'
Bernard Laurence Hieatt
'' (1909 – 3 May 1930) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

air pilot who became famous for his exploits in

motorcycle racing Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Ot ...

, where he achieved several world records in the sport. He has a memorial in Reading Old Cemetery which is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Life and career

Born in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...

, Hieatt, was the eldest son of a Reading butcher, Benoni (Noni) Hieatt and his wife Lizzie Godfrey. He was a member of the Reading and District Motorcycling Club, where he was captain. He was also an air pilot and used to rent out a

Moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

aeroplane to fly to racing venues. He started in dirt track racing for a while, then went to

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, ...

, the famous

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

racetrack in 1927, to race for various engine manufacturers. Achieving distinction on the road and track, he competed on a

Cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

in the 1928 TT Races on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

when he finished 9th and in 1929 he started in three races but did not finish in any of these races. He was part of the British Motor Cycle team, touring Europe and Egypt and in 1929 won the ‘ Sir Charles Wakefield Cup' at Brooklands. He took several world records, creating two world records in the two hundred miles motorcycle and side car race and won races at Brooklands. He achieved a coveted

BMCRC The British Motorcycle Racing Club (BMCRC), informally Bemsee, is the largest motorcycle racing club of its type in the UK and organises a range of championships including Clubman and Supersport 600, Thunderbikes, Superstock 1000, Formula 40 ...

'Gold Star' in 1929 for lapping the Brooklands track at over 100 mph.

Death

On 3 May 1930 at Brooklands, Hieatt had broken the 100 miles record and the 2 hours record, covering . This was achieved despite heavy rain and poor visibility. Hieatt's motorcycle had sufficient fuel for the race, but a leaking tank forced him into the pits 8 laps from the finish. During the refuelling pitstop, Hieatt also swapped his goggles for a new pair, as the ones he was wearing were covered in mud. After rejoining the race, Hieatt was leading by a lap and a half when an official went out on to the track with a large red disc, signalling Hieatt to slow down to , although it seemed Hieatt did not see him. With another bike in front of him, Hieatt attempted an overtake on the inside, but steered too close to the grass verge. The side car wheel struck the grass verge at , turning the motorcycle over. F. Mathews, the sidecar passenger, was trapped face downwards, but escaped with severe shock. Hieatt was thrown into the air and hit a concrete post, breaking his leg, shattering his skull and lacerating his brain; he died instantly. Officials and a doctor quickly arrived with an ambulance to the crash site. When Hieatt was found he was not wearing goggles, leading to the assumption that he threw them off while still riding. Hieatt's death was the first motorcycling fatality at Brooklands since the First World War.

Death by misadventure In the United Kingdom, death by misadventure is the recorded manner of death for an accidental death, caused by a risk taken voluntarily. Misadventure in English law, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, ...

was the verdict of the inquest, while an official described Bernard as, "one of the finest riders on the track and in every respect an all round man".

Legacy

Bernard Laurence Hieatt's grave in Reading Old Cemetery in Cemetery Junction in Reading is a

memorial, with a statue of him in full racing gear. On the memorial it reads, A development of flats on Silver Street, Reading has also been named Hieatt Close in his honour.

References

External links

*Research o
B.L. Hieatt
from th
reading old cemetery website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hieatt, Bernard Laurence English motorcycle racers Motorcycle racers who died while racing 1930 deaths Sportspeople from Reading, Berkshire Grade II listed buildings in Reading 1909 births