Morna Vaughan

Morna with her Standard in 1933

Morna Vaughan was a British rally driver from the 1930s onward. She is mostly remembered for her drives in the Monte Carlo Rally between 1931 and 1952, which were often eventful rather than strictly successful.

Morna was born Morna Lloyd Rawlins in India, in 1882. Rallying was very much a second career for her; she was one of the first wave of women to qualify as medical doctors, and worked as an Army surgeon during the First World War. This made her one of the first female surgeons in the UK. After the war, and her 1917 marriage to Francis Vaughan, she continued to practise. She was the head of the “Female VD” department (genito-urinary medicine) of Guy’s Hospital in London from 1917, until at least 1935. In addition to this, she was a consultant surgeon to several London hospitals, specialising in women’s GU medicine.

She began driving in 1924, when she was forty-two. Her first major competition experience seems to have been in 1930, when she entered the JCC Half-Day Trial, in a Standard. She was one of the “First Class” award winners. Trials were something to which she would return throughout her career, with some success. That year, she drove a Wolseley Hornet at Shelsley Walsh, making the climb in 80.8 seconds.

Her first Monte Carlo Rally was in 1931, and she drove a Riley. She does not appear on the lists of finishers, but there are no reports of her getting involved in any particular accidents or other drama.

In 1932, she was sixth in the Light Car class of the Monte Carlo Rally, driving a Triumph Nine. This year, she also won her only Monte Coupe des Dames. This was in spite of a lengthy stop close to the end of the rally, when Morna and her co-driver, Charlotte Nash, a medical student, stopped to help another crew. They set several broken legs and gave extensive medical assistance, giving up any chance of a good final time, but still hanging on to the Ladies’ prize.

The following year, she drove a Standard on the Monte, with Elsie Wisdom as her navigator. They started from Tallinn in Estonia. Later in the year, Morna did the RAC Rally in a Wolseley Hornet. Her co-driver’s name is not recorded, and she may not have finished.

After 1933, she took a break from international competition. That year, she entered the Colmore Trial for at least the second time, winning a third class award in the Standard. Between then and 1937, she was an active and enthusiastic member of the Women’s Automobile and Sports Association (WASA), the British women’s motorsport association. She took part in their trials, which often seemed to be held in the Cotswolds, in the Standard.

Her fourth Monte was in 1937. Driving the Standard, she did not make the finish this time, due to accident damage. Her last pre-war event was the 1939 Monte, still driving the Standard. She finished in 48^th place, trailing Yvonne Simon and Louise Lamberjack for the Coupe des Dames.

Unusually, she resumed her motorsport activities after World War II. By this time, she had retired from medical practice and was well into her sixties. In 1951, she returned to the Monte Carlo Rally, in an AC Ace, but did not finish.

Her last major rally was the 1952 Monte. In classic style, this was an eventful test for Morna, now 69. In an interview at the start, she professed not to remember how many rallies she had taken part in. She completed the greater part of the event in a decent time, but unfortunately ran out of petrol near Paris. Despite terrible winter weather, she managed to refuel, with the help of a passerby, and get on her way again. However, somewhere near Clermont-Ferrand, another car ran into the back of her Jowett Javelin, which burst into flames. She was not seriously hurt.

After her retirement from medicine, she lived on a smallholding. She died in 1969.

Morna’s collection of trophies and newspaper cuttings is now held at the National Motor Museum. Their online summary of its contents was a great help in writing this article.

(Image copyright http://www.motoringpicturelibrary.com/)

Female Rally Drivers Before 1950: Part II

Lucienne Radisse, as an actress

Morna Vaughan now has her own profile, as do Katherine Martin, Dorothy Patten and Marie-Jeanne Marinovitch.

“Mademoiselle Mertens” (or Mertëns) – Belgian driver who competed mainly in France, in the 1920s. She was second in the 1925 Monte Carlo Rally, driving a Lancia Lambda. This remains the highest-ever finish for a female driver. Later, she took part in the women’s races and rallies that centred on Paris in the late 1920s. She was a regular at the Journée Féminine de l’Automobile, although not one of the winners, and took part in several of the early runnings of the Paris-Saint-Raphaël Rally. Again, she was not among the class winners. No biographical information about her is readily available, and her given name is never used.

