The Official Race Card for the Brooklands Bank Holiday Meeting on August 3, 1931, offers the following information:
Race 1 ("About 12 miles") - THE FIRST AUGUST MOUNTAIN HANDICAP - "Start and finish opposite the Paddock..."
No 1 - R. Mays Invicta
2 - V.S.Balls Talbot
3 - L.C. Rawlence OM
4 - A.O.Mathieson OM
5 - A.N.L. Maclachlan Lea-Francis
6 - J.C. Elwes Austin
7 - P. Fotheringham-Parker Alvis
8 - W.E. Humphreys Amilcar
9 - G.K. Marriott Frazer-Nash
10 - A. Bevan Bentley
11 - V. Gillow Riley
12 - T.G. Clarke Lea-Francis
14 - J.A. Robinson Bugatti (reserve entry)
15 - Oliver Bertram Vauxhall
16 - W.G. Fiske Alvis (reserve entry)
17 - I.M.C. Hepburn MG
18 - E.C.H. Randall Austin
Race 2 ("About 2 3/4 miles") - THE FIRST AUGUST ONE-LAP SPRINT HANDICAP - "Railway Start..."
No 1 - E.L. Bouts Sunbeam
2 - Mrs E.L. Meeson Vauxhall
3 - R.J. Munday Vauxhall
4 - Jack Dunfee Ballot
5 - T.H. Wisdom Frazer-Nash (reserve)
6 - J.A. Welch Bugatti
7 - J.H. Bartlett Salmson
8 - A.H. Beadle Bugatti (reserve)
9 - W.G. Fiske Alvis (reserve)
10 - A.L Baker Salmson
11 - V.S. Balls Austin
12 R. Pauling Riley (reserve)
14 - I.M.C. Hepburn MG
Race 3 ("About 6 1/2 miles)" - THE LONDON LIGHTNING SHORT HANDICAP - "Pond Start"
No 1 - K.J. Thomson Delage
2 - E.L. Bouts Sunbeam (reserve)
3 - T.G.V. Selby Bugatti
4 - Mrs E.L. Meeson Vauxhall
5 - R.J. Munday Vauxhall
6 - D.G. Evans Bugatti
7 - A.W. Fox Talbot
8 - L.C. Rawlence OM
9 - H.W. Purdy Thomas Special (reserve)
10 - J.R. Jeffress Bugatti
11 - W.J.F.S. Wilson Sunbeam
12 - A. Bevan Bentley (reserve)
14 - J.H. Bartlett Salmson
Race 4 ("About 6 1/2 miles") - LONDON JUNIOR SHORT HANDICAP - "Pond Start"
No 1 - E.L. Bouts Sunbeam (reserve)
2 - J.A. Welch Bugatti
3 - A.F. Ashby Riley
4 - Oliver Bertram Vauxhall
5 - H.T.H. Clayton Amilcar
6 - W.E. Humphreys Amilcar
7 - Sir Herbert Austin Austin (entered by L. Cushman)
8 - G.D.M. Blackwood Vauxhall
9 - W.N. Couper Lagonda
10 - V.S. Balls Talbot
11 - J.W.H. Nash Riley
12 - E.N. Ward Riley
14 - V.S. Balls Austin
15 - G.L Baker Minerva
16 - G.G.L. Willis B.C. Special
17 - J.H.P. Clover MG (reserve)
18 - Major A.T.G. Gardner MG
19 - V.E. Horsman Triumph
Race 5 ("About 12 miles") - THE SECOND AUGUST MOUNTAIN HANDICAP - "Start and finish opposite the Paddock..."
No 1 - Sir H.R.S. Birkin, Bt Maserati
2 - W.B. Scott Delage
3 - Sir R.F. Gunter Bt Mercedes (reserve)
4 - R. Mays Invicta
5 - A.W. Fox Talbot
6 - T.H. Wisdom Frazer-Nash
7 - J.H. Bartlett Salmson
8 - W.M. Couper Lagonda
9 - W.J.F.S. Wilson Sunbeam
10 - J.R. Jeffress Bugatti
11 - D.G. Evans Bugatti
12 - R.T. Horton Horton Special
14 - V.S. Balls Austin
15 - F. Hallam Lagonda
16 - W.A. Cuthbert Lagonda
17 - T.S. Fothringham Bugatti
Race 6 ("About 2 3/4 miles") - THE SECOND AUGUST ONE-LAP SPRINT HANDICAP - "Railway Start..."
