MOTORING SPORTSMEN.

MOTORING SPORTSMEN. Lieut. Glen Kidston, RN.

By THE EDITOR.

LIKE so many other of the famous racing men who are known to our readers by reason of their exploits on the road and track, Lieut. Glen Kidston, R.N., appears on the track, disappears for a while, then returns again to thrill the spectators with his speedy Bugattil In the following notes we shall attempt to show Lieut. Glen Kidston in another light where he shines with equal brilliance, namely, as second in command of the largest submarine in the world. At the age of eleven years, young Kidston made up his mind to qualify for the Royal Navy. He, therefore, entered Osborne and went on to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth, and, after having passed his examination, was duly qualified to take an appointment as midshipman on H.M.S. Hogue. This was a thrilling time for beginning his career ; his first taste of naval

warfare being the battle of Heligoland Bight, on August 28th, 1914. On September 22nd, 1914, the Hogue in company with the Aboukir and Cressy was torpedoed off the Dutch coast by enemy submarine, Mr. Glen Kidston being one of the few survivors.

Mindful Of the experience of being sunk by a U boat, Lieut. Kidston applied for an appointment in the submarine service and, late in 1917, took the special submarine course and shortly afterwards passed out as a fully qualified submarine officer.

On his return home, he served with H.M.S. Orion from October, 1914, to December, 1917, and took part in the Battle of Jutland. At the surrender of the German fleet, he had the interesting experience of being on the British Prize Crews, taking over the surrendered German U boats at Harwich.

In 1919, he served in submarines in the Baltic, and saw many interesting events in the Baltic States during their fight for freedom with the Bolsheviks.

After submarine service in the Far East, he was appointed to H.M.S. Dauntless for the Imperial World Cruise.

Lieut. Kidston finds in his duties on the X.r. a fascinating combination of seamanship, engineering and the discipline of the Navy, which is always tempered with the spirit of “boa camaraderie,” for which British Naval Officers the world over are so greatly renowned. The letters ” R.N.” at the end of Lieut. Kidston’s name conveys far more than the average Brooklands

habituee has any idea, and, in the space at our disposal, we can only indicate a little of their true significance. As a motorist, Lieut. Kidston is known among his naval friends as “Count Bugatti” and, though to our readers he may be considered a newcomer in the motor racing world, his name has appeared as a regular winner of gold medals in the M.C.C. events, as he was formerly a consistently successful competitor on different makes of motor-cycles in such trials as the London-Exeter, the Edinburgh and the Land’s End. In fact, he gave up these from sheer monotony of amassing gold medals

and his well-known Bugattis. Speaking of the latter, Lieut. Kidston says that Signor Ettorre Bugatti is the only manufacturer he knows who will sell real racing cars to the general public, thus giving the amateur enthusiast an opportunity of gaining successes without going to the expense of having special cars built to compete with the world’s fastest machines. Possibly his best performance was that of this year when, in the Hartford Cup, at Mirarais, he drove his Bugatti to the first place, which he held for twenty-one laps before being deprived of the position by a faulty

and so turned his attention to other forms-of motor sport. In 1920, he was successful in winning the Arbuthnot Trophy and in the following year took part in the International Anglo Dutch trial for motor cyclists. His favourite mount was a Sunbeam motor-cycle. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that his first machine was a four-cylinder P.N. which he used to overhaul personally for various trials and speed events. As a car enthusiast, Lieut. Kidston has had a very wide experience as an owner of various makes, including an A.C., a Hillman, a Baby Peugeot, a speed model Bentley, a Crystler, a very fine Hispario Suiza Saloon

petrol feed. As it was, he finished fifth and had the honour of making the fastest lap of the day.

In this race he displayed remarkable skill in getting out of a particularly awkward predicament ; for, on the first hairpin bend of the second lap, his car turned two complete circles and it would have puzzled many a more experienced driver to have got it going again without charging the spectators or capsizing altogether. It is interesting to record that as an amateur, Lieut. Kidston was made most welcome by the professional racing men, who were always ready to help and give advice, Major Segrave in particular being only too willing