Millicent (Miss M.V.) Milne - drove in rallies and trials in the 1920s and 1930s. Between 1926 and 1928, she is recorded as an entrant in trials in an Austin Twelve. Some of these appear to be Women’s Automobile Sports Association events. Later, in 1932, she appears as a rally driver, although she may have begun this earlier. That year, she drove in the RAC and Scottish rallies, in an Austin. This was replaced by a small Armstrong-Siddeley in 1933, in which she was 74th in the RAC Rally. She also entered the Scottish Rally again. She disappears from the entry lists after that. Her given name is seldom used.

Margaret Montague-Johnstone - winner of the WASA Wakefield Trophy in 1932, in recognition of her performance in the Monte Carlo Rally. She drove a Riley and scored a clean run with no penalties. In 1933, she finished again, in a Riley 9, having started from John O’Groats. She sometimes drove with her husband, Alistair, like on the 1933 Scottish Rally and the 1934 Monte, when they used a Triumph Gloria. Margaret drove the Triumph herself in Scotland in 1934. She and Alistair had been active in Riley club events since at least 1931.

Hélène Morariu-Andriewitsch – early rally driver who competed just before the First World War. She was the first woman to enter the Alpine Trial, in 1912. Her car was a Puch. Unfortunately, she retired on the fifth stage, after hitting a rock. In 2013, she drove the Puch again, competing under her married name of von Stamati-Morariu. She appears to have finished, but not win any of the awards. Away from motorsport, Hélène studied philosophy.

Aileen Moss - British trials and rally driver in the 1920s and 1930s. She often drove a Marendaz Special, but sometimes used other cars, such as the MG Midget she drove in the 1933 Brooklands Rally. The Marendaz was preferred for that year's RAC and Scarborough rallies. Aileen is, of course, the mother of Pat Moss-Carlsson and Sir Stirling Moss.

Lady Margaret Oldham - rallied a Vauxhall around the UK in the early 1930s. In 1932, she took part in the RAC and Scottish rallies. The following year, she managed to finish the Scottish Rally. Her usual start point was London.

Billie Reece - entered the RAC Rally in a Ford in 1932, starting from Liverpool. She is also recorded as a finisher in the 1933 Ulster Rally. Her car was a Riley this time and her start point was London.

Jean Robertson - entered her first rally in 1932. She drove overland to Monte Carlo from Australia with Joan Richmond, as part of a group of Riley drivers, and was 19th in the Light Car class. She also entered the RAC Rally in the Riley. After her motorsport adventures in 1932, she does not appear to have competed.

Lilian Roehrs (Röhrs?) - competed in European rallies in the 1930s. She drove a Hanomag in the 1931 Coupe Internationale des Alpes and a BMW in the 1934 event. Her navigator in 1934 was Rembach.

Lilian Roper - competed throughout the 1920s and 1930s in the UK. Her first major achievement was the Shelsley Walsh Ladies' Hillclimb record in 1923, driving an AC. Later, she was a regular participant in rallies in the UK. In 1932 and 1933 she used an Armstrong-Siddeley. This was changed for a Triumph in 1936, then an MG VA for the 1938 and 1939 seasons. She does not appear to have competed abroad.

Marie Seeliger – competed in the 1929 Monte Carlo Rally, driving a Mercedes-Benz. She started from Berlin. Starting from Stavanger in Norway this time, she also drove the Mercedes in the 1931 Monte, and seems to have finished. Little other information seems to exist about “Frau Seeliger”. Her title suggests that she was German.

Eva Stackelberg - first seems to have competed internationally in the 1932 Monte Carlo Rally, driving a Hupmobile. She drove the same car in the 1934 Monte, again starting from Umeå.

Eve (Mrs C.S.) Staniland - did at least one season of rallying in the 1930s. She drove a works Riley in the 1932 Monte Carlo Rally, finishing tenth in the Light Car class. Margaret Allan was her navigator. It was presumably the same car that she used to take part in that year's RAC event. Mrs Staniland's given name is not often given.

