67 replies to this topic

[VDP]

I would like more infos on those drivers, all those drovez in the thirties in Sport Cars

CH Wood,
ANP Mc Lachlan,
Alistair or Alastair Mc Robert,
Faulkner,
J Elliot,
C Headlam
Jim Elwes
Ernie Stapleton
TM Gay

Thanks Robert

[KJJ]

You can check out this site for some of the family background of Sir Alasdair MacRobert.

[VDP]

Thanks for it

Robert

[Vitesse2]

Jim Elwes ran a J4 Midget which he shared with Michael Watson. According to Mike Allison in "The Works MGs" (page 85) they were MG dealers in the Bournemouth area. But he contradicts himself on page 101, when he says Watson was from Brighton. So ...

Watson was killed in a fiery smash at Brooklands in the 1933 500 Miles. I'm not sure if Elwes raced again after that. At the inquest into Watson's death, Elwes' full name was given as James C Elwes and he was described as a "motor engineer", which partly ties in with what Mike Allison says, at least for Elwes. Watson's full name was Michael Bower Watson and he was buried at Tilford Church near Farnham, Surrey on September 20th 1933: not close to Bournemouth, but his widowed mother lived at Pirbright. However, in another twist, he was stated to have lived even further from Bournemouth at Bushey Avenue, Rustington-on-Sea in Sussex: he had been married for just 7 months, his wife Jean Ursula Watson (nee Furmedge) witnessing the fatal accident from the pits.

Sources: various articles and announcements in The Times between Sep 18th & 20th 1933.

Sorry there wasn't more about Elwes, Robert ;)

[RAP]

A 1935 advertisement for Cresta Motor Company selling special bodies for MGs lists A N L Maclachlan, J C Elwes, R C Elwes and C E C Martin as directors. The address is Broadwater Road WORTHING. For those not familiar with the area, Worthing is about 15 miles west of Brighton.

[VDP]

Richard and RAP
Thanks that s already much

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by RAP
A 1935 advertisement for Cresta Motor Company selling special bodies for MGs lists A N L Maclachlan, J C Elwes, R C Elwes and C E C Martin as directors. The address is Broadwater Road WORTHING. For those not familiar with the area, Worthing is about 15 miles west of Brighton.

And about 5 miles east of Rustington.

Interesting to see Charlie Martin (K3 and later ERA driver and 1937 AVUS winner) in the list of directors. He also had connections with Alan Hess, the secretary of the MG Car Club, and ran in Hess' semi-official team in the 1933 LCC Relay at Brooklands.

According to a poster on the MMM Register forum, Cresta Motors cars can be identified by an octagonal, green enamel badge, about 2" across and inscribed "Cresta Motor Company, Broadwater Road, Worthing". They were also agents for Hillman, Humber and others.

On reflection, Mike Allison is probably confusing Elwes or Watson with George Hartwell, who was also an MG agent in the 30s and ran a K3 for a while: he sold it to Sir Alasdair MacRobert ....

[VDP]

Thanks Richard, this is a great step, all those gentlemans went to spa the same year

Robert

[KJJ]

Faulkner is Falkner, see here

[Marc Ceulemans]

Falkner or Faulkner ?

In my notes about the 1936 Spa 24-Hour, I had Maurice F. L. Falckner (or Falkner). So this was the same man who took place in the 1936 Donington races mentioned in the excellent site of Leif Snellman.

His codriver at Spa in the Aston Martin was A. N. L. Mac Lachlan.

Other results about Faulkner (Falkner):
1935 TT, Sept 07, Aston Martin Ulster # 21, DNF.
1936 TT, Sep 05, Delahaye 135 #14 (with Mongin), DNF.
1937, June 19, The 150-mile Ulster Trophy Motor-car Race, MG, 8th.

[KJJ]

Falkner is the correct spelling as confirmed by the GRO Death index and Times marriage notice. If you google "F. L. Falkner" you might still catch sight of an ebay photo of Falkner and Clarke in the 1935 Mille Miglia, it's the first of the five Google entries.

