Richard Sidney Witchell (1889- ) of Bentley and ENV
1889 April 18th. Born in Bristol, the only son of Sidney Benjamin Witchell, a Farmer (Little Stoke Farm) in Stoke Gifford, and his wife Emma Willcox
1901-06 Educated at Clifton College. His friend at Clifton College was Walter Owen Bentley (Clifton College 1902-1905).
1911 Living at 18 Elgin Park, Redland, Bristol: Emma Witchell (age 63 born Almondsbury), Widow. With her two children Mary Mand Witchell (age 24 born Stoke Gifford) and Richard Sidney Witchell (age 21 born Stoke Gifford), Motor Engineer. One servant.[1]
1911 November. Attempting records at Brooklands.[2]
1914 He was 4th in the V Tourist Trophy, driving 965km in 11 hours 22 minutes and 50 seconds driving a Straker-Squire. His car was designed by former Clifton College and fellow Clifton player Roy Fedden.
WWI Joined the Royal Engineers and was a Captain in the Royal Flying Corps.
Witchell became the Racing Manager of Bentley during the late 1920s when W.O's 3 Litre won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1924 and following models repeated this each June 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. His motto was, "To build a good car, a fast car, the best in class."
1920 Married in Nottingham to Frances Majorie Cullen. They had 2 children. His son, Richard John Witchell, also attended Clifton College (1933-40) and became a Civil Engineer.
1932 Worked for the E.N.V. Engineering Company in Willesden, north London.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1911 Census
- ↑ The Autocar 1911/11/04