Mechanics

Learn about the mechanics involved in maintaining Golden Arrow during the vehicle’s journey out to Daytona.

Read the Process of Discovery blog for more information and an insight into how the research on the Golden Arrow mechanics was carried out.

William Percival Calvert was an essential figure in the success of Golden Arrow, with his status as an aeroplane engineer enabling him to maintain the vehicle’s sophisticated Napier Engine.

Calvert’s Early Life

William Percival Calvert was born in Aldershot in 1897 to Charles Augustus Lees Calvert and Rose Elizabeth West, both were shopkeepers for a grocery store.

However, the First World War uprooted Calvert’s early life, with him serving in the Royal Army Service Corps from the 19th March 1915. The Service Corps was responsible for managing and transporting supplies to deployed soldiers. Calvert’s role within the Service Corps was horse transport within France, where he was likely responsible for transporting goods from forward bases to frontline troops.

On the 15h March 1916, Calvert, who was 19 years old by this point, transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. Records indicate that Calvert maintained and repaired the engines of the Royal Flying Corps’ planes.

Calvert’s involvement in maintaining aeroplane engines continued after the First World War, with him finding employment under D. Napier and Son, a company that had been responsible for designing aeroplane engines for the Royal Flying Corps. This career first took Calvert across the world, with him travelling to Argentina in 1928. Less than a year later, Calvert was sailing to New York with Sir Henry Segrave for his Land Speed record attempt with Golden Arrow.

Calvert and Golden Arrow

The reliance of Golden Arrow on the Napier aeroplane engine made Calvert an essential individual in ensuring the success of the 1929 land speed record. Like his fellow mechanics, he travelled alongside Segrave from Southampton on the RMS Majestic on 30th January, with them arriving in New York on the 8th February.

The use of an aeroplane engine posed unique challenges for Golden Arrow, with the success of the vehicle resting upon the promise of its low drag. Therefore, the engine and its component parts had been tightly placed within the vehicle’s frame, leading Calvert to regularly ensure that the everything was running smoothly, with a test run on the 26th February. He was also responsible for starting the engine. According to all accounts, the Napier engine performed admirably.

Upon his return to London in Calvert spoke to reporters and declared that the car and engine had both performed excellently despite the conditions on the beach having worsened prior to Segrave’s run, with bumps in the sand and patches of water along the route. He also proudly declared that the vehicle would have likely reached 240 miles per hour on its second run due to the vehicle being driven at less than full power on its successful run.

Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-07852 / CC-BY-SA 3.0

Miss England

Notably, Calvert also assisted Segrave with his Miss England run, which took place in Miami during the same period as Golden Arrow. The vessel’s Napier engine made Calvert the ideal individual to ensure it was running effectively prior to its record-breaking mission. This photograph shows Segrave and Calvert towing what appears to be an engine starter block at a motorboat race in Potsdam.

After Golden Arrow

After the success of Golden Arrow, Calvert continued to work for Napier as a travelling aero mechanic. Yet he still found time to start a family, with the birth of his daughter, Andrea Rozanne Calvert, in 1935. It appears that the desire to travel never left Calvert, with him regularly visiting South America throughout the 1930s-1950s, though always in his capacity as an aeroplane engine mechanic.

By 1958, at 61 years old, Calvert and his family resettled in Australia in New South Wales until his death in 1970 at 73 years old.

Baguley’s Early life

Much of Baguley’s life centered around Birmingham, where his family relocated to after his birth in 1892. His father, Ernest E. Baguley owned the Baguley Cars company, which William worked for. This organisation specialised in second-hand cars and parts.

William, like much of his generation, ended up serving in the First World War. During this period he suffered damage to his left forearm. Such information was found through military pension papers, that suggest he was discharged from the army because of this incident.

Undeterred, Baguley returned to working in automobile engineering and specialised in tyres, working at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham. It was his experience working there which would lead to his involvement in Golden Arrow.

Golden Arrow

Prior to Golden Arrow’s transit from Southampton to New York, Baguley joined the team of mechanics and worked with McDonald in maintaining and fitting Golden Arrow’s tyres.

This role was integral to the success of Golden Arrow given the strain placed on the tyres at such high speeds. Footage of Golden Arrow in 1929 shows these mechanics hard at work.

Later Life

After Golden Arrow’s success, Baguley continued his trade as a mechanic and went on to assist the less successful Silver Bullet in 1930, which suffered from a series of mechanical faults.

Ever the optimist, Baguley returned to Daytona with Malcolm Campbell in 1932, helping to fit the tyres on the record-winning Blue Bird, which reached over 272 miles per hour.

Unfortunately, there is little reliable data surrounding Baguley’s later life, with limited references to a William Wilcox Baguley of Birmingham within local newspapers. However, this Baguley appears unrelated to tyre-fitting.

