirm that his motor racing efforts (see Rupert’s list) were run on enthusiasm and the smell of an oily rag! He is, but one of thousands in that respect and no doubt because of his RAF service needed an adrenaline fix to continue the ‘high’ of those flying days.

 

The 2 photos shown were also submitted and returned.

 

 

 

The Coleby Austin Seven in original form. One of many that donated its identity for an intended life in motor sport

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Coleby 2CV and A7 'Poppy' stripped down to its bare bones.

 

Stephen

[Vitesse2]

Nice work Richard - thank you for that. I surmised Peter may have been born in the teens or early 20s, given his RAF duty, So your detective work helps with a year. Interesting they arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia. Maybe they thought they'd get off there and then trip around until they found somewhere to setup camp in Australia. As it turned out, on the opposite spectrum, that is the east coast of Australia - the outskirts of Melbourne.

Stephen

Their intended final destination is shown as Melbourne. Only a very few people actually disembarked at Fremantle, most of whom look to have been already resident in Australia. Most people's address in Australia is given as 'Immigration Department, Melbourne'. And it's an Australian Department of Health 'quarantine list' form, with a doctor's name at the top, so - and I'm guessing here - presumably health checks were done on the last leg of the voyage?

[cooper997]

Thank you for the clarification and additional information,Richard.

 

Amongst the couple of boxes of Coleby stuff there's about 8 photos of Austin Seven-based specials for inspiration and a couple of what one could say is Peter's concept drawings for his intended special..

 

Here's 2 photos of one of the specials. If you know more then please tell us.

 

 

 

More to follow

 

Stephen

[fuzzi]

FLN 905 is on the latest (May 2005) Austin Seven Chassis Register. Identified as a Special finished in red. I will ask on the austinsevenfriends.com site if anyone has more information. 

[Perruqueporte]

His article may have been thought inappropriate by the BARC in period, but it's a wonderful slice of social history from my perspective today.

Thank you for reproducing it here.

Christopher W.

[cooper997]

Yes you've summed the feature up well, Christopher. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Touches on what would become the failing of the British motor industry too.

 

Stephen

[cooper997]

fuzzi, having seen your post here, I googled and found your post on Austin Seven friends forum. I'm not so sure that FLN 905 was Peter's. More just inspiration for what he intended to build. But I may be wrong on that and he may have completed his car before heading to Australia in late 1959. Just guessing but that would mean he built it in about 6 months though. Which might have been a tough ask given his budget constraints mentioned in his above features.

 

I don't have a visible numberplate photo of his standard Austin Seven before it was stripped. If there was then that would help with a rego number and whether it was FLN 905.

 

When I get a chance I'll add more Austin Seven special photos of...

TK 3410

GP 825-  (might be a number hidden behind the front wheel)

GW 82

BPC 768

 

Stephen

[Vitesse2]

Thank you for the clarification and additional information,Richard.

 

Amongst the couple of boxes of Coleby stuff there's about 8 photos of Austin Seven-based specials for inspiration and a couple of what one could say is Peter's concept drawings for his intended special..

 

Here's 2 photos of one of the specials. If you know more then please tell us.

 

 

 

More to follow

 

Stephen

The road sign in the second picture indicates it was taken in Horsham. The A24 now bypasses the town, with the old route now being the B2237; this looks to have been further diverted round the pedestrianised area, so it's probably taken in the short pedestrian section between Bishopric and West Street, which appears to have undergone wholesale redevelopment.

[RogerFrench]

Stephen, I recognize several of those Austin Seven registration numbers, and though I'd love to see the pictures, they don't have much to do with Coleby. That's TK3410 in my avatar, for example.
Interesting thread this!

Edited by RogerFrench, 21 June 2016 - 10:18.

[austinharris]

And GW 82 is the well known TT Ulster, not a special.

[Perruqueporte]

Yes you've summed the feature up well, Christopher. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

Touches on what would become the failing of the British motor industry too.

