The long awaited memorial in Bourne to Raymond Mays, ERA and BRM was finally unveiled yesterday (Sunday 16th November).
The monument, constructed of Clipsham stone with a bronze bas relief plaque stands by the banks of the Eau, the stream that runs through the town. The design of the plaque shows the head of Raymond Mays flanked by an ERA and BRM with wording that gives tribute to Mays, the cars and the people that worked to put them together.
The unveiling was carried out jointly by David Owen who is now the Chairman of Rubery Owen Holdings, Louis Stanley who along with his late wife Jean were joint chairpersons of BRM and Stanley BRM until the firm's demise.
Other invited guests were Tom Wheatcroft, the Mayor and Mayoress of Bourne and members of the Bourne United Charities with whose permission the memorial was sited.
Pam Rudd, erstwhile resident of Bourne and widow of the great designer Tony, had travelled over from Norwich along with daughters Leslie and Phillipa with their respective families.
The memorial was funded when unexpectedly money was left over after the memorable day in the Town in 1999 when the streets resounded to the sound of ERAs and BRMs thundering through the streets.
The organising committee comprising of Rick Hall; David Glen, John Sismey, Paul Futter and the author decided that it would be a good idea to put up a lasting tribute to the historic part that Bourne played in motor racing history. Two of the group were ex-BRM. John Sismey was a team engine mechanic who was attached amongst others to Richie Ginther and Graham Hill. Rick Hall was in the engine build shop and has taken this knowledge with him to become one of the top racing preparation men in historic motorsport specialising in BRMs of course.
It is to be hoped that this structure will serve to remind all who stop to look what honour the racing men of the town brought back to it, especially in 1962 when the World Championship came to this quiet corner of Linconshire, Graham Hill winning the first of two titles in the Bourne built car.
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