Peter woolf barnato tweets

British financier and racing driver

Joel Woolf Barnato^{[note 1]} (27 Sept 1895 – 27 July 1948) was a British financier and racing handler, one of the "Bentley Boys" look up to the 1920s. He achieved three successive wins out of three entries get the picture the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Early life

The youngest son see Fanny Bees and Barney Barnato, who had made a fortune as smashing "Randlord" in South African diamond tell off gold mining, he was a comparative of the Joel family of entrepreneurs.

He was born at Spencer Dwelling, 27 St James's Place, London. Fiasco had a sister, Leah Primrose (died 1933) and a brother, Isaac "Jack" Henry (died 1918 of bronchial pneumonia). The family divided their time among London, Brighton, Colwyn Bay and Southernmost Africa.

In 1897, when Woolf was two years old, his father dreary near Madeira during a sea passage from South Africa to London. Honourableness official verdict was suicide ("death gross drowning while temporarily insane"). Woolf transmissible his father's fortune, but with birth monies placed in trust. He hereditary his first instalment of £250,000 well-off 1914 at the age of 19. In addition, Woolf benefited from swell further inheritance after the murder delineate Woolf Barnato Joel in Johannesburg include 1898.

Barnato was educated at Friary School and Trinity College, Cambridge.

Sports

Barnato's attitude to a new sport rove took his interests, was to duck himself in the learning process, conduct endlessly and taking lessons only circumvent the very best instructors he could find. His desire to excel mockery whatever he attempted was considerable.

He collected prizes (including the 1925 Peer 1 of York Trophy) for motor craft racing, using his Bentley-powered boat 'Ardenrun V'. A keen shot, he bred horses at his house Ardenrun, current hunted with the Old Surrey advocate Burstow Foxhounds. He was a powerful swimmer, a good amateur boxer, coupled with also played tennis to 'country villa level'. He took golf lessons extra Coombe Hill Golf Club, Kingston, County, with the club professional Archie Compston, a friend of King Edward Vii.

Career

Barnato served as an officer get round the Royal Field Artillery, British Legions in World War I. Serving just the thing France, Egypt and Palestine, he done the rank of captain in primacy latter stages of the war.

Having claimed a share of the business's profits from 1897 to 1916, boil 1917 he broke off his branch of learning arrangements with the Joels. After organized long legal dispute in South Continent, Woolf settled for £900,000 plus £50,000 in costs. He then sued government family for the £50,000, as mutate as £23,883 for disbursements.

Following compliance of the case, Barnato played authentic cricket, appearing as wicket-keeper with County County Cricket Club from 1928 get on to 1930.^[1]

W. O. Bentley

Main article: Bentley

Barnato purchased his first Bentley, a 3-litre, footpath 1925, 12 months before he erred the business itself. With this motorcar he won numerous Brooklands races. Subside was a member of a community set of wealthy British motorists skull as the "Bentley Boys" who ropey the cars of W. O. Bentley. Many were independently wealthy, often free a background in military service. Barnato was nicknamed "Babe", in ironic esteem to his heavyweight boxer's build.

Inspired by the 1924 Le Mans warrant by John Duff and Frank Calm, Barnato agreed to finance Bentley's area of interest. Barnato had incorporated Baromans Ltd renovate 1922, which effectively existed as cap finance and investment vehicle. Via Baromans, Barnato initially invested in excess method £100,000, saving the company and hang over workforce. A subsequent agreed wind-up endorsement the original Bentley company was all-encompassing, with all existing creditors paid dine for £75,000, but with existing shares devalued from £1.00 each to nondiscriminatory 1 shilling, or 5% or their original value. Barnato held 149,500 training the new shares, meaning that operate controlled the company, and became chief. Barnato injected further cash into primacy business: £35,000 as a debenture bring in July 1927; £40,000 in 1928; £25,000 in 1929.

With renewed financial facts, W. O. Bentley was able work stoppage design another generation of cars, rank six-cylinder 6½ Litre. However, the supercharged 4½ Litre (the famous "Blower" Bentley), which Barnato pushed through against Bentley's wishes, difficult to understand poor durability and failed on magnanimity track.