A. N. L. Maclachlan, no doubt this is Alain Norman Latham Maclachlan, born 7th October 1905, died September 1984.

Can't any Aston Martin experts tell us about Stapleton ( his initials were E. C. W. ) and Gay

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by KJJ
Falkner is the correct spelling as confirmed by the GRO Death index and Times marriage notice.

... and the programme for the 1936 Donington GP

[Geoff E]

Originally posted by KJJ
Falkner is the correct spelling as confirmed by the GRO Death index

Darned if I could find his death but his birth was registered as FALKNER (added at the bottom of the page, for those who know about these things)

[humphries]

KJJ

I'm no Aston Martin expert but Ernest Charles William Stapleton was born at Higham's Place in 1915. He was an engineer and a company director, living at Ameriecourt, Pershore , Worcestershire in the Fifties.

John

[KJJ]

Originally posted by Geoff E


Darned if I could find his death but his birth was registered as FALKNER (added at the bottom of the page, for those who know about these things)

No doubt the Falkner data on Leif Snellman's site was provided by Adam F, who goes to the trouble of obtaining certificates to confirm actual dates. Falkner died in December 1966 and his death is actually indexed in the next quarter, Jan-Feb-Mar 1967. This often happens when an event occurs towards the end of a quarter.



Stapleton and Gay competed both pre and post war. As a mere Googliste I'm surprised that the more expert among us have not stepped in to tell all about Stapleton, he seems to have raced all over the place. Why Ernest even competed in that 1952 Charterhall race which might possibly have seen an appearance by the mysterious Mr O'Brien.

[Adam F]

No doubt the Falkner data on Leif Snellman's site was provided by Adam F, who goes to the trouble of obtaining certificates to confirm actual dates.

Ken, yes, I did obtain Falkner's death certificate - he died in a road accident on the A5, near Norton Canes.

Falkner's full name was Maurice Fitzgerald Laing Falkner, and he apparently had a printing company in Manchester (thanks to Roger Clark for this info). He lived at The Hermitage, on the outskirts of Holmes Chapel in Cheshire.

[VDP]

Richard

About Cresta, did'nt Bertelli Bodied cars for them ?
Falkner was also involved with AM Ulster LM 17 in 1935, with Clarke at the MM and Targa Abruzza, with an official entry ??

Robert

[KJJ]

Here's Headlam:

http://homepage.ntlw...s_of_whitby.htm

[KJJ]

Further to the story of William Headlam leaving his fortune to his nurse. In 1997 the nurse gave £900K to the islanders of Eigg to enable them to buy their island. The "Sunday Times" report mentions Headlam:

"Then in her early forties, she was taken on as a nurse to look after Phyllis Headlam, a former Tiller dancer and the wife of William Headlam, a shipping owner in Whitby. Following Headlam's recovery, Tanner stayed on at Raithwaite Hall, her employers' 18th-century home and estate. After they divorced in the early 1980s, she remained to nurse William Headlam, who was then ailing.

In his heyday, Headlam had indulged a passion for fast cars. Before the war, he had competed at Le Mans and at Spa in Belgium. He also raced a Ferrari and flew his own aircraft

But he seeemed to lose interest in life when the shipping industry plunged into recession in the late 1970s. He kept a ship fully crewed but mothballed at Hartlepool, having apparently forgotten it.

When he died aged 81 in August 1990, locals were amazed to discover that Headlam had left everything except a few thousand pounds to his nurse. Headlam's former wife, who was then remarried to a seaside hotelier, showed such magnanimity that it made the headlines. In 1991, she told a newspaper: "Good luck to her. He had to leave it to someone."

I'm afraid I find all this kind of stuff quite fascinating, apologies to those who don't!

[VDP]

Merci

In my list at Spa there is also an Alan R Philips entering a blower Aston Martin, I wonder if such conversion existed, who knows more about it.

