Vintage Postbag, November 1994

Sir,

I read with great interest WB’s Tribute to Kay Petre but I was sorry he did not say more about the injuries she received when Reg Parnell’s MG Magnette slid down the banking to collide with her ‘works’ Austin 7.

The facial injuries she suffered must have been the cause of considerable concern to one who took so much trouble over the immaculate appearance of her cars and herself when making a public appearance at Brooklands.

Sir Archibald Mclndoe, the famous plastic surgeon, did an excellent restoration job on her features which must have given a good boost to her morale. It also had a wider and more valuable impact. During the war Mclndoe’s clinic dealt with many men in the services who had suffered facial injuries and he received a Knighthood in recognition of his work. He used to get Kay Petre to come down to meet them and to show how a normal appearance could be regained through the surgeon’s skill.

Anthony S Heal,
Beaconsfield.