Eddie Hall Collection

Collection relating to the amateur racing career of Eddie Hall, including: photograph albums; scrapbooks of newscuttings, letters, and telegrams; race charts; circuit maps; and membership cards for various motoring clubs.

Open to bone fide researchers.

Unknown but probably donated by Mrs. Hall, soon after the death of Eddie Hall in 1982.

Eddie Hall was born in Yorkshire in 1900, lived at Kirkburton, near Huddersfield, and died in May 1982 at his Monte-Carlo home, after ailing for some time. He was survived by his wife, Joan. His family background was in the textiles business - he was wealthy enough to choose his own cars. He was a pure amateur, racing at his own expense. A big and powerful man, he chose races that demanded great physical stamina. He was a driver who refused to sign autographs but asked the fans to provide their names and addresses - a few days later they received the famous signature on headed notepaper! He was a keen photographer and was the author of a book on the subject. He started racing in 1923 with an 8/18 Talbot, and also drove a privately owned Bugatti. He won a 1930 Brooklands Mountain Speed Handicap in a 4.5 litre Bentley. He set records for the three-peaks run by car using an MG and then the Bentley in the days before speed limits. He drove in the RAC Tourist Trophy after its revival in 1928 on The Ards Circuit in Ulster as a purely handicap event for 410 miles, but never won the trophy although he returned year after year. His first TT race in 1928 was inauspicious - he drove a 2-litre Lagonda, which unfortunately ran out of oil and its big ends! In 1934 he persuaded Rolls-Royce to build a special racing Bentley for him, which was no mean achievement because the Company had quit racing early in the century and would never be involved again after the Hall Bentley. With the heavy Bentley he couldn't beat his handicap, although each year he went faster! The Ards series finished in 1936. Eddie Hall is best remembered for 3 second places in the Ulster TT's of 1934, 1935 and 1936, each time setting the fastest race times, of 78.40 mph, 80.36 mph and 80.81 mph, defeated only by the handicap. He was elected to the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1932 and was awarded their Gold Star in 1933 for his performance at Brooklands when he raced the BRDC 500 Mile Race in a 4.5 litre Bentley, partnered by Dr. J. D. Benjafield, and came second on handicap. Theirs was the fastest car in the race, at 112.12 mph. In 1931 he drove a 746cc MG Midget and drove it solo the whole distance, to finish first in class and third in the race. In 1933 he was invited to join the works MG team. In the BRDC 500 at Brooklands in 1933, Hall drove a K3 Magnette which had been modified, with a long streamlined body and head faring. At that time his girlfriend, Joan (later his wife) was acting team Manager, controlling the races from the pits. She worked out how slowly he could drive to win the race. It was won by a masterly combination of a first-class driver and brilliant team management. Although the car could do about 120 mph they planned to run it at 110 - 115 mph according to the race situation, leaving a margin of revs at the top end for safety. They evolved a novel method of pit control, giving only the simplest signals from the pit because the location of the pits was where drivers needed maximum concentration, at the apex of an unbanked, righthand turn - and they set up another signal station where the driver had time to read the more detailed information displayed there. Two Boy Scouts with bicycles were engaged to ride across country between the two! One by one the opposition's cars blew up - going too fast for too long! Hall had one pit stop, organised by Joan, which was a model of precision - much faster than his rivals. When the last of his opponents had retired Hall slowed to 102 mph and maintained this until the end of the race! It was a very popular victory. Hall took part in the Mille Miglia in a K3 Magnette in the same year, partnered by his wife as reserve driver and mechanic. He didn't want a co-driver who would take some of the glory! They were unable to complete the race and had to retire due to mechanical problems. Mrs Hall was the first woman to take part in this race which was considered the most dangerous as it took place on roads which were not closed to ordinary traffic. There was one more star performance when Hall drove his Bentley (the car made especially for him in 1934) in the Le Mans 24-hour race of 1950, at the age of 50, and drove it solo for the entire race! He finished 8th. He was the only man to have driven this race single-handed. After this race he retired to Monte-Carlo where he had an apartment overlooking the harbour and part of the Grand Prix circuit. Many of his friends were entertained there during the Monte-Carlo rallies. That race was the end of the Bentley innings, after which the car was bought by Briggs Cunningham and is now in the Cunningham Museum in Costa Mesa, California.