Blue Plaques

I thought I might do a little ongoing photographic series of the blue plaques I notice around this fair city I live in.

It will be entirely at random and totally non-continuous but I thought it might be quite good fun to do. I'll also include a little information about each of the people so hopefully it'll be quite educational as well.

This first one I happened to notice on the way to an interview. The name I know well from a long held interest in the World Water and Land Speed Record Holders. When I worked for a documentary company a few years ago I was constantly struggling to get a documentary about these fascinating men and women off the ground, but it never quite happened.

Anyway for those who don't know either a) what the blue plaques are or b) who Sir Henry is here is a little info culled from Wikipedia...

a) A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker.

The world's first blue plaques were erected in London, England in the nineteenth century to mark the homes and workplaces of famous people. This original scheme still survives today and is administered by English Heritage. There are now commerative plaque schemes throughout the world for example in Paris, France; Rome, Italy; Oslo, Norway; Dublin, Ireland; Poland; Canada and Australia; as well as in additional towns in the United Kingdom and the United States.

b) Sir Henry O'Neil de Hane Segrave (22 September 1896 ? 13 June 1930) was famous for setting three land speed records and the water speed record. He was the first person to hold both the land and water speed records simultaneously. He was the first person to travel at over 200 mph (320 km/h) in a land vehicle. The Segrave Trophy was established in 1930 to commemorate his life.

After his 1929 land speed record, he immediately went to Miami for a motorboat race against Garfield Wood, multiple water speed record holder and the first man to travel over 100 miles per hour on water. Segrave won, causing Wood's first defeat in nine years. After Segrave returned to Great Britain, he was knighted for his many accomplishments.

A few months after receiving his knighthood, on Friday 13 June 1930, Sir Henry Segrave unknowingly captured the water speed record driving Miss England II on England's largest natural lake, Windermere. In a follow-up run the boat presumably hit a log and capsized, killing Miss England's mechanic, Victor Halliwell. Segrave's unconscious body was recovered, and taken to a hospital. He regained consciousness for a moment, was informed that he had indeed broken the record, then died a few moments later of lung haemorrhages.

Kaye Don subsequently broke two more world water speed records in Miss England II.