Muriel Stanton - rallied in the UK and Europe in the 1930s. She first appears on the entry lists in 1932, driving a Riley in the RAC Rally. She returned to the event in 1933, in the Riley, and was 99th, starting in Harrogate. She entered the Riley into the Monte Carlo Rally in 1934, starting at Umeå, and was 48th. This seems to have been her last major rally.

Helene Veniel - competed in and around Paris in the 1930s, mainly in rallies. As well as events such as the Paris-St. Raphael, she entered mixed rallies, including the Tour de France in 1932 and 1933. Her car in 1932 was a Chenard & Walcker, which she had had for some time, winning the Coupe du Journal at the 1930 Journee Feminin de l’Automobile in it. She drove  in the 1933 Tour de France, which also visited Belgium, in a Peugeot 301, which she may also have used in the Journee Feminin, as Peugeot were using female drivers to promote that model.

Lady Patricia Waleran - entered British rallies in the early 1930s. She is recorded as an entrant in the 1933 RAC Rally, driving an Alvis. She stopped competing in 1934, after her divorce from her husband.

“Miss EV Watson” - rallied in the 1930s. In 1932, she drove a Wolseley Hornet in the RAC Rally, and an Invicta in the Scottish Rally. She used the Invicta in the 1933 RAC Rally too, and was 45th. Driving a Bentley, she won her class in the 1935 RAC Rally. She disappears from the entry lists after this, at least under that name.

Joyce Watson - rallied in the 1930s. She drove a Riley in the RAC and Scottish rallies in 1932. The following year, in an Aston Martin, she was seventh in the Light Car class of the Scottish Rally. After this, she disappears from the entry lists. She may have been related to the Miss Watson above.

Joan Weekes – drove in rallies and trials in the 1930s. She first appears in 1932, driving a Salmson in speed trials at Lewes and Brighton, and winning her class. She also drove a Ford V8 that year, in which she won the Ladies’ Cup in the London-Gloucester Trial. She continued to trial both the Salmson and the Ford, with great success in her class. In 1934, she competed in the RAC Bournemouth Rally, although in which car, it is not quite clear. She won a Second Class award in the Brooklands Rally in 1936, driving a Ford.

Monica Whincop - competed shortly after the Second World War, in the UK. Her most high-profile appearance was in the International Sportscar race at Gransden Lodge in 1947. She won the 1100cc class in her Fiat Balilla. That year, she also drove in the Brighton Speed Trials, presumably in the same car. Photographs exist of her driving at Shelsley Walsh, but no results or dates have come to light. She may have been driving her husband Geoff Whincop’s Bugatti T51.

Violet "Midge" Wilby - rallied a number of cars during the 1930s. In 1933, she was 51st in Class Two of the RAC Rally in a Wolseley Hornet, and she used the same car on the Scottish Rally. Later, she used an Armstrong-Siddeley model and is recorded as a participant in the 1936 RAC and 1937 Monte Carlo rallies. She was sixth in the Monte Carlo Coupe des Dames. Shortly afterwards, she became heavily involved with Atalanta cars, as a patron, company director and works driver. She drove an Atalanta on the 1939 Scottish Rally.

Stella Zagórna – Polish driver active during the 1930s. She competed in the Monte Carlo Rally three times, in 1936, 1937 and 1939. The first two times, she started from Bucharest, and drove a Chevrolet. She was 24^th in 1936, and in 1937, 21^st overall, in a rally of high attrition. In 1939, she changed her start point to Tallinn, still in the Chevrolet, but did not make the finish, having crashed into a telegraph pole just before reaching Monte Carlo. She was unhurt, and returned to rallying in the summer, entering the Liège-Rome- Liège Rally. Unfortunately, she had another accident and ended the event in a ditch.

(Image source unknown)

Kay Petre

Kay at Brooklands

Born in Canada but living in England, Kay was an early motor racing star at the legendary Brooklands track. The exploits of this 4'10" speedqueen were big news at the time, although she is a relatively obscure figure in racing history now.

Born Kathleen Coad Defries in 1903, she moved to England in 1930, following her marriage to Englishman Henry Petre in 1928. Henry was a keen flier, who regularly took off from the Brooklands airfield, and it was here that Kay first became interested in motor racing. She had always been a skilled and competitive sportswoman back at home, especially in ice-skating. Henry bought Kay her first car for her birthday, a Wolseley Hornet Daytona Special in red. She had already learned to drive in an old Ford in about 1919, but Henry did not like the way she crashed up and down the gears in his Invicta, so he gave her a car of her own.

