14 replies to this topic

[Ron Scoma]

Recalling a conversation with Rivers many many years ago... I believe he mentioned that Whitney Straight was married to Daphne Finch-Hatton.
Can anyone confirm this? Also did they have any children? I last heard she was living in NYC.
Thanks to all

Ron Scoma

[Hieronymus]

Ron

I can only quote from an article "Finishing Straight", that was written by Eoin Young and which was published in the April 2002 edition of CAR magazine.

" I interviewed Whitney in 1975.....on my way out, he intruduced me to his wife and daughter".

From this article it also seems that he got married circa 1934/35. Unfortunately no details is given with regards to the name of his wife and daughter.

[robert dick]

There was a longer report about Straight in a VSCC Bulletin of about 1976 or '77.
Don't have it here in my office, but can check it if necessary.

[Don Ludewig]

Ron,
Although not corroboration as it comes from the same source, writing about Straight in his book "Mostly Motor Racing", on page 212 Rivers says, " ... his engagement to Lady Daphne Finch-Hatton was announced..... My mother and I attended the wedding...". No date is listed, but as he was writing about the '34 and '35 seasons at that point, I expect "Heironymous" is right. Know nothing about "sprogs" or the Lady Daphne's whereabouts, but do have a related question: Was she any relation to Denys Finch-Hatton, the hunter/aviator who was a part of the authoress Isak Dinesin/Karen Blixen, aviatrix Beryl Markham, "Out Of Africa" group of the '20s and '30s?

[Doug Nye]

I was under the impression that Straight ceased racing upon his engagement to be married at the end of 1934 - i.e. he would not race into 1935, and was married early in 1935. Notice of the wedding will be in the contemporary magazines...forgive me as I won't take the time to look them up.

His wartime service was examplary, incidentally - as an already qualified pilot he became a Pilot Officer in 601 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force, early in 1939 (before hostilities began) and was then mobilised for full-time service on August 24, 1939.

He really made his name in the disastrous - for we British - Norwegian campaign in the Spring of 1940. He had already been promoted to the substantive rank of Squadron Leader and had a motley force based around Hurricanes but including Gladiator biplanes based on, I believe, frozen lakes such as Lake Lesjaskog (? spelling??), from the depths of which Gladiator airframes wre salvaged many years later, having sunk when the ice supporting them melted that summer.

He had been landed in Norway by the Navy in mid-April and within a couple of weeks of what was apparently regarded as exemplary leadership under extreme pressure he was wounded in an air raid upon the Lake 'aerodrome' and was evacuated under fire by the now severely mauled Naval force around April 25, 1940. He returned to active service that September, just in time for the final days of the Battle of Britain period, flying 601 Squadron Hurricane fighters.

He ended the war with the Military Cross, the Norwegian War Cross, was created Commander of the British Empire (CBE) and ultimately an Officer of the United States Legion of Merit. I think there was a Mention in Despatches crediting him as well...

He had been involved with the Air Transport Auxiliary and with the embryonic British Overseas Airways Corporation and was Managing Director of B.O.A.C. postwar.

He was rated by Giulio Ramponi - the great ex-Scuderia Ferrari former riding-mechanic-turned-engineer - as having been utterly brilliant as a racing driver, better than Seaman.

He is also recalled today by one pre-war Brooklands/postwar Goodwood-Silverstone racer (who is incidentally as 'straight' as a stallion) as having "...had the most beautiful body I have ever seen on a man..." (!).

In short, one of those fabulously gifted all-rounder blokes whose inborn capabilities just make normal mortals greeeen with envy...

DCN

[Vitesse2]

Doug: has anyone ever investigated the archives at Dartington Hall re Whitney Straight? As you're no doubt aware, he was the son of Dorothy Whitney Straight, who later married Leonard Elmhirst and jointly set up with him an experimental community and school. Dorothy was a great letter-writer and I know the archive has reams and reams of her correspondence. Whitney himself gets a few mentions in Michael Young's book "The Elmhirsts of Dartington" - might be an interesting source?

[Ron Scoma]

Once again, invoking Rivers... Daphne Margarita Finch Hatton was Denys Finch Hatton's sister born in 1913.

Daphne also was involved, for a brief period of time, with this guy who wrote a book based on someone who watched birds. Ian Flemming needs no introduction from me. She had a ... uh... er.... "less than favourable impression" of him so I was told.
I do know she collected Faberge so I sent off a letter to Wartski to see what they might say but, understandably, probably nothing will come of that.
She was (is) the daughter of the Earl of Winchilsea.
The "Straight" name, in America, is very prominent. They have given much, both time and money, to various organizations. I believe they were descended from Eli Whitney, the inventor of gin, or was it the cotton gin..... anyway, one of them married a Vanderbilt and was involved in horse racing. He died recently.
Whitney gave up racing when he committed matrimony as a promise to his wife (he must have REALLY depleted the family coffers). Daphne wanted nothing to do with his racing life and refused to even discuss it for the longest time.
They did set up an experimental school and community too I believe. There is a Straight Hall at Cornell University in New York.
For what it's worth, and it aint much..., I have some of his 16mm films taken with the Maserati in the 30s. Something like 8 reels or so. Some Bentley stuff too.
I am sort of interested in the man because, over the objections of my then wife, we (I) named our son Whitney in honour of the American who went to England and raced. He, my son, held his own by completely destroying his car within 3 weeks of getting his license. Took out a fire hydrant (plug) also...

