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Once in a while it is possible to publish material that has previously
been unavailable. We have been allowed by Daphne Eatwell to present
you with this archive of pictures taken by her husband Douglas
as a testimonial to his skill, enthusiasm and love of motor sport.
Douglas was an active participant in all kinds of events and
who better to set the scene than his co-driver on the 1959 RAC
Rally, John Langley.
"Douglas Frederick Eatwell, who died aged 72 in October
2000, followed the classical route from darkroom apprentice to
picture editor in a photo-journalistic career spanning 40 years.
Born at Lewisham in South London, he spent five years learning
his trade in the darkroom at the News Chronicle before being sent
out with a camera to cover news and features around the world.
When the Chronicle folded, he moved on to the Daily Herald, and
then to the Sunday People where he eventually acted as picture
editor. He was well placed to pursue his interest in motor sport,
with Brands Hatch only a few miles away from his home in North
Kent. Many of his pictures were published in the Fifties and Sixties.
Even more were kept for his own collection and have never been
available before.
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The particular significance of his work is that it concentrates
on the post-war era when the small British-based teams were emerging
from obscure beginnings to conquer the world -- names like Cooper
and Lotus, BRM, Connaught and Vanwall. Doug Eatwell was there
with his camera, on familiar terms with men like John Cooper and
Colin Chapman and drivers such as Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Mike
Hawthorn, Stirling Moss, Bruce McLaren, Tony Brooks, Jim Clark
and many others. His work is a rare and valuable archive from
a golden age of British motor racing before the sport became so
completely commercialised".
We will be publishing a selection of pictures from this archive
over the next few weeks. Some of the subjects are obvious, but
others are not and we invite you to tell us all about them by
E-mail to : motorsnippets@dial.pipex.com
These answers will be featured with the pictures.
Here is one to start the discussion going. Who has crashed, what
is the car, which circuit and which event. What is the streamlined
car passing the accident and who is driving. The following picture
may give you a clue to the answer to the first question.
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