After some tuition from a family friend, her racing career began, with a third and a second in her first two races. One of these may well have been the Inter-Club Novices’ Handicap at Brooklands, in which she was indeed third in a Wolseley, in 1932. The same year, she drove in the Light Car Club’s International Relay, as part of a three-car Hornet team with C. Palmer and T.W. Storey. They were just classified, although down quite a few laps on the leaders.

She continued with the little Wolseley as her main car for the rest of the season, although she always took the opportunity to borrow other cars and experience the track in them, too. As Kay was pretty and lively and "had a way with men", she had no shortage of offers of drives, or expert coaching. Among these cars were an Austin, borrowed from another competitor, a Miss Paterson, who did not qualify for a Ladies' race, and an Invicta, in which she won her class at the Brighton Speed Trials.

In 1933, Kay purchased her first "proper" racing car, a 2-litre Bugatti. Her first outing in it seems to have been the Lewes Speed Trials in May, where she was third in class. She used it to good effect in the regular handicap races at Brooklands, quickly adjusting to the handling and the increased speed. It was in this car that she first tackled the Brooklands Mountain circuit, a newer track layout which was much trickier than the original banked oval. The first Ladies' Mountain race was tipped as a certain win for Kay, but Rita Don won on the day, driving a Riley. She had a slightly unfair advantage in that her partner, racer Freddie Dixon, was clandestinely controlling the car's throttle from the riding mechanic's seat, unknown to even Rita herself to begin with. Earlier, the Whitsun meeting had been a disappointment, with two non-finishes.

That year, Kay appears to have finished her first international rally. She navigated for Joan Richmond on the RAC Rally, in a Riley. They were thirteenth in Class Two.

In 1934, she achieved her first Brooklands win, in the Bugatti. She finished first in the Fourth Walton Scratch Sprint. Only a couple of months later, she won again in the Merrow Senior Short Handicap. In October, she bypassed the Ladies' Mountain Race at the BARC Autumn Meeting, and was second in the Second Kingston Senior Long Handicap. As well as circuit racing at Brooklands, she took part in speed trials and hillclimbs, winning the Ladies' class at Brighton.

Trickery and mild controversy never seemed to be far away when Kay was around, and the media loved her even more for it. It caught up with her again at the 1934 Light Car Club Relay at Brooklands, where the works Singer team she was driving for was involved in the sort of gamesmanship more associated with modern Formula One teams. The Singer squad's arch-rivals were the also all-female MG team of Irene Schwedler, Margaret Allan and Doreen Evans. Both were competing for the Ladies' Prize, which normally meant an invitation to the Le Mans 24 Hours. Preparations for the race were underway when one of the Singer crew came across a copy of the MG team's race strategy and pit notes. During the race, a spy kept an eye on the MG pits and successfully intercepted all of their pit signals, allowing the Singer team of Kay, Sheila Tolhurst and Eileen Ellison to keep right on their tail. When a couple of accidents dropped the team down the order, team boss Sammy Davis decided to exploit a loophole in the rules which meant that the Ladies' Prize could not be awarded to a team finishing in the top three. The Singer ladies backed off and finished fifth, securing the Ladies' Prize.

Kay did go to Le Mans that year, but in a Riley Ulster rather than a Singer. Her co-driver was Dorothy Champney, another British-based driver who specialised in rallies. The race was run at much higher speeds than before and a number of the larger cars ran into trouble, both mechanical and the accident-related type. Kay and Dorothy had an uneventful race, maintaining a steady 60mph, and ended the 24 hours in thirteenth, with a team prize for Riley for having all of their cars make it to the finish.

Later in the year, at the BARC Autumn meeting at Brooklands, Kay was second in the Second Kingston Senior Long Handicap. She was driving the Bugatti and finished ahead of John Cobb, in an Alfa Romeo.

