Paul Smiddy - A Passion for Speed: The Daring Life of Mildred, The Honourable Mrs Victor Bruce

Victor and Mildred Bruce reunited at Croydon. (Courtesy of Caroline Gough-Cooper)

Cover illustrations

Front: Mildreds Blackburn Bluebird; Mildred with her habitual string of pearls. (BAe Heritage) Back: Painting her steeds name for the benefit of journalists just before departure on her round-the-world flight. (BAe Heritage)

First published in 2017

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

This ebook edition first published in 2017

All rights reserved

Paul Smiddy, 2017

The right of Paul Smiddy to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

EPUB ISBN 978 0 7509 8530 7

Original typesetting by The History Press

eBook converted by Geethik Technologies

It is rare to find anyone who embraces all disciplines of speed, let alone a woman! The Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce, who began her addiction to speed before women had the vote in this country, is definitely the exception. This is the story of an incredible woman who lived life on the edge and yet managed to survive into her nineties.

In this biography, Paul Smiddy grips ones imagination with a roller coaster of accidents, fights with bureaucracy and the sheer guts and courage of an Edwardian woman who defied all the conventions of her time. Pauls meticulous research and attention to detail brings alive the spirit of a woman who coped with her car landing in a ditch and catching fire, flying over jungles, becoming engulfed in monsoons and landing in a muddy field and turning upside down.

Follow this intrepid lady as she pushes all boundaries in what was then a mans world. Undeterred by setbacks, she ventures into the business world and drives herself at a pace which makes one quite breathless. Her focus, endurance, stamina and confidence are carried by her immense ability to charm her way out of any situation.

This is an incredible read as you journey through the life of a truly indomitable spirit.

Polly Vacher (aviatrix)
April 2017

A pensive Mildred and Victor before departure. (BAe Heritage)

I am grateful I have managed to find many people who share my interest in Mildred and, in some cases, Blackburn Aircraft. My deep thanks go to: Paul Lawson and his colleagues at the BAe Systems Heritage Centre at Brough, for sharing their archive and knowledge so enthusiastically; Alan Wynn and his colleagues at the Brooklands Museum a time capsule and jewel to be preserved, one hopes, from further industrial and housing encroachment; the staff at The National Archives in Kew which is quite simply a national treasure; the management and staff at the RAF Museum at Hendon (which also houses some of the Royal Aeronautical Societys archive material), who are enthusiastic and helpful; Wendy Grimmond, for generously sharing her memories of her father and her fathers collection; Caroline Brown, for showing me her Mildred material (and how to ski); Stuart McCrudden, for his reminiscences; John Davies, for his insight into life at Babdown; Peter Amos, the acknowledged guru of Miles Aircraft; The Orion Publishing Group for material reproduced from Montlhry, the Story of the Paris Autodrome by William Boddy I acknowledge that all other attempts at contacting the copyright holder of Montlhry were unsuccessful; Amy Rigg and her colleagues at The History Press, for their faith, patience and wisdom; and finally my wife Tina for her long-suffering support.

Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyright material. To rectify any omissions, please contact the author care of the publisher so that we can incorporate such corrections in future reprints or editions.

Paul Smiddy
February 2017

This book owes its genesis to my grandmother a very sweet lady, who was the cousin of Robert and Norman Blackburn, the founders of Blackburn Aircraft (if I ever meet you, I shall share one or two of her stories ). It must have been this that sparked my desire to fly. It certainly sparked my lifelong interest in the Blackburn Aircraft Company, and many years ago I had begun to attend auctions of aeronautica, and had started to purchase the odd artefact connected with Blackburns.

I heard of a forthcoming sale of the archive of a lady who had achieved great things in a Blackburn Bluebird one Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce. The more I delved into her story, the more intriguing it became. Sadly, I was outbid at the auction by a determined (and presumably wealthier!) woman. Some years passed before, one day, I was chatting to a fellow aviator and skier and we established that we were both interested in Mrs Bruce. She, Caroline Gough-Cooper, had been my outbidder, and could not have been more helpful in showing me the archive she had purchased that day. It convinced me that a book just had to be written.

The days chasing Mildreds story in the archives of Hendon, Kew, Wiltshire and BAe were very absorbing. Separating the fact from the fiction was better than doing any crossword. Some call our heroine Mary Petre; her husband called her Jane for what reason no one knows, since it was not one of her given names. I have chosen Mildred, as that seems to have been the most popular in her family. For the world at large, she was known as the Hon. Mrs Victor Bruce: this became her brand, and one that she refused to relinquish, even after divorce. Here is a lady whose story bears telling

Mildreds dream is not supposed to end like this, but at least she has someone in whom to confide her mounting fear herself, as she has taken the novel step of installing a primitive dictating machine on the passenger seat to her left in the open-cockpit biplane. The petite 34-year-old Englishwoman is trying to reach her destination at Jask in Persia before the full heat of the day. Even at 5 a.m., four hours earlier, when she had taken off, it had been hot enough, but now she has left behind the comfort of supportive RAF officers at Bushire.

The geography of the littoral below is entrancing, Wonderful, weird rock formations, which extend for miles with precise regularity, with some wonderful oxide formations, mountains and hills of varying hues, such as the sugar-loaf formation towering up several hundred feet, of a brilliant turquoise blue. The old river beds appear like silver ribbons leading from her left wing. It is desolate country, devoid of vegetation apart from occasional clumps of palms on the coastline. From time to time, dive boats from the pearl fisheries pass underneath.