Tom Barrett (Sunbeam mechanic)
Encyclopedia
Tom Barrett was an English
motor-racing riding mechanic
. His death in the 1924 San Sebastian Grand Prix
brought an end to the practice of riding mechanics in two-seat racing cars
.
Racing in this early period was conducted between unreliable cars over long road courses, rather than by repeated laps of a dedicated short circuit. There was no nearby "pit lane" in which to conduct repairs and so it was necessary to carry a mechanic on-board the car.
During the First World War, Tom worked at Guy Motors
. Rather than Guy's better-known lorries, this work was on small mechanisms such as fuzes for depth charges. Like his future driver, Kenelm Lee Guinness
, this war-work was sufficiently important to excuse military service during the war.
In 1915, Tom married local girl Lillian Ivy Worthington-Roberts. They moved to Burleigh Road, Wolverhampton, remaining nearby to Wolverhampton's engineering works. He continued to be an active church-goer and became a member of St. John's Church choir.
In early 1918 Guy began work on aero-engines, planning large orders for the ultimately unsuccessful ABC Wasp
and Dragonfly
aero-engines. In fact they only managed to produce one complete prototype of each, before the semi-completed production batch was transferred to another factory. After the end of the war, the aero-engine work at Guy was closed. Tom's appetite for aero-engines had been whetted though and he moved to the nearby Sunbeam works so as to continue it. The market for aero-engines at this time was flooded by war-surplus and so Sunbeam focussed on new engines for airship
s.
By 1921 though, airship accidents made this work less attractive and so Tom moved into Sunbeam's 'Experimental Department', supporting their successful racing cars, including the Sunbeam 350HP. Sunbeam's road cars were highly regarded in this period and the prestige and engineering innovation derived from the racing effort was seen as a significant part of this.
and Kenelm Lee Guinness
. Guinness' usual mechanic, Bill Perkins, had been injured in a crash at Brooklands
some weeks earlier, when the driver Dario Resta
had been killed.
Two mechanics travelled to Spain with Segrave and Guinness, Tom Barrett and the Italian, Marocchi. As Segrave spoke a little Italian, he and Marocchi were in one car, Guinness and Barrett in the other.
September weather for the race day was wet with rain and the track was slippery. There was an attempt to sprinkle sand on the track for extra grip, but the earth from local fields that was used was more clay than sand and actually made things worse.
On the 11th lap Guinness's car hit a rut in the road, which along with the slippery surface, caused him to lose control. The car left the track, spun, rolled, and crossed back over the track before coming to rest. Both occupants were thrown out of the car and into a railway cutting. Barrett was killed instantly. Guinness was a little more fortunate, his fall being broken by some telegraph wires, but was still seriously injured. He never raced again and seems to have been permanently affected by the crash, culminating in his suicide in 1937.
Segrave was always known for his concern for others in his team, but he was unaware of the accident. After winning the race, he was aghast to discover the fate of his colleagues.
On 16 October 1924, Tom was buried at Heath Town Church in Wolverhampton. Many of his engineering colleagues from Sunbeam, Guy and Joseph Evans attended.
After the accident, Lillian was given a job at Sunbeam. She later worked as an auxiliary nurse at the Wolverhampton Royal Hospital.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
motor-racing riding mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
. His death in the 1924 San Sebastian Grand Prix
San Sebastián Grand Prix
The San Sebastián Grand Prix was an automobile race held at the Circuito Lasarte near San Sebastián, Spain.During most of its existence, it was the main race event in Spain, since the Spanish Grand Prix had not yet been properly established as a grand prix race...
brought an end to the practice of riding mechanics in two-seat racing cars
Racing Cars
Racing Cars are a Welsh pop band, formed in the Rhondda Valley, Wales in 1973.-Career:They were signed to one of the biggest British record labels of the time, Chrysalis Records. Racing Cars's debut album yielded their only hit single with "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"...
.
Racing in this early period was conducted between unreliable cars over long road courses, rather than by repeated laps of a dedicated short circuit. There was no nearby "pit lane" in which to conduct repairs and so it was necessary to carry a mechanic on-board the car.