Among her other activities that year were a set of record attempts. She managed to set some new class records at Brooklands in a Bugatti belonging to Dick Shuttleworth, and began her battle for the Ladies' Outer Circuit record with Gwenda Stewart. One of the most recognisable images of Kay is her seated in the big 1924 Delage, a 10.5 litre V12-engined former Grand Prix car she had been using. She threw down the gauntlet to her France-domiciled rival on 26th October 1934, clocking 129.58 mph on a flying lap. The record stood until the August of 1935, when Gwenda challenged again, setting a new benchmark marginally faster. Not to be outdone, Kay jumped straight in the Delage and beat the record the same day, lapping at an average of 134.75 mph. this was the first time that a female driver had earned the Brooklands badge for a lap at 130 mph or over. Gwenda, driving her Derby-Miller special, joined that exclusive club three days later, hitting 135.95 mph. Kay admitted defeat graciously and went back to her own racing. Gwenda pocketed the 50 sovereign stake and returned to France. The outright record at Brooklands was not that much higher; the famous Napier-Railton car was capable of around 143 mph, and holds that record in perpetuity.



Although her grudge match with Gwenda was over, Kay continued to break records in 1935. She set a new ladies' record at the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, driving her newly-acquired White Riley. This car was not the largest but was nevertheless a good buy. She drove it to third place in a Ladies' Mountain race in October, finishing ahead of Gwenda and her good friend, Elsie Wisdom.

The Riley 9 Le Mans Replica that Kay and Elsie "Bill" Wisdom took to Le Mans that year was not as reliable. The duo only lasted for 38 laps before its engine blew. Kay had similar bad luck with former "Bentley Boy" Dudley Benjafield in the 500 Mile race at Brooklands. Their Alfa Romeo 8C went out with after a gasket failed.

Happily, she had better luck in other cars. Another outing in the Delage gave her a third place at the Whitsun Meeting at Brooklands, and she won the Easter Junior Long Handicap, in a Bugatti. The trusty Bugatti, although much smaller in engine capacity than the Delage, was a better racing car; the Delage was more suited to record breaking.

The 1936 season was also up-and-down. Kay could not finish the International Trophy at Brooklands after spinning and then stalling her ERA, a car she did not like and never got to grips with. Teaming up with Bill Wisdom again, for the 500 Mile race, led to another non-finish; their usually-reliable Riley suffered valve gear trouble and eventually sheared a rocker shaft. To add insult to injury, when Kay raced the car again at Donington, a broken oil pipe showered her with heated oil. Thankfully she was unhurt.

Less dramatic, but still disappointing was her visit to Ireland for the Tourist Trophy at Ards. She was scheduled to share a BMW with B. Bira, the Thai prince who had made a name for himself as a driver. In the end, her services were not needed and she sat the race out.

Always up for trying out new cars, she did some events in a Frazer Nash in 1936. As part of Miss Hedges' Frazer Nash team for the LCC's Relay, she did not finish, assisted by Geraldine Hedges and a Lady Makin. She had better luck at the Brighton Speed Trials, where she won her class.

Saving the best until last, she waited until the final meeting of the season before completing her Mountain win in the White Riley. Earlier in the season, she had finished ninth in the Mountain Grand Prix, driving the same car.

1937 was an exciting year. It began with a trip to South Africa for the Grand Prix season there. A 1.5 litre Riley was shipped over with her but the new engine she intended to have fitted did not make it, meaning she was down on power. She could not finish the South African or Rand Grands Prix but was sixth in the Grosvenor event. Her disappointment was tempered by excitement though, as here she befriended Bernd Rosemeyer, the legendary Auto Union driver from Switzerland. Their friendship led to Kay testing an Auto Union C, a monstrous, ahead of its time Grand Prix car with a 6-litre V16 engine. Of course, this being Kay, rumours of an affair started. These have been denied by Rosemeyer's wife, the aviatrix Elly Beinhorn. Elly always spoke kindly of Kay and would not entertain the idea of her husband and her friend deceiving her.

Back in England, Kay was now a member of the Austin works team. She normally drove the 500cc side-valve car, showing her normal fearlessness when up against larger machinery. Her first race as an Austin driver was the British Empire Trophy at Donington, which she did not finish, due to a broken carburettor jet.

