The 30th Annual Brooklands Society Reunion

See the cars - Reunion 1998

29th June 1997.

"One week after Goodwood and here we are at Brooklands. It has never, ever rained on Reunion day. Well only once - about three years ago and we held it a week early. I maintain that you can depend on dry weather every time."

Herewith excerpts from our Reunion Programme - available from Bryan Reynolds.

Our 30th Reunion today, June 29th 1997, celebrates the epic drive of S.F. Edge and is held in the manner that the late Dudley Gahagan would have enjoyed.

Guest of Honour: Sir Peter G. Masefield

Society officers will be in attendance.

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A WELCOME FROM THE SOCIETY’S FOUNDER

Another Brooklands Reunion - which proves that the Society is in sound shape and that the appeal of Brooklands continues as strongly as ever, all those years since the last race was run there - won by C.L. Baker’s American Graham-Paige, by one fifth of a second from a London-built Talbot.

This year the popular Reunion is orientated towards the Campbell Circuit, the Brookland’s answer to the fact that, in terms of road-type racing, it had been lagging behind Donington Park and the Crystal Palace. This artificial road circuit was opened on April 20th, 1937, by Dame Ethel Locke-King, wife of the builder of the Motor Course which was the first of its kind in the world and the only place where continuous motor racing could take place in England for a great many years. The idea of Sir Malcolm Campbell MBE, the finishing touches were being made to the pits when the first race took place on this new circuit, on May 1st.

So this Campbell circuit had only one full season, in 1938, before war cut short another and killed the old track for good, as an active race course. It is rather ironical that you will have reached the Paddock over about the only part of the Campbell circuit still intact, where it curved away to the right, uphill, to join the Member’s Banking, part of which has fortunately also survived. But that must not deter you from enjoying the Brooklands atmosphere which will prevail today, as racing cars and motorcycles and Morgans are driven to the accompaniment of the sounds and scents that are part of motor racing.

The last driver to win a race over the Campbell Circuit was Raymond Mays, in his 2-litre E.R.A., a very British finale. On that note I will wish you a very enjoyable happy day at this quite unique place, so packed with history.

BILL BODDY, MBE, Founder Editor of Motor Sport and of The Brooklands Society.

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FROM OUR PRESIDENT

A very warm welcome to the Brooklands Society Annual Reunion. Nineteen ninety-seven is a very special year for Brooklands, being the 90th anniversary of the opening of the Track and the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Campbell Circuit.

This year is also the Society’s 30th birthday, which we shall be celebrating today, so congratulations to everybody and enjoy the party.

NIGEL F. BROOKE, President.

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90th ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS

Welcome to Brooklands Museum for your 30th Brooklands Society Reunion on the 90th anniversary year of Brooklands Track.

I know you will share our pleasure in the progress being made at Brooklands Museum. Last year, we had 90,000 visitors of all ages from Britain and abroad.

Nineteen ninety-seven, which is the tenth anniversary of Brooklands Museum Trust, is a most important year for us. In October we shall hear from the Heritage Lottery Fund whether our application for funding for the restoration of the Motoring Village has been successful. We are extremely hopeful and over the next few months we will be developng the plans whilst continuing to raise Brooklands Museum’s contribution to the total cost of the project. We still have about £250,000 to raise.

Since last year we have had a number of major donations including the Mobil archive and the personal memorabilia of accomplished Brooklands racing drivers and pilots and to celebrate the Centenary of The Royal Automobile Club, their exhibition in the ERA shed has been expanded.

Our Wellington bomber ‘R’ for ‘Robert’ won a prestigious Scania Transport Trust Award this year and the Trust is negotiating for a Brooklands-built Hurricane which would be restored by our excellent volunteers.

Over the last year we have actively sought to improve the standard of Brooklands cars on display and for your Reunion we have managed to acquire, on loan, the ultimate Brooklands racing car, the 1933 John Cobb Napier-Railton. I am sure that this will be a highlight of the day for many of you.

MORAG E. BARTON, Director, Brooklands Museum Trust Ltd. June 1997

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IMPRESSIONS

No rain - am I ever wrong - trust me? - but note that I always have a brolly in the back of the car.

We put the archive photos on display, Bryan Reynolds set out the regalia stall which did business constantly, ably assisted by committee members. Dean Reynolds brought the Maser, David Holland, his magnificent Delahaye. Several Napiers including a red racer on open pipes, three six cylinder Amilcars, two immaculate and one the out and out unrestored racer driven by Len Battyll.

David Lake opened the Test Hill in his Bobtail Bentley which he very kindly took me along the Members’ Banking in after lunch - see the photo. Alec Rivers Fletcher entertained us all with recollections of the Whitney Straight Maserati in its heyday. Presidents reception with speeches from Nigel Brooke, Sir Peter Masefield and Rivers Fletcher, lots of wine and an excellent salmon lunch in the bar watching Michael Schumacher controlling the French Grand Prix from the front on the large screen Sony television.

Keith Schellenberg’s Barnato-Hassan stood outside in the sunlight next to the Sunbeam and yes, the Napier Railton was there under the lights for all to see in the Campbell shed.

I won’t bore you with any more text - herewith follows the entry list and a lot of photographs. See if you can match them up. Incidentally the man with the cine camera is Brian Joscelyne who edited the AMOC newsletter for thirty years and is now using up the last of our old cine film stock, the man with the stick is James de la Mare who marshalled at the bottom of the Test Hill and the beginning of the Members’ Banking.

Well done all those men and women who make it possible by keeping everything organised, safe and on time - particularly those hardy souls at the top of the test hill where there was a very active swarm of wild bees on the go all morning.

My photographs may lack that je ne sais quoi but come along to a film night, starting October and you will see the cine film of both Goodwood and the Reunion.

ROBERT TITHERLEY, Committee member

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