SEGRAVE'S HONOUR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20241, 29 April 1929, Page 11

SEGRAVE'S HONOUR.

KNIGHTHOOD CONFERRED. VISITS KING AT BOGNOR. Australian and N.Z. Press Association. (Received April 28, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON. April 27. The King to-day conferred a knighthood upon "Major Henry 0. D. S'egravo at Craigweil House, Bognor. Sir Henry spent three hours in answering His Majesty's interested questions about his recent achievements in establishing land and water speed records. The new knight had luncheon with Queen Mary.

Sir Henry 0. D. Segrave, air officer and motoring record-brenker, was born in the United States in 1899. His father was Mr. Charles Segrave. an Englishman. He \va3 educated at Eton and Sandhurst. When the Great War began, he was at school, but in 1917 he joined the Royal Air Force. After serving as a member of one of (he air missions to America lie went into activo service with one of the famous scout aeroplanes. In an encounter with enemy airmen, however, ho was shot down when flying at a, height of 3000 ft. and badly injured. When he left hospital he became secretary to the Secretary of State for Air. At the end of the war, with the rank of major, he turned to motor-racing and came into prominence at Brooklands jby winning tlio 200 miles race of the Junior Car Club. His services wero then retained by a motor-ear firm and he figured in all tlie Continental races of 1922. In the following year he. won the French Grand Prix at Tours —the first British driver to pain that prize—and in 1924 lie secured the Spanish Grand Prix. His firm then had a special car built for him secretly and with it, in March, 1926. lie did a mile at 156 miles ati hour—an extraordinary speed at that time. 'lhat, however, was not, fast enough for Segrave. Tsv March, 1927. he was at Daytona' Beach, Florida, with a 1000 h.p. car and made a record of 203.792 miles an hour for a mile with a' flying start. Actually in one part of the run lie did 207 miles an hour, but a world's record is reckoned on the,average of a double journey once in each direction. That achievement was beaten by Keecli on the same course with 207.552 miles an hour. With the object of eclipsing that record Segrave went to Daytona in February last with a car, flic "Golden Arrow." so finely streamlined that it has been likened to a " badly souasbed lozenge." He hoped to exceed 240 miles an hour and on March 11 made the attempt. His speed over the required distance was 231 miles an hour. His interest turning to motor-boat racing, ho took with him also a 1000 h.p. boat, " Miss England," in which he attempted to bent the American record of 92 miles an hour. He actually attained a speed of 83 utiles an hour at Miami, Florida.