Robert

[Vitesse2]

"Alan R Philips" might actually be Allan Rogers Phipps. Like John, I have no special knowledge of Aston Martin history, but Reggie Tongue's "High Speed Diary" has a number of references in relation to Aston Martins and an Alan [sic] Phipps who acted variously as a mechanic and co-driver with Reggie.

Allan Rogers Phipps was an American, the son of a Colorado senator called Lawrence C Phipps. After a reputed "love at first sight" encounter he married Doreen Evans, sister of Kenneth and Denis Evans - the "Bellevue Garage Evanses". The engagement was announced in The Times on May 6th 1936 and the ceremony took place on July 29th at St George's Church, Hanover Square. They moved to the USA where Doreen died in 1982.

[Vitesse2]

CH Wood: again an Aston Martin connection via Reggie Tongue. Wood was

... a wealthy individual whose everyday car was an Alfa Romeo, and was known as "Happy", largely because he always appeared so miserable. He worked at Aston for the fun of it; he had a substantial private income and had been an apprentice at Dennis, taking over the service department when LG Hornsted left.

Also more on Falkner: he was at Cambridge, a member of the University Motor Club and lived in Knutsford. He shared an Aston with Tongue at Le Mans in 1934 - their pit manager was SCH 'Sammy' Davis, no less. He was also joint entrant with Tommy Clarke of the Aston which Clarke and Seaman drove in the 1936 GP de l'ACF.

[Vitesse2]

Four competition successes for CH Wood:

10-15 Sep 1928 International 6-day Motorcycle Trial, Yorkshire. Part of the Scott team which won the 750cc team award (only entry!) Times 17/9/28 [Presumably the same chap!]

27 Sep 1930. Motor Cycling Club High Speed Reliability Trial, Brooklands. Best performance in unlimited class, in a 6597cc Bentley. Times 29/9/30

30 June 1934. Junior Car Club High Speed Reliability Trial, Brooklands. Special award, 1500cc class, in a 1500cc Aston Martin Times 2/7/34

14 Sep 1935. Motor Cycling Club High Speed Reliability Trial, Brooklands. Premier award, 1500cc class, in a 1500cc Aston Martin. Times 16/7/34

[VDP]

Thanks everybody for all the answers about those drivers

[VDP]

By the way HRG entered 3 cars in Spa what about those drivers
jack Scott
Neville Gee
Ray Brock
Bob Freeman Wright


Robert

[VDP]

Dorothy Stanley Turner wife of H Charles ? "Curly" Dryden. I recall I saw him in the results at Brooklands elsewhere
She tok part at Le mans and at the TT but what else for them

Robert

[Dutchy]

Originally posted by VDP
Merci

In my list at Spa there is also an Alan R Philips entering a blower Aston Martin, I wonder if such conversion existed, who knows more about it.

Robert

The well known Ulster CMC 614 was certainly blown at one time. I'm not sure if it's the same car but I can check later.

[KJJ]

Originally posted by VDP
Dorothy Stanley Turner wife of H Charles ? "Curly" Dryden. I recall I saw him in the results at Brooklands elsewhere
She tok part at Le mans and at the TT but what else for them

Robert

This from her Times obituary, Dorothy Stanley Turner was born November 12 1916, her father was a doctor in the airforce and a friend of Cecil Kimber of MG. Taught to drive by Mrs Chetwynd she competed at Brooklands and Donington pre-war, usually in an MG. Competed at Le Mans in 1937 with Enid Riddell. Held the Ladies record for Shelsey Walsh in an Alta. Competed in the Monte both pre and post war. Served in the W. A. A. F. She married Major H. C. (Peter) Dryden in 1945 - The Times does not mention her marriage to Dryden - married Air Commodore Geoffrey Tindall-Carill-Worsley in 1951. She died July 8th 1995. H. C. Dryden did compete at Brooklands, perhaps someone knows more about him?

