John Fitzroy's Fatal Crash @ Limerick 1936 (Aftermath)
- 6 months ago
Between the years of 1935 and 1938, the city of Limerick, in the Mid-West Region of Ireland, was the scene of a series of three Grand Prix races - except 1937 - organised by the Irish Motor Racing Club (IMRC). The course chosen was a street circuit in Limerick city centre, measuring 2.76 miles (4.441 kilometers). Winner of the first Limerick Grand Prix held in 1935 was Luis Fontes, driving an Alfa Romeo.
The second edition of the Limerick Grand Prix International Race, held on the Bank Holiday Monday, 03 August 1936, attracted a fine entry of overseas drivers including Prince Bira, driving his ERA "Remus", Anthony Powys-Lybbe in an Alfa Romeo and the other ERA drivers Arthur Dobson and Peter Whitehead. The race was marred by a fatal accident, which happened in the opening lap.
John Fitzroy, 9th Duke of Grafton, died while competing in the 1936 Limerick Grand Prix. While leading the race, his Bugatti went over a bump on the course at an estimete speed of 80 mi/h (129 km/h) and he lost control on the junction of Roxboro Road and Sexton Street Road. According to eyewitnesses report, the car skidded and leaped into the air until its back portion hit the small stone wall at the entrance to the Christian Brothers' Schools, being immediately enveloped in flames. It ran fifty yards blazing fiercely, before it came to rest. Three spectators seated on the wall, were also burned.
The almost full fuel tank which was in the back of the car, ruptured after the impact into the wall and the flames leapt to a heigth of 30 feet. The rescuers who came almost immediately, got an extinguisher and turned it on the burning car. The driver who was thrown off, was rescued and found conscious, although severly burnt, lying several feet from the car in a pool of blazing petrol. The man's clothing was burned away before he could be rushed to Barrington's Hospital in Limerick. John Fitzroy succumbed to his injuries early on Tuesday, 04 August 1936.
John Charles William Fitzroy, 9th Duke of Grafton and descendant of King Charles II, British peer, also known as Baron Sudbury, celebrated his twenty-second birthday the previous Saturday. He was the son of William Fitzroy, Viscont Ipswich, and his wife Auriol Margaretta Brougham. His father was a Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guard who was killed in active service in 1918, and succeeded his grandfather, the 8th Duke of Grafton, in 1930. He was unmarried and childless, living in Euston Hall, Norfolk, England. After his death, John Fitzroy's remains were taken to England on board of the mail boat, accompained by his mother, Lady Auriol Margaretta Hume Gore and his step-father, Major Gavin Hume Gore. Burial was in Saint Genevieve Churchyard, Euston, Suffolk, England. A verdict of accidental death was returned at the end of the subsequent coroner's inquest.
R.I.P
The second edition of the Limerick Grand Prix International Race, held on the Bank Holiday Monday, 03 August 1936, attracted a fine entry of overseas drivers including Prince Bira, driving his ERA "Remus", Anthony Powys-Lybbe in an Alfa Romeo and the other ERA drivers Arthur Dobson and Peter Whitehead. The race was marred by a fatal accident, which happened in the opening lap.
John Fitzroy, 9th Duke of Grafton, died while competing in the 1936 Limerick Grand Prix. While leading the race, his Bugatti went over a bump on the course at an estimete speed of 80 mi/h (129 km/h) and he lost control on the junction of Roxboro Road and Sexton Street Road. According to eyewitnesses report, the car skidded and leaped into the air until its back portion hit the small stone wall at the entrance to the Christian Brothers' Schools, being immediately enveloped in flames. It ran fifty yards blazing fiercely, before it came to rest. Three spectators seated on the wall, were also burned.
The almost full fuel tank which was in the back of the car, ruptured after the impact into the wall and the flames leapt to a heigth of 30 feet. The rescuers who came almost immediately, got an extinguisher and turned it on the burning car. The driver who was thrown off, was rescued and found conscious, although severly burnt, lying several feet from the car in a pool of blazing petrol. The man's clothing was burned away before he could be rushed to Barrington's Hospital in Limerick. John Fitzroy succumbed to his injuries early on Tuesday, 04 August 1936.
John Charles William Fitzroy, 9th Duke of Grafton and descendant of King Charles II, British peer, also known as Baron Sudbury, celebrated his twenty-second birthday the previous Saturday. He was the son of William Fitzroy, Viscont Ipswich, and his wife Auriol Margaretta Brougham. His father was a Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guard who was killed in active service in 1918, and succeeded his grandfather, the 8th Duke of Grafton, in 1930. He was unmarried and childless, living in Euston Hall, Norfolk, England. After his death, John Fitzroy's remains were taken to England on board of the mail boat, accompained by his mother, Lady Auriol Margaretta Hume Gore and his step-father, Major Gavin Hume Gore. Burial was in Saint Genevieve Churchyard, Euston, Suffolk, England. A verdict of accidental death was returned at the end of the subsequent coroner's inquest.
R.I.P