Brooklands Society News
The Brooklands Re-union on July 6th was almost washed-out by continual heavy rain, but it takes more than this to quench motoring nostalgia, and a large number of Members and Associates turned out for the tour of the old Track, by kind permission of the British Aircraft Corporation. As is traditional, pre-war cars headed the cavalcade which wound through the grounds, in at the old Fork entrance along the Campbell circuit past the pits and up on to the Members’ banking to the hill, then off again to the Brooklands Memorial and over to the Byfleet banking, past the Byfleet footbridge and round by the Parry Thomas bungalow and the flight booking office which dates back to 1909, across the sodden aerodrome and off to the “Hand & Spear” for tea.
These cars which might very well have been coming in for a pre-war race meeting, and some of which did, included Dr. Wright’s supercharged 1750 Alfa Romeo, a 6½-litre Bentley drophead, a fine open 4½-litre Bentley, an HM-Bentley 4½-litre, a Derby Bentley Saloon, G. K. Ballamy’s Lancia Dilambda saloon, a fine Alvis Speed Twenty, a l.h.d. Fiat Balillia, several Austin 10/4s, including C. Mortimer’s with pre-war B.A.R.C. badge, Wall’s smart Austin 12/4 two-seater a much earlier Austin 12/4 tourer, an Invicta, an Aston-Martin, a 1935 Jowett saloon, a 16/80 Lagonda tourer, a 4½-litre Lagonda saloon, a Type 57 Bugatti saloon, a Morris Eight tourer, a Riley Sprite, an early open 3-litre Bentley, etc.
Nearly 100 people took tea and were entertained afterwards to a film-show given by Dudley Gahagan, which included many of Princess Chula’s excellent pre-war racing films. Committee members who attended included the President, T. A. S. O. Mathieson, and Vice-Presidents Alan Hess and Roland King-Farlow.
Many famous personalities braved the unpleasant weather. Robin Jackson, J. M. A. Edmondson, J. A. Sallis, G. H. Symonds, Wilson Kitchen, Leslie Ballamy, Charles Mortimer, etc.. were seen recalling the old days, a Daily Telegraph reporter came with Julian Bell of Dunlop, who was seen regarding the old Dunlop depot which still stands in the Paddock, and R. C. Foster, recently home from America, who used to own the ex-Arthur Baron Brescia-engined G.P. Bugatti, was back at the Track for the first time since 1939.
The next fixture will be a film-show at the Locke-King’s old house at Weybridge, probably in October, and the winter dinner in London and the B.A.R.C. has extended advance-booking advantages for the V.S.C.C. Thruxton Race Meeting for those Members and Associates requiring. tickets.—W. B.