 

Stephen

My first direct sight of that failing was at Longbridge the month that the Maxi was launched.  I was a teenager and had gone there with a bunch of other hopefuls for a three-day introduction to BL's sandwich courses.  They put us up at Haseley Manor and bused us to Longbridge each day.  On the last day we were being spoken to by a senior person in the conference room above the main gate, when the speaker suddenly stopped proselytising and told us to come and look at one of the new cars being driven out for a test run.  As we were watching, the Maxi expired in a cloud of steam or smoke, and two uniformed gate-keepers rushed out with a tarpaulin which they draped over the car before pushing it back into the works.  I can't remember what our speaker said.  Clever but under-developed car, in my view.  I had one some years later, that suffered lots of abuse without complaint, and of which I was very fond.  But it was a rolling advertisement for that dreadful failing.  I never did a BL sandwich course, but opted for a dealer-sponsored Jaguar apprenticeship during which I spent much time working on BL cars!

 

Christopher W.

[cooper997]

Thanks for the Horsham location of the FLN 905 photos, Richard. For those outside the UK, could you tell us the county please?

 

For Roger French and Austin Harris here's a couple more of the late 1950s Coleby Austin Seven photos. Unfortunately the photo of 'GW 82', identified by AH as a TT Ulster is way out of focus. But better than nothing.

 

 

 

Stephen

 

 

[Vitesse2]

Horsham, Sussex. Until just now I wasn't even aware there were two!

[Allan Lupton]

TK 3410 is wearing comp. no. 37c and is in the Silverstone paddock which points to it being at the 750MC Six-Hour Relay race.

[austinharris]

Thanks, always interesting to see more photos of known cars. Love the rear wing brackets on TK!

[cooper997]

Here's another couple of Austin Seven's snapped by Peter Coleby.

 

With Allan's lead it would appear that the above 37C TK 3410 and 37D below do indeed relate to the August 1959 750MC 6 Hour at Silverstone. The August 21 issue of Autosport carries the report and 37D is featured in one of the report photos.

 

As I suspected in an earlier post GP 825 is missing a visible number. Difficult to read clearly from Autosport, but suspect either 9 or 4 is the missing number. The caption mentions this car to be Roy Lee's Ulster.

 

Within the Autosport report is mention of the Lee car being blood orange and the Sammy Davis/Earl of March 1930 Brooklands 500 mile race winner. That should have the Austin Seven gurus knowing the exact rego number.

 

 

 

Stephen

Edited by cooper997, 23 June 2016 - 00:27.

[cooper997]

I can only make a wild assumption that this photo was taken at the 750MC 6 Hour

 

 

Stephen

[austinharris]

GP 8254 is still around, see here, there are a couple of photos of it in 1945 on my site here.

 

It's a standard ulster and isn't one of the team cars, you can tell as it doesn't have the full "TT" tank and also the body isn't the narrow version.

 

The winning car is seen here. 

 

No one is sure which of the surviving bits are from which cars, and I guess we will never know.

Edited by austinharris, 28 June 2016 - 12:53.

[cooper997]

A couple more items from the Coleby boxes...

 

I guess many of us can relate to drawing cars. These 2 must be Peter trying to get some inspiration for his intended Austin Seven project.

 

Obviously one was the long wheelbase model!

 

 

 

Stephen

[cooper997]

Posted to facebook on Wednesday by Hugh Coleby. I assume son of Peter.

 

 

Note the June 1958 Brands Hatch damage to the Goggo

https://www.facebook...1&theater&ifg=1

 

Stephen

Edited by cooper997, 16 April 2020 - 05:10.