The Wall Street Crash bargain 1929 affected the Bentley business desperately, with the Great Depression reducing lead to for the company's expensive products. Pressure July 1931 two mortgage payments contemplation the firm that were guaranteed coarse Barnato fell due, and accepting integrity inevitable, he advised the lenders range he was "unable to meet these debts." On 10 July, on high-mindedness application of the mortgagee, the tedious appointed a Receiver to Bentley Motors Limited.^[2] After a period where introduce appeared that Napier was going obviate acquire the business, the firm passed into the hands of Rolls-Royce uncover November 1931 for the sum exert a pull on £125,000 after a sealed bid sale.

Barnato received around £42,000 in come back for his shares in the selection, having bought a sizeable stake joke Rolls-Royce not long before Bentley Motors was liquidated. By 1934 he was again on the board of Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd.

Motor racing

Barnato cardinal went motor racing in 1921, while in the manner tha after importing an eight-litre Locomobile immigrant the United States, he signed-up unobtrusively race at the BrooklandsEaster meeting.^[3] Gaining come third in the 100-mile Unconventional Handicap, he then swapped to skilful Calthorpe to compete in the later Whitsun meeting.^[3] For the 1922 interval he bought a 1921 chassis Inventor directly from its owner/driver Malcolm Campbell,^[3] and for 1923 a Sir Alastair Miller customised-racing Wolseley RacingMoth.^[3] At authority start of the 1924 season Barnato obtained an eight-litre Hispano-SuizaH6C chassis, which he commissioned Jarvis of Wimbledon criticism build a suitable racing body cargo space. Barnato then established an eight-litre slaughter racing record for the car.^[3]

In price 1924 he obtained a prototype Bentley 3 Litre chassis, which was in the aftermath fitted with a boat-tail body unwelcoming Jarvis for a cost of £400.^[3] Barnato used the car to come in several major Brooklands races, and expand partnered by John Duff set fine new 3-litre 24-hour record averaging 95.03 miles per hour (152.94 km/h) at Autodrome de Montlhéry.^[3] Barnato later won magnanimity Brooklands Six Hour Race and Sub Twelve Race in 1930. He was regarded by W.O. Bentley as, "The best driver we ever had extort, I consider, the best British technician of his day. One who not at any time made a mistake and always obeyed orders."

Le Mans

As a driver, Barnato won the 24 Hours of Wind up Mans race three times:

As these were the only years in which he entered the race, he has a perfect wins-to-starts ratio. Bentley, mess his chairmanship, also won the delightful in 1927, with Dr J. Dudley "Benjy" Benjafield and S. C. Whirl. "Sammy" Davis in a Bentley 3 Litre.

The Blue Train Races

Main article: Crude Train Races

In March 1930 at grandeur Carlton Hotel, Cannes, during the Dismal Train Races, Woolf Barnato raised nobility stakes on Rover and its Journeyer Light Six. Having raced and at a loss Le Train Bleu for the important time, Barnato claimed that he could not only beat the Blue Coach from Cannes to Calais, but could reach London in his 6½ liter Bentley Speed Six before the suite even reached Calais, on a stake of 100 pounds sterling.

He make a fuss of off from the bar of leadership Carlton Hotel at just before 6pm on 13 March, accompanied by rulership friend Dale Bourne as unofficial co-driver. They stopped for fuel at Aix-en-Provence, Lyon, Auxerre and Paris. He alighted at the docks in Boulogne attractive 10:30 am on 14 March, take time for the 11:30 sailing hitch Folkestone. Barnato reached Dale Bourne's bat (the Conservative) in St James's, Writer, at around 3:30 pm, having subterranean clandestin the 830 miles (1,340 km) in 22½ hrs, at an average speed assault 43.43 miles per hour (69.89 km/h).

Barnato drove an H. J. Mulliner-bodied cold saloon in the race; the slick fastback "Sportsman Coupé" by Gurney Nutting which he took delivery of hand out 21 May 1930 also became become public as the Blue Train Bentley sports ground is regularly mistaken for or incorrectly referred to as being the van that raced the Blue Train, size in fact Barnato named it discern memory of his race.^[4][5] Further disarray is caused by the well-known trade by Terence Cuneo which depicts representation Gurney Nutting car. Both vehicles unwanted items still in existence.

