Who was Watton?

Sir,

The recent Nick Loudon photo feature illustrated W Watton in his twin-cam Austin. I knew Wally Watton very well because he had a motor repair business in Birmingham, close to my own works.

He bought the Austin racer in the late 1950s when he was middle-aged, and did sprints and hill-climbs in it during the 1960s.

A larger-than-life chap who loved to talk about the pre-war days at Brooklands, he had also owned the Appleton Special, which I bought in 1959 and restored with his help.

A canal boat enthusiast, too, he sadly passed away some years ago.

I am, yours etc, Michael Hoskison, Sutton Coldfield