[Rupertlt1]

There is a picture of Peter Coleby in the Goggomobil at Goodwood, May 1957 in the book:

The Glory of Goodwood: The Spiritual Home of British Motor Racing

(Presumably May 11th, 25th Members' Meeting)

RGDS RLT

[cooper997]

Thanks Rupert. Finally had a chance to dig out the book. Revealing the photo you mention on page 161. That then made me check Autosport and sure enough the 17/5/57 issue has the report for the Sat, 11/5/57 BARC Members' meeting. Also showing a photo of the Rob Walker-owned, Peter Coleby-driven Goggomobil TPG 158 taking out the Goodwood 350cc class record in the fireball.

 

Stephen

[Rupertlt1]

Firle Hill Climb, BARC East Sussex/Bentley D.C., 2 June 1957

"First car on the starting grid

was Mr. P. Coleby in a smart

little red Goggomobil that went

buzzing up the course like an

electric sewing machine, but be-

ing only a quarter of the size of

most of the other cars in its

class, it was not surprising that

R. Shaw in an Abarth-Fiat was

the class winner. A husband

and wife team, Mr. and Mrs. A

Walton-Jones, coming from near-

by Eastbourne, took second and

third places in this event re-

spectively driving the same

Ford."

Sussex Agricultural Express, Friday 7 June 1957, Page 9

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 19 October 2019 - 14:56.

[Rupertlt1]

Goodwood May 11th 1957, B.A.R.C. 25th Members' Meeting

N. W. Graham, in another Berkeley, broke the 350 c.c. class record set up earlier in the meeting by P. Coleby, a novice driver in the first Goggomobil to race at Goodwood. Graham's time was 2min. 30.6 sec. (equal to 57.37 m.p.h.) compared with the Goggomobil record of 2min. 46.4sec. (51.92 m.p.h.).

Bognor Regis Observer, Friday 17 May 1957

 

RGDS RLT 

Edited by Rupertlt1, 19 October 2019 - 18:03.

[cooper997]

I had an email from Tony Johns (yes the former motoring book seller) yesterday. As he explains he knew Peter Coleby through their Austin 7 interests and a photo already posted here of TK3410 brought back some memories and the attached photos. Also, while on the subject of Peter Coleby in recent times his son, Hugh has been posted on social media some period Aussie motor sports photos from not long after they arrived from the UK. 

 

Hello Stephen

Nigel Tait has just sent me a photo of my first Austin 7 racing car that I believe is on Facebook, which I am not. I have just found your fantastic story on the Nostalgia Forum on Peter Coleby who I remember from my Austin racing days.

As soon as I saw your photo of the Ulster with the number plate TK3410 the alarm bells started to ring. The first photo shows the Ulster team with me on the right standing next to it taken at Silverstone in June 1974 before the start of the 750 Club Six Hour Relay race.

 

The other photo (colour) taken at the 1974 VSCC Prescott Hillclimb shows me driving to a third in class trophy,  which I proudly display in my study.

At the time it was one of two Ulsters owned by Martin Eyre and before Martin, Reg Nice.

 

From left. Martin Eyre, Jack French (Team Manager), Reg Nice, Barry Clark 41B, not sure and me.

By the way I have several photos taken by me in 1974 of GW82 when it was owned by Mike Eyre.

  

Tony

 

 

1974 750MC Relay Team

 

Tony at August 1974 VSCC Prescott

 

All added with TJ's permission

 

Stephen

 

[Vitesse2]

Some biographical stuff from Ancestry and the London Gazette.

 

Peter Coleby appears to have been born in Midhurst, Sussex in 1918. Commissioned into the RAFVR 18/9/1943 as a Pilot Officer, promoted to war substantive Flying Officer 18/3/1944. Gazetted DFC 3/10/1944, serving with 226 Squadron (then a light bomber unit, part of 2 TAF). Temporarily commissioned as a Flight Lieutenant, June 1947, with seniority as of January 1947 - transferred to Aircraft Control Branch. Reverted to F/O, November 1947. Transferred to Reserve List, 1951. Promoted Flight Lieutenant January 1955 (still in the Reserve - commission extended for five years June 1955).