Another "interesting" person was Baron d'Erlanger's (Bentley Boy) sister (or was it his wife), Bebe. She shows up in various "society" reports from Monaco and Paris of the period. Again, the name d'Erlanger is very prominent in America.

It seems that there was an entire group of these well to do ne'er-do-wells who did nothing but get involved in fast cars and fast living, an example to us all if I may say so.
Somehow, I can't imagine Schumacher or Coulthard doing that. Montoya and Salo.... perhaps.
Cheers,

Ron

[Doug Nye]

Originally posted by Ron Scoma
It seems that there was an entire group of these well to do ne'er-do-wells who did nothing but get involved in fast cars and fast living, an example to us all if I may say so.

Ron - I'm pretty confident this throw away line was not intended as your summary of Whitney Straight - but just for the record I'd like to offer my opinion that one thing he NEVER WAS, was a "ne'er do well". He was an extraordinarily organised and focused man who did a brilliant job in almost everything he attempted...

DCN

[Hieronymus]

Originally posted by Doug Nye
I was under the impression that Straight ceased racing upon his engagement to be married at the end of 1934 - i.e. he would not race into 1935, and was married early in 1935. Notice of the wedding will be in the contemporary magazines...forgive me as I won't take the time to look them up.

His wartime service was examplary, incidentally - as an already qualified pilot he became a Pilot Officer in 601 Squadron, Auxiliary Air Force, early in 1939 (before hostilities began) and was then mobilised for full-time service on August 24, 1939
DCN

I had a further look to see what I could find on Whitney. A few magazine articles have been published over the years on his life, here in South Africa.

- He did get married in 1935, shortly after winning the first SA Grand Prix held in East London on 27 Dec. 1934. He opted out of racing after getting married, "I didn't feel that motor racing and marraige mixed."

- At sixteen he flew solo and on his 17th birthday he became the youngest licensed pilot in Britain.

Another interesting story I stumbled upon:

In 1934 Whitney arrived at Pescara for the Coppa Acerbo with his Maserati and was faced by the mighty German teams. A telegram from Mussolini was waiting for him at his hotel. It more or less read, "we don't care whether or not you kill yourself, we expect you to uphold the honour of Italy..."

Apparently Whitney was shot down over France during WW2 and spent 10 months in a concentration camp before escaping to Britain.

[robert dick]

Report (by Eoin Young) in the VSCC Bulletin no. 139 - Autumn 1978 :

The name of Straight's wife is not mentionned.

[Rob29]

I have a book by Diana Barnato-Walker 'Spreading My Wings' Post-war she had a relationship with Straight which produced a son- Barney.

[Ron Scoma]

Rob 29 said...

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Which just so happens to be Wolf's (Barnato) fathers name.

Ron

[VAR1016]

Originally posted by Ron Scoma
Whitney gave up racing when he committed matrimony as a promise to his wife (he must have REALLY depleted the family coffers).
Ron

I am not sure that this is true; as DCN states, he was well organised. His racing operation was I recall, run as a company apparently profitably.

And aside from that, from what I have read, I suspect that the family coffers would have required an operation on the scale of the BRM V16 to dent them!

PdeRL

[Ron Scoma]

Originally posted by VAR1016


I am not sure that this is true; as DCN states, he was well organised. His racing operation was I recall, run as a company apparently profitably.

And aside from that, from what I have read, I suspect that the family coffers would have required an operation on the scale of the BRM V16 to dent them!

PdeRL

Of course you and Doug are correct, he was both well organized and methodical. Both at Cambridge and throughout his life. But he was also spending money at a very rapid rate with his activities at University and with racing. As I recall there was something in the Rob Walker book about that but I don't have the book in front of me to check.
Depleting the family coffers is all relative. He had sufficient resources to support his hobbies. But I have a feeling that his family put a stop to some of those.
I guess I would have to say that if someone like Straight married someone like Finch Hatton today, it would require Justice Dept. approval.... (due to US anti trust laws <~~ small attempt at humour, you judge exactly how small...).

Anyway, I did not mean to impeach his character by referring to him as a ne'er do well. I suspect that's the last thing a Cambridge man would be.
However certain people of the period, various Bentley Boys, Home Kidston just to name a few, that ran with the "Right Crowd" did have a reputation for... well... "having fun" before the indignity of a purposeful life reared it's ugly head.

Ron

[Doug Nye]

Originally posted by Ron Scoma
Anyway, I did not mean to impeach his character by referring to him as a ne'er do well. I suspect that's the last thing a Cambridge man would be.

....Ron!!! Just like their counterparts from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell...etc etc etc.... probably very similar output of jailbirds, fraudsters, philanderers, drunks, small-furry-mammal-botherers... estate agents... accountants... journalists... politicians ... choose the vice...

DCN