Overall, despite the lack of clarity regarding Baguley’s later life, there can be little doubt as to the importance of his contributions in ensuring that the British tyres on the all-British Golden Arrow were of a standard which allowed the country to claim the 1929 land speed record.

McDonald’s Early Life

David McDonald was born in 1897 and at the young age of 14 he was already running errands for the Dunlop Rubber Company. It was during this period that McDonald became a ‘pump boy’ – someone who fitted and transported tyres to factories and clients. McDonald’s own account of this time reveal that he relished this role, and he was rapidly promoted to a tyre fitter.

However, the First World War uprooted McDonald, who served in France with the Royal Field Artillery until 1919, when his service was no longer required. For McDonald, 1921 was a turning point in his life. First, he got married to Ada, who McDonald had proposed to whilst on leave during the First World War. Second, he secured a permanent position with Dunlop at the new Brooklands racetrack.

It was at Brooklands where McDonald ‘Dunlop Mac’ established his reputation as a tyre fitter through assisting the motorcyclist D. R. O’Donovan, which led to experimental tyre designs and advancements of the kind that were essential for the later success of vehicles such as Golden Arrow. Equally, this constant improvement of tyres led to Dunlop becoming more popular. By 1926, 75% of the drivers at Brooklands sought out ‘Dunlop Mac’.

McDonald and Golden Arrow

McDonald, like all of Golden Arrow’s mechanics and engineers, boarded the RMS Majestic on the 30th of January and arrived in New York on the 6th February.

McDonald’s main responsibility was ensuring the strength and integrity of Golden Arrow’s tyres. This was a particularly important aspect given that Golden Arrow’s extreme speed would hasten their decline. For example, the Dunlop tyres for Malcom Campbell’s 1927 Bluebird had been designed to last approximately four minutes.

By 1929, advancements in tyres enabled Segrave’s 200 miles per hour Daytona attempt, but McDonald still carefully checked the treads and walked Golden Arrow’s route, removing small as shells and other debris that, if they came into contact with the tyres, could spell disaster.

After the first half of Segrave’s record run, McDonald and the other mechanics immediately replaced all four tyres within 6 minutes and 14 seconds—a speedy turnaround which enabled Segrave to quickly commence his return run, leading to the speed record of 231.446 miles per hour.

Later Life

After Segrave’s success, McDonald continued to assist in a series of future land speed record attempts. In 1931, McDonald accompanied Malcolm Campbell for his successful record bid in ‘Bluebird’, which reached 246.1 miles per hour.

A year later, the triumphant Campbell returned with McDonald and once again became the fastest man on Earth at 253.9 miles per hour. McDonald was especially pleased with the latter achievement as it meant that the Dunlop tyres he supplied and maintained were able to withstand the increasing strains which occurred at ever higher speeds.

Whilst Daytona beach would continue to prove an exotic local for David McDonald, it was also steeped in mystery and tragedy given that his brother, Steve ‘Big Mac’ McDonald went missing whilst running a boarding-house there. Despite the help of private investigators and racing-drivers, the fate of Steve McDonald was never revealed, with his brother assuming that a tropical storm must have led to his sudden disappearance.

Later, with the outbreak of the Second World War, McDonald served in the Fleet Air Arm by inspecting and servicing the tyres of aircraft. The experience was strange for McDonald, with shortages of rubber leading him to maintain tyres which would have been readily discarded in the halcyon days of motor racing and land speed records. After the war, McDonald returned to motorsport and continued in his traditional role until the 1960s.

Harold Irving

Harold Ward Irving was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, in 1892. Son to Sam Irving and Louisa Ann Irving, Harold Irving was the younger brother of J.S Irving. As with his brother, Harold worked on the Golden Arrow.

Whilst his brother designed the revolutionary racing car, the younger of the Irving brothers worked on the car as the chief mechanic. It is unclear how Harold became involved in mechanics and specifically the Golden Arrow, but one can assume that his older brother work in engineering influenced Harold to pursue a career working within car mechanics.

Ernest Lavender

Ernest Lavender, also known as Ernie Lavender, was born in Wolverhampton in 1905 and later became an auto mechanic. Prior to the Golden Arrow, he had worked on the 1,000hp Sunbeam car called Mystery in 1927.

The vehicle was driven by Major Segrave and achieved a speed of 203 miles per hour. Documents list Lavender as an auto-engineer and it is likely that his prior experience of working with Segrave in 1927 led to his later involvement in the Golden Arrow. His precise role in regards to his work on the car remains unclear.

Whilst Lavender was too young to serve in the First World War, future research may reveal what role he played in the later Second World War.

Ernest Lavender second from left — Ernest Lavender (second from left)

George Peach

George Peach is the least known individual of the whole group. On some of the travel records he is described as a chauffer, whilst on others he is described as a mechanic.

Despite this difference, it is clear that Peach travelled with Segrave to Daytona and was likely present during Golden Arrow’s run. There is an Ancestry page on Peach, but sadly it is private and therefore much information regarding him remains hidden.