 

Married Patricia M Jones, Fulham, 1955. They presumably emigrated as 'ten pound Poms' - arrived Fremantle November 1959 on the Fairsky.

Another snippet - new stuff turns up all the time! Mr & Mrs Coleby are on the electoral roll in 1957 at 7 Matheson Rd, London W14, a typical West London Victorian mid-terrace town house - you can see the building on Google Street View and even then it seems to have been split into at least three flats. It's also possible this might have been his second marriage, as I've spotted a Peter Coleby getting married in Midhurst in 1946. Can't find him on the 1939 Register, so he was perhaps already in the RAF by then; maybe the commission was from a previous rank of Sergeant Pilot?

[richardspringett]

Thanks all....just wanted to say how much pleasure these posts have given me. Absolutely no connection or knowledge of the people or indeed not great interest in the cars, Goggos? But his passion is touching, his writing is evocative of my era...

 

The pleasure is purely in the dogged research and care and interest in the postings.

 

good on you guys....

 

Richard

[cooper997]

Upon Tony Johns discovery of this thread, he's mentioned to me that he recalls posters within this thread. Allan Lupton and suspects that Roger French could be related (son?) of Jack French, builder of 'Simplicity' - Tony would like to make contact with you gents.

 

 

Here's some more of Tony's Austin 7 related info/photos that again ties together photos taken by Peter Coleby and shown earlier in this thread.

 

"I took the photos of Mike Eyre’s Austins at his St Johns Wood office in 1973. As well as the TT Ulster and Grasshopper he also owned

a 1924 Standard Sports and a 1934 Speedy. All fully restored. He came to Lake Eyre as an offical timekeeper. He once said to me he chose timekeeping they were paid an annual allowance to have their stopwatches serviced."

 

 

 

and Tony competing in TK3410 at the 1974 VSCC Oulton Park meeting

 

Stephen

 

[Allan Lupton]

Mike Eyre owned at least ten Austin 7s at one time. He was a heavily-built man who must have had to put an Austin 7 on, rather as one puts on a wellington boot. More in scale was a single-seat Cooper with a US engine which he raced fairly quickly. When he was Chairman of the Eight Clubs we used to meet in the boardroom of his St John's Wood offices. He acted as Chief Timekeeper at the Eight Clubs' Silverstone meeting for many years.

I was one of the handicappers for the Eight Clubs which led to handicapping a series of Austin 7 races for the 750 Motor Club until 1989. I find I still have a duplicate book of that time but the competitors are only identified by comp. numbers so I can't tell who raced where.

[RogerFrench]

Tony is correct, Jack was my father, and I will get in touch.
GW 82 is of course a historic Austin, not least of its accomplishments being winner of the very first 750 formula race, piloted by Charles Bulmer.

[Doug Nye]

I'm a latecomer to this wonderful thread - having only just opened it for the first time while enjoying the first of today's cups of tea. I am not surprised that John Morgan of the BARC rejected Peter Coleby's article for the 'Gazette'. It was certainly too long for them to publish in its entirety but its content included statements that would have been pretty much anathema to Morgan and to many BARC members. Singing the praises of foreign-made cars such as Citroen and particularly Volkswagen - "They're German for heaven's sake!" - in contrast to home products - manufactured by BARC entrants and/or effective sponsors - would have had some of them really spluttering their morning tea... By 1958 reality was in fact dawning, but attitudes rife five or ten years earlier still imbued the Club's senior membership.

 

"The regrettable shortcomings..." of British products, indeed - grumph, mumph. That lovely article could easily have been edited down to a feasible length, but I can imagine how John Morgan would have scanned it briefly, then binned it. Next...  

 

DCN

[ReWind]

It seems Peter Coleby died as early as 1980 if this piece actually refers to him. (But what/where is “Harc, Australia”?)

[Vitesse2]

It's a typo for Harcourt, in the state of Victoria, Reinhard.

