I have had passed on to me a letter from Bert Hadley to Bill Boddy written in August 1990. Four sides of lined foolscap, the handwriting is good enough to have allowed easy transcription. I will happily send copies of the typed out version to anybody interested. Numerous anecdotes, and his reference to the latest case for a replica, his 8hp saloon fitted with one of the unused 1938 Le Mans engine complete with Centric blower. To which archivist should the original be sent, carefully wrapped in acid free tissue of course?
14-01-2022, 10:19 PM (This post was last modified: 14-01-2022, 10:20 PM by Tony Griffiths.)
(14-01-2022, 07:57 PM)Steve kay Wrote: Austin, can't seem to paste and post the letter, do I have to make in into PDF or something similar?
Scroll down the section called "Attachments" inside of which it says "Click or drop some files here to upload". Either copy and paste the JPG or TIFF files or, click inside the box and then navigate to your files and click on those you want to upload.
Tony, that has always worked for images, as I am afraid has been demonstrated more than once over the last few years. Fear not, family of a younger generation will be visiting today, and the computer skills they were given instead of school milk might be helpful.
Kenilworth 21/9/90
Dear Bill
l Always pleased to hear from you in my loneliness. No need to send SAEs - I have two pensions! But thanks all the same. Don’t think I can be of great help to you on this one but let’s see. Firstly Stephenson maybe RF or RC initials. Stephenson had a garage business in Southport and I believe he or his family had a drapery business too. When we did the record attempt at Southport with the white streamliner (Jamieson) in I think – 1933 – Driscoll up 122 mph, for the mile, we used Stephenson’s garage. I can jut remember him and I believe he had red hair or ginger if you like. A very nice and helpful chap. Don’t remember much about his racing activities. Hard to say whether he is still around but now you know there was a business activity by Stephensons on Southport the local authority up there or the Chamber of Commerce or what have you would be able to help you or you could try the local newspaper people. I think I had to just about rebuild the engine 2 days and nights without sleep and Stephenson was a great help. I stayed at a hotel called the Scarisbrick or Carisbrick that being the name of a posh family of yester years. I met a lady in Lymington Hants a few years ago and I mentioned this hotel. Seems as if it had deteriorated to such an extent that I had visions of a Vimto café alongside Villa Park where AV play football. She remembered Stephens but seemed vague about today’s activities.
Stephenson may have had a go in one of the works ‘Rubber Ducks’ but I’m not sure. As for Turner – well at no time did he drive one of the Jamieson sv or twin cam cars but I seem to recall that he drove one of the Rubber Ducks somewhere. His main carriage as I recall was a red Ulster and one of his claims to fame was a monumental crash at the Old Hairpin (Donnington when it was real!!) Pat Driscoll was very friendly with him, he had the first Jamieson sv at Donnington, 1934 Driscoll driving Hadley mechanic (on full skilled rate) !! Turner was there too. Our gearbox fell to bits. I blamed Pat which didn’t help our relationship for a while. It rained and rained, we put up a large sheet against our lorry and I spent about four hours with the xxx rolling off rebuilding the box which included thousands of needle bearings bits etc so I didn’t have much time for observation of Turner. I have a letter somewhere from Pat (will look for it) in which he had a fair amount to say about Turner. It is possible that the 750 Club may have some gen on him. That means Ken Cook 26 Wholmerely Rd, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 1GB. Sorry I can’t be more helpful. I wouldn’t think the Austro Daimler Turner drove were one and the same. Possible I suppose but my recollection of him was as quite a young chap.
It was Louis Kings not King. Came the day when our Lou was out with Len Lord in the prototype 16 hp with the ohv engine - first time Austin prod a car with ohv 1938-39. Kings was doing his famous dart up Rose Hill which is in the Lickey Hills on the main road past the factory. I had an Austin 8 hp saloon in which I had rather cunningly placed one of the engines projected for Le Mans 1938 which didn’t happen. To make things more interesting I had fitted a Centric blower belt driven at 10 lbs/sq ins. The engine was 900 cc, as fitted in the Big Seven. This one had a different camshaft, head and other tweaks. All in all it was quite quick but showed up a few weaknesses in the A8 hp saloon. Well I rocketed past Kings on Rose Hill at 70 mph in third gear, I stopped at the summit and full of nonchalance quickly inspected the engine. It seems that Kings was flat out too!! His face assumed the colour of violet and he was incoherent. Len Lord on the other hand was quite amused. I aid would you like a ride in a quick motor … but Kings banged his heap into gear and flew off. I thought that’s for all the thanks I got from you during my apprenticeship !! overalls and all. Mind you one could drop a clanger. I passed the gates of Lickey Grange one at 80 mph in my very quick Grasshopper – just as the Old Man was coming out in hi green sedate Clifton 12 hp tourer. I flew rounds the circuit we used. I was back in the Exp Dept before he arrived. I shoved the car out of sight. In he came watery eyed and rattled rather than happy. Had anybody been out in a Grasshopper? I had to say yes I have. He said are you bloody mad or something? Didn’t you see me? I said yes but I knew you wouldn’t pull out without pause and I was right. But in any case I’m sorry if I frightened you … Sir. He shook his head giving me up as a bad job I suppose.
What is left of that Grasshopper by the way is in Wilsons Garage Dunoon, - Jock Wilson just about pinched it during or just after the war. Always got on well with the Old Man and I knew quite a bit about his matrimonial style. He was not such a hard old prude as sometimes cast (but that is off the record) Tell me where I can get a copy of the Motor Sport book of Donnington, and I will send the 2 quid. ‘Young’ Jenks gets about a bit doesn’t he? Portugal this time. Just writing to a chap called John Ching who lives there. I haven’t met him, seems he was with Aston Martin, then a firm in London selling Ferraris and Rolls etc HR Owen I think. Seems to know most people. Have you heard of him?
Pleased to hear from you as I say.
Best wishes Bert
