David William Anthony Blyth Macpherson, 2nd Baron Strathcarron
Encyclopedia
David William Anthony Blyth Macpherson, 2nd Baron Strathcarron (23 January 1924 - 31 August 2006) was best known as the "motorcycling peer". He inherited the Barony
on his father's death in 1937, but lost his automatic right to a seat in the House of Lords
with the passage of the House of Lords Act
1999.
He served in the Royal Air Force
(RAF) in the Second World War
, and raced motor vehicles after the war. He was the motoring correspondent of The Field
from 48 years, from 1954 to 2002. He died seven weeks after a motorcycling accident involving a dustcart. His obituary in The Daily Telegraph
described him as "an engaging amalgam of Mr Punch, Bertie Wooster
and Mr Toad".
Lord Strathcarron's father was Ian Macpherson
, a government minister in the cabinet of Lloyd George
who had been created Baron Strathcarron
, of Banchor, in 1936. He attended Eton College
and Jesus College, Cambridge
. After the outbreak of the Second World War, he joined the RAF in 1941, before he graduated, and flew Wellingtons
for Coastal Command on reconnaissance and search-and-rescue missions over the Atlantic Ocean, during the Battle of the Atlantic. He then flew long-range transport missions, and was demobbed in 1947. He continued to fly as a private pilot
after the war, until the 1980s.
His interest in motor vehicles began in his youth, when he learned to drive in his mother's 1932 Essex
Terraplane. He was bought a Morgan Super Sports for his sixteenth birthday, in which he quickly passed his motorcycle test but then also soon had his first driving accident. He took up motor racing after he left the RAF, competing against Stirling Moss
in 500cc motor racing, and drove for Marwyn and Kieft
. He raced vintage cars from his own collection, including Alfa Romeo
s, Austin-Healey
s, Bentley
s, Jensens
and Rileys
. He founded an automotive supplies business, Strathcarron & Co, in 1960. In 1963, he wrote an account of his experiences in motor racing, entitled Motoring for Pleasure. He won the Lords versus Commons motor race at Brands Hatch
in 2000, aged 76. After he retired as motoring correspondent of The Field in 2002, he wrote a column for the website Hoot!, entitled "View from a Peer".
During his time in Parliament
, Lord Strathcarron was involved in many motoring issues, and was chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Motorcycling Group. He was involved in working with the Motor Cycle Industry Association to create the system of Compulsory Basic Training
for learner motorcyclists, introduced in December 1990. He usually voted with the Conservative Party
, but rarely spoke.
Outside Parliament, he was a President of the Guild of Motoring Writers, President of the Jensen Owners' Club and Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Motorists
. He was also involved with the British Racing Drivers' Club
, the Guild of Experienced Motorists, the Vintage Sports Car Club, the Driving Instructors' Association, the Vehicle Builders and Repairers' Association, the Institute of Road Transport Engineers, the Institute of the Motor Industry and the Order of the Road.
He married four times, and was survived by his fourth wife, Diana. The title was inherited by Ian Macpherson, 3rd Baron Strathcarron
, the elder of the two sons from his second marriage.
Baron Strathcarron
Baron Strathcarron, of Banchor in the County of Inverness, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1936 for the Liberal politician Sir Ian Macpherson, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Drumalban, in 1933...
on his father's death in 1937, but lost his automatic right to a seat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
with the passage of the House of Lords Act
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
1999.
He served in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and raced motor vehicles after the war. He was the motoring correspondent of The Field
The Field (magazine)
The Field is the world's oldest country and field sports magazine, having been published continuously since 1853.The famous sportsman Robert Smith Surtees, the creator of Jorrocks, was the driving force behind the initial publication...
from 48 years, from 1954 to 2002. He died seven weeks after a motorcycling accident involving a dustcart. His obituary in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
described him as "an engaging amalgam of Mr Punch, Bertie Wooster
Bertie Wooster
Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of...
and Mr Toad".
Lord Strathcarron's father was Ian Macpherson
Ian MacPherson
Ian Macpherson may refer to:*Ian Macpherson, 1st Baron Strathcarron : British lawyer and politician*Ian Macpherson, 3rd Baron Strathcarron*Ian Macpherson : Scottish novelist...
, a government minister in the cabinet of Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
who had been created Baron Strathcarron
Baron Strathcarron
Baron Strathcarron, of Banchor in the County of Inverness, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1936 for the Liberal politician Sir Ian Macpherson, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Drumalban, in 1933...