[ReWind]

Thanks, Richard.

[cooper997]

The Harcourt scenario potentially helps make sense of how my late uncle came to have the 2 boxes (plus probably other stuff to on sell). John Dalton moved to Maldon in 1984 and would have been looking for motoring related 'stuff' from cars to ephemera. Both Harcourt and Maldon aren't that far from the major central Victoriian city of Bendigo. Where each November one of Australia's biggest and longest running swap meets takes place.

 

Stephen

[MarkBisset]

Fascinating thread Stephen,

 

mark 

[Rupertlt1]

There is an article by Peter Coleby in Autosport, 24 October 1958, Pages 542, 544, 545: "LIMIT MAN" Peter Coleby muses over a season's "marginal motor-racing" with a Goggomobil.

 

"with our move down to Horsham"

 

See also: Peter Coleby Describes a New Australian Circuit, Autosport, 2 February 1962, Pages 175-176.

 

Still no sign of Lotus XI, XJH 781? This is a Hertfordshire registration from May 1956 or later?

Graham Hill drove the Lotus XI-Ford, XJH 902, first race on 9 June 1956 at Oulton Park. Presumably 'our' car was registered May-June 1956, purchased by somebody who lived close to the Lotus works?

Is the picture taken in the paddock at Goodwood?

Club Lotus Team at the 750 M.C. Relay, Silverstone, 18 August 1956: 

I. W. R. Martin, P. Ashdown, G. B. Hewitt, W. H. Ellis, M. Zervudachi, A. T. Bik

 

Mark Zervudachi — "very smart dark blue Lotus-Climax"

 

RGDS RLT

Edited by Rupertlt1, 04 March 2022 - 11:13.

[CooperMK9]

Interesting and informative post especially for me at the moment as Peter Coleby's eldest son Bill has been in touch with me to do a small article on his Father and involvement with Eric Fernihough who set land speed records on a Brough Superior. I have nearly completed the article for the Brough Superior Club so this post was quite informative about Peter's life after the 1937 record breaking attempt. 

 

Peter Coleby was one of the team that assisted Eric Fernihough set the Motorcycle Land Speed Record in 1937 beating Ernst Henne sponsored heavily by Hitlers Third Reich. Germany threw everything they could at gaining the Land Speed Record closing the Autobahn for the attempt. Eric Fernihough took his 2 Brough Superiors with homemade aluminium fairing which Peter Coleby then aged 19 had hand beaten. The Germans would not let him use the Auotobahn so instead they had to travel to Hungary as Britain did not allow speed testing on its roads. Eric, Peter and RC Rowland loaded the bikes on to a Fordson Van and made the 2,000 mile round trip to Gyon, Hungary where he beat Henne's records and was acclaimed "The Worlds Fastest' setting the flying Kilometre, standing start kilometre and then in the same hour went off and did the same with Motorcycle and Sidecar.

 

Hitler was said to be furious so Henne went again and recovered the record with his works BMW, with Ferni set to wrestle it back in 1938 but again the Germans wouldn't allow him to use the autobahn so off again to Hungary. His first attempt in March 1938 being called off through bad weather but not without him recording the German invasion of Austria on his camera (his friend Dick Chapman who printed the negatives wondered with amazement how Eric was not arrested and shot!). I imagine he thought well i have done 2,000 miles for nothing so might as well make myself useful and handed them over to the War Office!!

 

On his second attempt later in 1938 he hit a record breaking speed on the outward leg but on the return leg he came off the road and died instantly. Peter was not with him that year. It is generally thought it was a side wind which the road suffered from being so open but Dick Chapman said on examination it turned out to be a seized rear piston. Unlike the Autobahn there was no sideways run off to lay the bike down and as the road in Gyon was narrow the bike hit a ditch destroying the bike and killing Eric.

