Elsie Mary Wisdom (2 March 1904 – 13 April 1972), also known as "Bill Wisdom", was an English automobile racer. She was one of the first women to win a race for both male and female drivers at

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

Early life

Elsie Mary Gleed was born in London, the only daughter of Benjamin Gleed, a shopkeeper, and Emma Avenell Gleed.Jean Williams
"Elsie Mary (Bill) Wisdom"
in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford University Press 2013). She had six brothers, who called her "Bill" as she joined in their activities.

Career

Elsie Gleed learned to drive motorcycles and automobiles as a young woman. She started racing casually in the 1920s, but in 1930 her new husband

Tommy Wisdom Thomas Henry Wisdom (16 February 1906 – 12 November 1972) was a British motoring correspondent for the Daily Herald. He was also a racing driver who took part in numerous races and rallies. Wisdom was born in Brighton. His wife Elsie (k ...

signed her up for a women-only race at Brooklands. She won that race. The following year she set the women's time record at

Shelsley Walsh Shelsley Walsh is a small village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, on the western side of the River Teme. For administrative purposes it is presently located in the Teme Valley ward of the county’s Malvern Hills district. In the 2011 ...

, and in 1932 she took the women's speed record at Brooklands. Also in 1932, Bill Wisdom and

Joan Richmond Joan Richmond (1905–1999) was an Australian pioneer in motorsport who competed internationally in seven Monte Carlo rallies and two Le Mans 24 Hours races. Early life and education Joan Richmond was born in Cooma in 1905 and grew up in Vict ...

of Australia won the JCC 1000 Mile Race at Brooklands—a major race in which they were the only team of women. In 1933, she was the only female member of the six-person Aston Martin team at

Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...

. She was one of four women invited to compete in the Brooklands 500 in 1935. She and her partner

Dorothy Stanley-Turner Dorothy Mabel Murray Stanley-Turner (12 November 1916 – 8 July 1995) was a British motor racing driver who competed in sports car and rally events. She competed in the 1937 24 Hours of Le Mans and set a new woman's record at Shelsley Walsh Speed ...

finished 23rd at the 1938 24 Hours of Le Mans. After World War II, when European automobile racing events resumed, Bill Wisdom was on a three-woman team for a

Monte Carlo Rally The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...

race in 1948. An accident in 1951 at the

Alpine Rally The Alpine Rally, also known by its official name Coupe des Alpes, was a rally competition based in Marseille and held from 1932 to 1971. In the 1950s and the 1960s, it was among the most prestigious rallies in the world and featured an internat ...

was followed by only a few more races until Wisdom's last in 1955.

Personal life

Elsie Gleed married twice; to Charles Thomas Swain in 1925 (they divorced in 1929), and to racing journalist

in 1930. They had one daughter,

Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

in 1934. After she retired from racing, the Wisdoms lived in

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

. Both Wisdoms died in 1972, Bill in April and Tommy in November. Their daughter Ann "Wiz" Wisdom Riley drove in races in the 1950s and 1960s. There is a display about women racers at

Brooklands Museum Brooklands Museum is a motoring and aviation museum occupying part of the former Brooklands motor-racing track in Weybridge, Surrey, England. Formally opened in 1991, the museum is operated by the independent Brooklands Museum Trust Ltd, a pri ...

, including Elsie "Bill" Wisdom. There is a file of clippings, photographs, and papers related to Elsie Wisdom in the Brooklands Archives.Elsie Wisdom
Brooklands Archives.

References

External links

*The

National Portrait Gallery (London) The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...

ha
a 1931 photograph of Elsie Mary Wisdom in racing gear
by

Bassano Ltd Alexander Bassano (10 May 1829 – 21 October 1913) was an English photographer who was a leading royal and high society portrait photographer in Victorian London. He is known for his photo of the Earl Kitchener in the ''Lord Kitchener Wants Yo ...

{{Authority control 1904 births 1972 deaths English female racing drivers