Austin had entered her for all the major races, including Le Mans, where she shared an Austin Seven Grasshopper with G Mangan. They failed to finish, but elsewhere Kay had more luck. At the Coronation 100 Miles at Donington she was sixth overall and later in the season she was fifth again at the same track. Her biggest achievement was probably her outright win in the JCC Relay, with her Austin team-mates, Hadley and Goodacre. They started on scratch, and were four minutes ahead of their nearest rivals. The three locked out the 750cc class at Shelsley Walsh that year, with Kay breaking her own Ladies' record.

Driving with a young racer named P Stephenson, she was sixteenth at the Donington 12 Hours, although they were against much bigger and more powerful cars, and were actually fifth in the up to one litre class. Back at Brooklands, she was running as high as second in the Nuffield Trophy when an oil pipe broke and she suffered a repeat of the incident with the Riley the previous year. Again, she was not seriously hurt. In August, she travelled the short distance to the new Crystal Palace circuit, and was fourth in the Crystal Palace Cup.

Sadly, September 1937 is where Kay's circuit racing career ends. During practice for the Brooklands 500 Miles, she was involved in a dreadful accident. Reg Parnell stalled above her on the banking, slid down and hit her Austin Seven, rolling it down the banking and crushing Kay underneath it. She suffered severe head injuries and was lucky to survive. After being in a coma for a few days and undergoing surgery to her head and face, she eventually made a good recovery, the only permanent damage being some paralysis of one side of her face.

After her recovery, Kay made one final appearance at Crystal Palace in 1938, driving the White Riley. She was second in the Ladies' Race held at the London Grand Prix meeting. Although she was cheered enthusiastically by the crowds, she had lost her nerve, and did not race wheel to wheel again. At this time, she was campaigning for Reg Parnell to have his racing licence returned. The authorities blamed him for the accident and revoked it, although Kay herself never held him responsible, and eventually he was allowed back behind the wheel. Her views were "if you race fast cars, one of the risks you take is that one day you might cop it!"

After retiring from circuit racing, she could not get the motorsport bug out of her system. Even before her Crystal Palace farewell appearance, she had got herself back up to speed with some competition in France, contesting the Paris-Nice Trial and the famous La Turbie hillclimb, in an Austin. She was not among the front-runners, but did better at the more familiar Shelsley Walsh climb, winning the 1938 Ladies' Challenge Trophy.

A little later, she returned to rallying, first as a navigator. Only a year after her accident, she is listed as an entrant for the RAC Rally, apparently in an MG SA. It is possible she was navigating for Joan Chetwynd. She competed at home and in Europe, with the Alpine Rally being her favourite. One of her co-drivers was the French racer Anne-Cécile Rose-Itier, who partnered her for the Monte Carlo Rally one year.

Her competition career received another huge blow in 1938. She had been spectating at Brooklands when a car slid down the Byfleet banking and crushed her and some other colleagues. She suffered more head and facial injuries, although she did manage to recover later.

It was at this time she began her second career as a motoring journalist, which she continued after the war. This part of her career started under a dark cloud in 1939, when she was sent to cover the Monte for the Daily Sketch. She was driving Major Reggie Empson, a former racer and another journalist, to Monte Carlo, when they crashed into a lorry. Kay received even more facial injuries, but recovered again. Empson was killed instantly. A lengthy court battle between Kay and Empson's family followed; she was initially charged with manslaughter, but was not convicted. The driver of the lorry was also charged. The case was eventually settled, and Kay was ordered to pay over £4000 in damages to Stella Empson, Reggie's widow.

Despite this considerable setback, she carried on as a journalist, and was a staff writer for the Sketch. During the war, she shifted the emphasis of her writing from motoring to cookery. She worked for the Ministry of Food as her contribution to the war effort.

Much later, she was employed by Austin as part of its design team, selecting colours for the interior of the Mini, amongst other models. She retired in her mid-fifties, due to headaches and memory problems. These were the result of her earlier head injuries.

Henry Petre died in 1962. Kay never remarried, and made her home in London, after a brief sojourn back in Canada. Although very private, she remained interested in motorsport and still attended race meetings for a long time. Towards the end of her life, she became more reticent in talking about her sporting past. She died, at the age of ninety-one, in 1994.

(Delage photo by Mike Jackson.)