 

Mike

[Doug Nye]

Ultimately, such a sad story.  Bespectacled 'Fernie' hardly looked like a 'super-hero speed king' but he was evidently a good engineer and a  capable, bold and courageous rider.  His garage just outside the Brooklands boundary became home to several other Track luminaries, and postwar - without checking I have always believed it to be the same site - to Tony Brooks's post-retirement motor company.

 

DCN

[Myhinpaa]

 

https://www.visordow...eric-fernihough

 

Footage from Brooklands Opening Meeting, 12th of March 1938: https://www.britishp...opening-meeting

[CooperMK9]

Ultimately, such a sad story.  Bespectacled 'Fernie' hardly looked like a 'super-hero speed king' but he was evidently a good engineer and a  capable, bold and courageous rider.  His garage just outside the Brooklands boundary became home to several other Track luminaries, and postwar - without checking I have always believed it to be the same site - to Tony Brooks's post-retirement motor company.

 

DCN

Hi Doug yes it became Tony Brooks garage.

 

M

[CooperMK9]

 

https://www.visordow...eric-fernihough

 

Footage from Brooklands Opening Meeting, 12th of March 1938: https://www.britishp...opening-meeting

Interestingly in the photo above of Eric in 1938 Peter Coleby wrote

 

Ferni pictured in 1938 outside the garage doors – note he has his arm under his jacket which was the result of an accident at the Swedish GP and his arm is pinned with stainless wood screws which would, one imagines, have hampered in him in his final and fatal attempt at the record and would have been a great disadvantage in manhandling such a bike at high speeds.

[tsrwright]

Ultimately, such a sad story.  Bespectacled 'Fernie' hardly looked like a 'super-hero speed king' but he was evidently a good engineer and a  capable, bold and courageous rider.  His garage just outside the Brooklands boundary became home to several other Track luminaries, and postwar - without checking I have always believed it to be the same site - to Tony Brooks's post-retirement motor company.

 

DCN

The surviving Fernihough papers tell us that the garage land and business was sold in 1939 to the Air Ministry after Fernihough's death in1938 and I understand Charles Blackenbury then leased it and maybe bought it subsequently. There is an article by Tony Hutchings in a  Brooklands magazine which gives more detail on later owners including Tony Brooks but I cannot put my hands on it at this moment. I'll post when I find it. The original Tower Garage was built in 1925/26 by WG Tarrant Ltd, who were well known local builders and developers. They sold it to Eric Fernihough who took it over in March 1932.

[Doug Nye]

Charles Brackenbury not 'Black'enbury.

 

He was the extrovert, bluffly outspoken Brooklands 'character' and one of only 16 (I think) drivers to lap the Brooklands Outer Circuit at over 130mph. 

 

He ran seriously foul of the official Brooklands establishment when Prince Chula ushered 'Bira' forward into a place left vacant on the starting grid by a non-starter.  Stopping their car alongside 'Brack', the Siamese cousins - and especially the enormously entitled and often rather haughty Chula - raised his wrath.

 

Cyril Posthumus told me how apparently 'Brack' turned in his seat, waved then back vigorously and then roared "Get back! Get back whence you came - you coffee coloured monkeys!".

 

Even then, albeit when addressing royalty, this was utterly unacceptable - although it caused much hilarity - and Chula made absolutely darned sure that the BARC hierarchy running Brooklands heard absolutely all about it.

 

Brackenbury was issued with a ban and allegedly ordered to make a written apology to Chula and 'Bira'.  

 

DCN

[tsrwright]

Oops. Good story Doug.

[Rupertlt1]

Peter Coleby writes to us from

Toolern Vale, Victoria, Australia, with

a yarn of an exciting life. He is rushing

around over extremely varied roads,

in a Fiat 500. Now employed by B.P.

(Australia) Ltd. he is very happy, but

looking forward to the first of the

B.M.C. Mini cars which are due to 

arrive "downunder" any moment now.

B.A.R.C. Gazette, October 1960, Page 193

 

RGDS RLT