No 1 - K.J. Thomson Delage
2 - W.B. Scott Delage
3 - E.L. Bouts Sunbeam
4 - C. Brackenbury Bugatti
5 - T..S. Fothringham Bugatti (reserve)
6 - R.T. Horton Horton Special (reserve)
7 - L.C. Rawlence OM (reserve)
8 - Sir Herbert Austin (entered by L.A. Cushman)
9 - W.E. Humphreys Amilcar
10 - P. Fotheringham Parker Alvis
11 - V. Gillow Riley
12 - F. Hallam Lagonda (reserve)
14 - G.G.L. Willis B.C. Special
Race 7 ("About 9 miles") - THE LONDON JUNIOR LONG HANDICAP - "Pond Start..."
No 1 - W.J.F.S. Wilson Sunbeam
2 - C. Brackenbury Bugatti
3 - A.Bevan Bentley
4 - E.J.J. Leatham Lea-Francis
5 - J.A. Welch Bugatti
6 - A.H. Beadle Bugatti (reserve)
7 - W.E. Humphreys Amilcar
8 - H.T.H. Clayton Amilcar
9 - W.G. Fiske Alvis (reserve)
10 - Sir Herbert Austin (entered by L. Cushman)
11 - V.S. Balls Talbot
12 - G.D.M. Blackwood Vauxhall
14 - W.M. Couper Lagonda
15 - Frank Hallam Lagonda (reserve)
16 - G.L. Baker Minerva
17 - G.G.L. Willis B.C. Special
18 - J.H.P. Clover MG
19 - Major A.T.G. Gardner MG
20 - V.E. Horsman Triumph
4.25pm Attempts on the Brooklands Flying Lap Record
Mrs G.M. Stewart Derby-Miller
Captain Sir H.R.S.Birkin, Bart. Bentley
Race 8 ("About 12 miles") - THE THIRD AUGUST MOUNTAIN HANDICAP - "Start and finish opposite the Paddock..."
No 1 - W.K. Faulkner Bugatti
2 - W.G. Fiske Alvis
3 - W. Esplen Talbot
4 - J.C. Davies Mercedes
5 - W.W. Straight Riley
6 - R. Pauling Riley
7 - W.A. Cuthbert Riley
8 - E.N. Ward Riley
9 - I.M.C. Hepburn MG
10 - G.G.L. Willis B.C. Special
11 - N.W. Gardiner MG
12 - C.A. Paul Austin
14 - E.C.H. Randall Austin
15 - R.S.L. Boote Austin
16 - C.L. Guiver Salmson
Race 9 ("About 9 miles)" - THE LONDON LIGHTNING LONG HANDICAP - "Pond Start..."
No 1 - K.J. Thomson Delage
2 - The Hon D.W. Paget Bentley (entered by Sir H.R.S. Birkin, Bt)
3 - E.L. Bouts Sunbeam
4 - W.B. Scott Delage
5 - E.L. Bouts Sunbeam (sic)
6 - T.V.G. Selby Bugatti
7 - Mrs E.L. Meeson Vauxhall
8 - A.W. Fox Talbot
9 - H.W. Purdy Thomas Special
10 - Jack Dunfee Ballot (reserve)
11 - J.R. Jeffress Bugatti
12 - J.L. Ford Bugatti (reserve)
Race 10 ("About 2 1/2 miles") - THE 'DAILY SKETCH' OLD CROCKS RACE - "Paddock Start and Finish..."
32 entries ranging in date from 1894 and 1896 Benzes, through 1897 Vipen and several 1898 Panhard Levassors to 1903 Mercedes and 1904 Panhard Levassor, White steam car, Renault (claimed to have covered 300,000 miles in same family from new), a l'Astor ("used as light lorry"), while an 1899 Progress Voiturette was noted since "Rats lived in car for 22 years").
Digest the above and it tells us an awful lot about Great Depression-era Brooklands and its form of racing - and also of racing people - halfway between the end of the First World War and the outbreak of the Second.
DCN