by REX NEEDLE

THE ACHIEVEMENTS of our famous son are well documented but here are some images that may not be so well known.

Raymond's obsession with motor cars rubbed off from his father, businessman Thomas Mays (1856-1934), one of the first men in Bourne to own a vehicle and who also took part in speed trials and hill climbs. Raymond, then aged about 10, is pictured above with a school friend at the wheel of his first car, a make believe model made from spare parts that must have been lying around at Eastgate House, the family home.

His career appears to have been destined, driving and then designing fast cars, and at the height of his success, he met Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire on 13th May 1950 when he showed them the BRM, an early model of the car that was to win the world championship thirteen years later. This was one of the proudest moments in his life and he treasured copies of this photograph and autographed many which he handed out to friends and admirers.

One of the least known facts about Raymond is that he was a special constable. On 1st March 1939, he was sworn in as No 269 with Lincolnshire police although little is known about his duties after that or whether he actually went out on patrol in the streets of Bourne or assisted at public functions.
 

Despite his commitment to upholding the law, Raymond did not always observe the rules of the road and was summonsed on at least two occasions. In October 1959, he was fined £10 for speeding at Preston in Lancashire but there was a far more serious charge almost 40 years before when he appeared before magistrates at Peterborough on Wednesday 10th October 1923 accused of dangerous driving. He was represented by local solicitor Mr Arthur Mellows and pleaded not guilty but the evidence offered in his defence may appear to be rather light-hearted. Police told the court that Mays had been seen driving his car near St Paul's Church [in Lincoln Road] where there were crossroads "at a speed of fully 30 miles an hour".

Mr Mellows, in his defence, reminded the magistrates that Raymond was a well-known racing motorist and had passed many stringent driving tests and was not in the habit of using the main roads for racing. During the past eight years, he had driven about 20,000 miles and had not scratched a mudguard or knocked anyone down. No complaints had been made against him. "His car", said Mr Mellows, "is so built that it looks to be travelling faster than it really is." He was found guilty and fined £3 (£110 in today's money) and ordered to pay costs.

A gallery of photographs from the career of Raymond Mays forms part of
the permanent displays at the Heritage Centre in South Street, Bourne.

See also Raymond Mays

Extracts and photographs from the life and times of Raymond Mays which can be found on
 the CD-ROM A Portrait of Bourne © REX NEEDLE 2005