Life and early career
Tom was born in 1891, at Prestwood Road, Wolverhampton, one of 9 children. His father, George Barrett, had been born in rural Essex but came to Wolverhampton and worked in engineering factories. Tom and his eldest brother William served apprenticeships at the pump-making factory of Joseph Evans & Sons, where their father also worked.During the First World War, Tom worked at Guy Motors
Guy Motors
Guy Motors was a British company based in Fallings Park, Wolverhampton that made cars, lorries, buses, and trolleybuses.-History:Guy Motors Ltd was founded in 1914 by Sydney Guy who had been the Works Manager of nearby Sunbeam. A factory was built on the site at Fallings Park, Wolverhampton...
. Rather than Guy's better-known lorries, this work was on small mechanisms such as fuzes for depth charges. Like his future driver, Kenelm Lee Guinness
Kenelm Lee Guinness
Kenelm Edward Lee Guinness MBE was a racing driver of the 1910s - 1920s. He was part of the Guinness brewing family, and a director of the company.- Beginnings in motor racing :...
, this war-work was sufficiently important to excuse military service during the war.
In 1915, Tom married local girl Lillian Ivy Worthington-Roberts. They moved to Burleigh Road, Wolverhampton, remaining nearby to Wolverhampton's engineering works. He continued to be an active church-goer and became a member of St. John's Church choir.
In early 1918 Guy began work on aero-engines, planning large orders for the ultimately unsuccessful ABC Wasp
ABC Wasp
-See also:-Bibliography:* Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6....
and Dragonfly
ABC Dragonfly
-Bibliography:* Bruce, J.M. "Sopwith Snipe...:...the RAF's First Fighter. . " Air Enthusiast International Volume 6 Number 6, June 1974. Bromley, UK: Fine Scroll....
aero-engines. In fact they only managed to produce one complete prototype of each, before the semi-completed production batch was transferred to another factory. After the end of the war, the aero-engine work at Guy was closed. Tom's appetite for aero-engines had been whetted though and he moved to the nearby Sunbeam works so as to continue it. The market for aero-engines at this time was flooded by war-surplus and so Sunbeam focussed on new engines for airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
s.
By 1921 though, airship accidents made this work less attractive and so Tom moved into Sunbeam's 'Experimental Department', supporting their successful racing cars, including the Sunbeam 350HP. Sunbeam's road cars were highly regarded in this period and the prestige and engineering innovation derived from the racing effort was seen as a significant part of this.
1924 accident
Sunbeam's works drivers for the Grand Prix were Henry SegraveHenry Segrave
-External links:* * * * *...
and Kenelm Lee Guinness
Kenelm Lee Guinness
Kenelm Edward Lee Guinness MBE was a racing driver of the 1910s - 1920s. He was part of the Guinness brewing family, and a director of the company.- Beginnings in motor racing :...
. Guinness' usual mechanic, Bill Perkins, had been injured in a crash at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
some weeks earlier, when the driver Dario Resta
Dario Resta
Dario Resta , nicknamed "Dolly", was an Italian Briton race car driver. Raised in England from the age of two, he began racing there starting in 1907. He took part in the Montagu Cup the very first race of the now historic Brooklands track. He set a record of in a half-mile run a few years later...
had been killed.
Two mechanics travelled to Spain with Segrave and Guinness, Tom Barrett and the Italian, Marocchi. As Segrave spoke a little Italian, he and Marocchi were in one car, Guinness and Barrett in the other.
September weather for the race day was wet with rain and the track was slippery. There was an attempt to sprinkle sand on the track for extra grip, but the earth from local fields that was used was more clay than sand and actually made things worse.
On the 11th lap Guinness's car hit a rut in the road, which along with the slippery surface, caused him to lose control. The car left the track, spun, rolled, and crossed back over the track before coming to rest. Both occupants were thrown out of the car and into a railway cutting. Barrett was killed instantly. Guinness was a little more fortunate, his fall being broken by some telegraph wires, but was still seriously injured. He never raced again and seems to have been permanently affected by the crash, culminating in his suicide in 1937.
Segrave was always known for his concern for others in his team, but he was unaware of the accident. After winning the race, he was aghast to discover the fate of his colleagues.
On 16 October 1924, Tom was buried at Heath Town Church in Wolverhampton. Many of his engineering colleagues from Sunbeam, Guy and Joseph Evans attended.
After the accident, Lillian was given a job at Sunbeam. She later worked as an auxiliary nurse at the Wolverhampton Royal Hospital.