There was another Curly Dryden, his forenames were Ronald Maura and there is a website about him by his grand-daughter here

[David McKinney]

Air Cdore Tindall-Carill-Worsley did some racing too

[VDP]

What about Ray(mond) Brock, I know he was the designer of the HRG prototype and that he owned a company selling or building scientific equipments and that he was the co-pilot of Lewis but which one ? year circa 1930 1933?

Robert

[David McKinney]

Ray Barrington-Brock drove HRGs in the Spa 24hrs in 1948 and 1949, finishing third in the 1500 class the first year and second the next

[KJJ]

Just looked up his Times obituary and Raymond Barrington Brock really should take pride of place in the current “Multi-talented drivers” thread. A Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry, he was also president of the Scientific Instrument Makers Association. Chief Air Raid Warden for the City of London during the Blitz, for which he was appointed MBE and made a Freeman of the City, he had qualified as a pilot in 1932 and shot at Bisley. He established the Oxted Viticultural Research Station, laying the foundations of the present day English wine industry. At 50 he was co-opted into the British Bobsleigh team as brakeman. A yachtsman, he also designed and built a steam launch, owned a colour printing works, a Renault franchise and an early computer firm. While in his eighties he took to restoring classic cars.

Barrington Brock also did some racing. Motorcycles at Brooklands pre-war, then as David said, third in class in the 1948 Spa 24 hour race, followed by 2nd in class in 1949, driving an HRG with a streamlined body of his own design. He abandoned circuit racing for Swiss hillclimbs in which he competed in a Healey special and a Jowett Javelin.

Born August 19th 1907, died February 14th 1999.

[VDP]

Wonderful

But I wonder still following the spa programme, that he was partner or copilot off "Lévis" or "Lewis" from 1930 till 1933. Could be he runner on side car ???

Robert

[KJJ]

Brock rode for the works Levis motorcycle team in the early 30s, guess this is what is being referred to.

[Vitesse2]

Falkner was a contributor to the BRDC Silver Jubilee Book, with an article called "On Driving in the Mille Miglia". In 1935 "the two elder MacRobert brothers" and their Speed 20 Alvis acted as his "spares tender".

[Allan Lupton]

Originally posted by KJJ
A. N. L. Maclachlan, no doubt this is Alain Norman Latham Maclachlan, born 7th October 1905, died September 1984.

He owned and raced a Lea-Francis Hyper (14132) from 1931, and was the owner of a single-seat Austin 7 special which is still called "The Maclachlan Austin" and has been owned by John Sutton for many years.
John may be able to tell you more.

http://www.motorsnip...ver=John Sutton

[Vitesse2]

Originally posted by VDP
Richard

About Cresta, did'nt Bertelli Bodied cars for them ?

Robert

According to Rivers Fletcher, in "MG Past and Present", Harry (not "Bert") Bertelli built "about twenty" special-bodied N-type Magnettes for Cresta. Harry's coachbuilding company - E Bertelli Ltd - operated from the same site as Aston Martin in Feltham. In addition to some special-bodied Astons, they produced bodies for (among others) Alvises, Rileys and Bentleys. They also built the single-seater body for Henken Widengren's Amilcar racer. (Additional source, Inman Hunter's "Aston Martin 1914-40")

[Doug Nye]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
Watson's full name was Michael Bower Watson and he was buried at Tilford Church near Farnham, Surrey on September 20th 1933

In an idle moment this morning as I was returning home from Farnham, I took a short detour to Tilford Churchyard, in the casual notion that it would be interesting to find Michael Watson's grave there. I failed but, as I scanned the headstone inscriptions, one on a rough-hewn cube of granite just about blew my mind...

Selwyn Francis Edge and his cousin, Cecil Edge. The antithesis of the obscure English driver?

DCN

[RTH]

I read his name only last week in connection with the history of AC Cars and Gordon Murray's involvement with its rebirth in Wales.

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Selwyn_Edge

[VDP]

Husband and wife Leavens drove a jowett at spa in 1953. Anything else about them ?

