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William Bethel Thompson (28 December 1906 – 12 February 1945) was an
Retrieved 5 June 2015 he was active in motor sport from 1928 to 1936.''Review by Pedr Davis, Bill Thompson, Australian Motor racing Champion - By Kent Patrick'', bugatticlubaustralia.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org
/ref> His competition cars included various
William Bethel Thompson (28 December 1906 – 12 February 1945) was an Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
racing driver. From Summer Hill, Sydney,Grahm Howard, ''Thompson, William Bethel (1906–1945)'', adb.anu.edu.au/biographyRetrieved 5 June 2015 he was active in motor sport from 1928 to 1936.''Review by Pedr Davis, Bill Thompson, Australian Motor racing Champion - By Kent Patrick'', bugatticlubaustralia.com.au, as archived at web.archive.org
/ref> His competition cars included various
Bugatti
Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars w ...
s, a Riley Brooklands and an MG K3
The MG K-type Magnette is a motor car produced in the United Kingdom by MG from October 1932 to 1934.
Launched at the 1932 London Motor Show, the K-Type replaced the F-Type Magna but having at first a slightly smaller capacity engine it took ...
. Although his career was not taken to the international level, he met with considerable successful in Australia, winning the Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...
three times.
Thompson died as a result of an aircraft accident on 12 February 1945 in the Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...
, Pacific Ocean. At the time of the accident, Thompson was serving in the Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
and was travelling as an unauthorised passenger in a Consolidated PB2Y Coronado
The PB2Y Coronado is a large flying boat patrol bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft, and used by the US Navy during World War II in bombing, antisubmarine, and transport roles. Obsolete by the end of the war, Coronados were quickly taken o ...
of the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
.Kent Patrick, Bill Thompson - Australian motor racing champion, 2011, pages 283 to 286
Career results
References
Australian racing drivers 1906 births 1945 deaths Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force officers Australian military personnel killed in World War II Grand Prix drivers {{Australia-autoracing-bio-stub