, of Banchor, in 1936. He attended Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
. After the outbreak of the Second World War, he joined the RAF in 1941, before he graduated, and flew Wellingtons
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
for Coastal Command on reconnaissance and search-and-rescue missions over the Atlantic Ocean, during the Battle of the Atlantic. He then flew long-range transport missions, and was demobbed in 1947. He continued to fly as a private pilot
Private Pilot
A private pilot is the holder of a Private Pilot License. They are able to fly to almost anywhere in the world, but are limited in the type of aircraft that they can fly...
after the war, until the 1980s.
His interest in motor vehicles began in his youth, when he learned to drive in his mother's 1932 Essex
Essex (automobile)
The Essex was a brand of automobile produced by the Essex Motor Company from 1918–1922 and Hudson Motor Company of Detroit, Michigan between 1922 and 1932.-Corporate strategy:...
Terraplane. He was bought a Morgan Super Sports for his sixteenth birthday, in which he quickly passed his motorcycle test but then also soon had his first driving accident. He took up motor racing after he left the RAF, competing against Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
in 500cc motor racing, and drove for Marwyn and Kieft
Kieft
Kieft may refer to:*Kieft Cars, the British motorcar company founded by Cyril Kieft* Willem Kieft director-general of New Netherland* Jan Jacob Kieft a Dutch gymnast* Wim Kieft a Dutch footballer...
. He raced vintage cars from his own collection, including Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
s, Austin-Healey
Austin-Healey
Austin-Healey was a British sports car maker. The marque was established through a joint-venture arrangement, set up in 1952 between Leonard Lord of the Austin division of the British Motor Corporation and the Donald Healey Motor Company, a renowned automotive engineering and design...
s, Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
s, Jensens
Jensen Motors
Jensen Motors Ltd was a British manufacturer of sports cars and commercial vehicles, based in the Lyng – West Bromwich...
and Rileys
Riley (automobile)
Riley was a British motorcar and bicycle manufacturer from 1890. The company became part of the Nuffield Organisation in 1938 and was later merged into British Leyland: late in 1969 British Leyland announced their discontinuance of Riley production, although 1969 was a difficult year for the UK...
. He founded an automotive supplies business, Strathcarron & Co, in 1960. In 1963, he wrote an account of his experiences in motor racing, entitled Motoring for Pleasure. He won the Lords versus Commons motor race at Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
in 2000, aged 76. After he retired as motoring correspondent of The Field in 2002, he wrote a column for the website Hoot!, entitled "View from a Peer".
During his time in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, Lord Strathcarron was involved in many motoring issues, and was chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Motorcycling Group. He was involved in working with the Motor Cycle Industry Association to create the system of Compulsory Basic Training
Compulsory Basic Training
In the United Kingdom, the term Compulsory Basic Training is a preliminary vehicular training course which must be completed by people wishing to ride a motorcycle or moped unaccompanied on the road, and remains valid for 2 years upon completion...
for learner motorcyclists, introduced in December 1990. He usually voted with the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, but rarely spoke.
Outside Parliament, he was a President of the Guild of Motoring Writers, President of the Jensen Owners' Club and Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Motorists
Institute of Advanced Motorists
The Institute of Advanced Motorists is a charity based in the United Kingdom and serving nine countries, whose objective is to improve car driving and motorcycle riding standards, and so enhance road safety, through the proper use of a system of car and motorcycle control based on Roadcraft...
. He was also involved with the British Racing Drivers' Club
British Racing Drivers' Club
The British Racing Drivers' Club is a membership body which represents the interests of professional racing drivers from the United Kingdom.-Early days:...
, the Guild of Experienced Motorists, the Vintage Sports Car Club, the Driving Instructors' Association, the Vehicle Builders and Repairers' Association, the Institute of Road Transport Engineers, the Institute of the Motor Industry and the Order of the Road.
He married four times, and was survived by his fourth wife, Diana. The title was inherited by Ian Macpherson, 3rd Baron Strathcarron
Ian Macpherson, 3rd Baron Strathcarron
Ian David Patrick Macpherson, 3rd Baron Strathcarron, is a British peer, the and inherited the title on the death of his father David William Anthony Blyth Macpherson, 2nd Baron Strathcarron on 31 August 2006...
, the elder of the two sons from his second marriage.