[KJJ]

Joyce Alice O'Hara Leavens (maiden surname Moore) is listed in the 1957 Motor Racing and Rallying Directory, she seems to have had a fair amount of success in the rallying field, co-driving with Nancy Mitchell. Looking at the births, deaths and marriages she was born 13th November 1910 and died March 2002.

Her husband was Charles Arthur Leavens, a Hampshire farmer (6 July 1909-2nd February 1986). Perhaps Barry Leavens was a relative or more likely Barry was just her husband's nickname.

[VDP]

another one Beris Harcourt Wood, once driver of a Blower Bentley anything else

Robert

[Vitesse2]

This might provide a lead or two for our genealogists.

A bit of research in The Times Online Archive reveals that Flying Officer Beris Harcourt Wood RAFVR married Mrs Barbara Hislop shortly after Dec 13th 1941. Nothing more until he attended a memorial service for his brother Captain Eric Harcourt Wood on April 26th 1960.

At the time of his death he lived in Brancaster, Norfolk: he died before Dec 11th 1968, when his (substantial) will was proved (although The Times called him Boris, not Beris). On May 16th 1972, Christies advertised some of the property of "the late Beris Harcourt Wood" for sale.

[VDP]

Thanks Richard

All what I know about him :

He drove an Amilcar at Brooklands and raced for Birkin s Bentley Blower

But what else

Robert

[VDP]

Samuelson and Kindell ofte paired with a MG Midget M

[Vitesse2]

Fred Kindell was a mechanic at MG:

http://www.artfact.c...-1-c-496hmexkqw

Captain (later Sir) Francis Samuelson was one of the few drivers who raced before World War 1 (in cyclecars) and after World War 2 (in 500cc F3). He lived in Steyning, Sussex and was still racing in the late 1950s, winning a Veterans race at Goodwood on August 3rd 1959 in a 1914 Sunbeam, beating Cecil Clutton's 1908 Itala. He died at Hurstmonceux on Jan 8th 1981, aged 90. His brief Times obituary reveals he was born on Feb 22nd 1890 and was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge. He had been a captain in the Yorkshire Hussars Yeomanry in WW1, serving in France and Palestine and succeeded to his title as 4th baronet on the death of his father (also Sir Francis Samuelson) in 1946.

[Dutchy]

I recall him racing the TT Sunbeam at VSCC Thruxton as late as 1970 - could that have been his last race?

[Geoff E]

Originally posted by Vitesse2
This might provide a lead or two for our genealogists.

At the time of his death he lived in Brancaster, Norfolk: he died before Dec 11th 1968, when his (substantial) will was proved (although The Times called him Boris, not Beris). On May 16th 1972, Christies advertised some of the property of "the late Beris Harcourt Wood" for sale.

His death was registered in the 3rd quarter of 1968 in the Builth Registration District "aged 66". Coincidentally (or not), an Eric Harcourt Wood was born in Builth in 1904.

His birth was registered in the 3rd quarter of 1902 in the Warwick Registration District. His name appears as Bevis in that index.

Some members of the Wood clan have sported the middle name Harcourt since at least 1853.

[KJJ]

Beris Harcourt Wood got his peculiar given name from the manor house called Caerberis - now a hotel - which his father had built on an old castle site in Builth Wells. Coincidently Tim Rose-Richards' family lived there for a while after the First World War.

[Vitesse2]

Harcourt Wood was an associate of John Cobb and apparently a financial backer of the Napier-Railton. When the car was announced in June 1933, BHW was named as second driver to Cobb in track races. Brian Lewis and Tim Rose-Richards were also to take part in long-distance record runs. However, it seems that by the time Cobb took the car to Montlhéry in the autumn for a 24-hour run, Harcourt Wood had been replaced as a driver by Cyril Paul. Cobb ran the Empire Trophy solo and didn't enter the 500 that year.

Source: The Times 1933 passim.