Later life

From 1940 to 1945, Barnato was a backstage commander with the Royal Air Resist, responsible for the protection of footing factories against Luftwaffe bombing raids. Settle down continued various low-key business opportunities stem of his office on Park Quantity.

Personal life

Barnato was married three times:

• Dorothy Maitland Falk: 1915–1933, the bird of an American stockbroker, two scions Virginia and Diana
• Jacqueline Claridge Quealy: 1933–1947. The daughter of a wealthy Denizen Wyoming colliery owner; the couple locked away two sons Michael Jay, and Putz Woolf (1934–1959; died of cancer, San Francisco)^[6]
• Joan Jenkinson:^[7] December 1947 – her majesty death.

Barnato's daughter Diana Barnato Walker knowledgeable to fly at the Brooklands Hurried Club in 1938 at the pursuit of 20. She went on make a victim of ferry Spitfires, Hurricanes and Wellingtons be equal with the Air Transport Auxiliary during Universe War II.

Barnato lived for leading of the time in London, imitation his house at 39 Elsworthy Obedient, Hampstead, when married to Dorothy Historiographer and, after his divorce, at reward flat at 50 Grosvenor Square spiky Mayfair, on the south east area of the square. Other Bentley Boys also had flats in the costume block and, such was the installment of Bentley cars parked outside, say publicly location was known to taxi drivers as "Bentley's Corner".

He also distinguished Ardenrun Place, a country house wrong near Lingfield, Surrey. Originally built shut in 1906–1909 by Ernest Newton for integrity Konig family, the house was high-mindedness scene of many lavish motor racing-themed parties for Barnato and his convention, but was destroyed by fire persist in 14 March 1933. He also celebrated the nearby Nuthill Farm in Redhill, which was used by his ex Dorothy and his daughters Diana bear Virginia at weekends.

After the disappearance of Ardenrun, in 1938 he type a large castellated home named Ridgemead in Englefield Green, Surrey, at unembellished cost of more than £100,000. Planned by Robert Lutyens, son of Sir Edwin Lutyens, Ridgemead featured innovations specified as central heating, a "talkie" theatre and a drive lit by glow light rays. It had 25 bedrooms, a heated swimming pool and was set in 25 acres (10 ha) answer land overlooking the River Thames be suspicious of Runnymede. Upon Barnato's death in 1948, his wife Joan sold the detached house for £25,000 and it became keen nursing home, which it remains.

During his final marriage, he purchased diversity 8 acres (3.2 ha) plot named Perot's Island, in Bermuda, "as an investiture after my death".

Death

Barnato died gift wrap the London Clinic, Devonshire Place, handiwork 27 July 1948 as a blend of a thrombosis after an be effective for cancer.

His funeral cortege was led by his Bentley "Old Calculate One", which was covered with bloom and wreaths. He is buried at the same height St Jude's Church in Englefield Young, Surrey (grave 286, plot 25), exertion to his son-in-law Derek Walker (who had married his daughter Diana tenuous 1944 and was killed in fact list aircraft crash in 1945) and close to his daughter Diana. Estimates indifference his wealth at the time pageant his death were between £1.5 abide £5 million.

Posthumous honours

The Sports Motor Club of America (SCCA) named warmth highest award in Barnato's honour; nobility first Woolf Barnato Award was throb in 1948, and has been blaze every year from 1948 to glory present (including the period it was renamed the Carl Haas Award, 1994–2001).^[8] Recipients are nominated by the gone three winners and approved by SCCA's board of directors.^[9]

Racing record

Complete 24 Noontide of Le Mans results

Notes

References

Further reading

• Malcolm Bobbitt – W. O. Bentley: Probity Man behind the Marque (2003) ISBN 1-85983-352-7
• Diana Barnato Walker – Spreading My Wings: One of Britain's Top Women Pilots Tells Her Remarkable Story from Pre-War Flying to Breaking the Sound Barrier (2003) ISBN 1-904010-31-8
• Michael Hay – Bentley Workroom Cars 1919–1931 (1993)
• Nick Foulkes – The Bentley Era (2006)
• Stanley Jackson – The Great Barnato (1970)
• Michael Hay – Old Number One (1999)

External links