From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Newspaper clipping detailing the career, speed records, and mishaps of Sir Henry Segrave.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 174\5\ img174 | |
| Date | 14th June 1930 guessed | |
| SIR HENRY SEGRAVE'S CAREER. The Perfect Knight of Speed. HIS DAYTONA TRIUMPH. Sir Henry O'Neal Segrave, who was only 34 years of age, was born in the United States in 1896, his father being an Irishman, Mr. Charles Segrave, of County Wicklow, one of the first motorists in Ireland, and for many years a member of the committee of the Royal Irish Automobile Club. Sir Henry was educated at Eton and Sandhurst, received a commission in a rifle regiment, and was seconded to the Royal Air Force in 1917. After serving as a member of one of the air missions to America he went into active service with one of the famous scout aeroplanes. In an encounter with enemy airmen, however, he was shot down when flying at a height of 8,000 feet and badly injured. He carried a silver plate in one foot. He got out of hospital to become secretary to the Minister for Air and went with the British Aviation Mission in 1918. At the end of the war, with the rank of major, he turned to motor-racing, and came into prominence at Brooklands by winning the 200 miles race of the Junior Car Club. His services were then retained by a motor-car firm, and he raced in all the Continental races of the time. In the following year he won the French Grand Prix at Tours—the first British driver to gain this prize—and in 1925 he secured the Spanish Grand Prix. His firm then had a special car built for him secretly, and with this, in March, 1926, he did a mile at 150 miles an hour—an extraordinary speed at that time. HIS DAYTONA ACHIEVEMENT. This, however, was not fast enough for Segrave. By March, 1927, he was at Daytona Beach, Florida, with a 1,000-h.p. car, and made a record of 203.790 m.p.h. for a mile with a flying start. Actually in one part of the run he did 207 m.p.h., but a world's record is reckoned on the average of a double journey—once in each direction. This achievement was beaten by Keech on the same course with 207.552 m.p.h. In March last year, however, he recaptured the land speed record for Great Britain at Daytona, when his car, the Golden Arrow, secured an average speed for the measured mile of 231.36 miles an hour, an amazing performance which added 23.81 miles an hour to the world record and is still unbeaten. SPEED-BOAT RECORD of Wales when he welcomed Segrave back to England. Shortly afterwards it was announced that Sir Henry was to devote himself to setting up the world speed record for motor-boats, with the backing of Lord Wakefield, who built for him regardless of cost the 4,000-h.p. Miss England II. which came to grief so disastrously yesterday. Lady Segrave, with whom there will be deep national sympathy, was before her marriage in 1917 Miss Doris Stocker, the well-known actress. She had accompanied him to Windermere and knew of the risks he was running. When she went with him to Daytona last year her anxiety during the record attempt was so intense that she covered her face with her hands and refused to take them away until she was told that he was safe. THE EARLIER MISHAPS ON WINDERMERE. Since his trials began on Windermere eight days ago Sir Henry Segrave had met with difficulties up to yesterday, almost entirely from the fact that it has been very difficult to secure a propeller that would stand up to the terrific stresses which Miss England's single propeller had to stand with revolutions up to 12,000 a minute. On Tuesday, when the boat reached an unofficial speed of 109 miles an hour, a blade of the steel propeller was broken. When he returned to shore Sir Henry said that he was delighted the damage was not more serious. On Wednesday, when a speed of 101.9 miles an hour was attained, the temporary propeller broke. Then on Thursday the boat had a narrowest escape from disaster when a blade of the propeller fitted only five minutes before broke off and grazed the bottom of the boat. Sir Henry said: "We were very lucky that the blade did not come right through the bottom." Curiously enough, as has already been noted, the propeller was intact after yesterday's crash. TWO NARROW ESCAPES. Sir Henry was quite aware that if his boat turned over during his tests he might be instantly killed, for the speed with which he would hit the water would render it as hard as steel. He had previously had at least one narrow escape when in 1928 he was upset in the Solent while travelling at what was a comparatively low speed. Only his ability as a swimmer then saved him. Curiously enough, one of his most remarkable escapes was while his car was actually standing still in the Strand. He had stopped his car to light a cigarette when a lorry crashed into the back of it smashing it almost to | ||