Gwenda Hawkes
| Gwenda Hawkes | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1894 Preston, England |
| Died | 27 May 1990 |
| Occupation | Ambulance driver, racing driver |
| Spouse(s) |
Colonel Sam Janson (m. 1920) Colonel Robert N Stewart (m. 1924) Douglas Hawkes (m. 1937) |
Gwenda Mary Hawkes (previously Gwenda Mary Stewart and prior to that Gwenda Mary Janson, and born Gwenda Mary Glubb in 1894 in Preston, England – died 27 May 1990) was notable as an ambulance driver in World War I and later as a motor racing driver and speed record holder.
Hawkes was born in 1894 in Preston, England to Major General Sir Frederic Manley Glubb and Frances Letitia Bagot and grew up as Gwenda Mary Glubb.
Hawkes' father was an officer in the British Army who fought in the Boer Wars, and later became Chief Engineer of the British Second Army in World War I (WWI) and her brother, John Bagot Glubb, who was also a British soldier who fought in World War I, became known as Glubb Pasha as commander of the Arab Legion from 1939 until 1956 - Pasha being an Arab honorary title.
Hawkes herself served during World War I as an ambulance driver, and as a result of her skill and endeavours on both the Russian Front and Rumanian Front during 1914-1918, she was awarded both the Cross of St. George and the Cross of St. Stanislaus and was also mentioned in despatches.
Following her marriage to Colonel Sam Janson, a director of the Spyker car company, on 17 February 1920 in Brompton, Hawkes became interested in motor-cycle racing, competing in events at Brooklands.
In the winter of 1921, Hawkes established the 1000-mile record on a Ner-A-Car motor-cycle and in 1922 took the Double-12-hour record at Brooklands on a Trump-JAP.
Hawkes spent time away from home whilst participating in motor-cycling events, and the close relationship that she developed with Colonel Neil Stewart, who was involved with the company who provided her motor-cycles, resulted in Janson divorcing her in 1923.
...
Wikipedia