Norman Graham Hill OBE (1929 - 1975)

Born 15 Feb 1929 in Hampstead, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 29 Nov 1975 at age 46 in Arkley, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Graham Hill OBE is Notable.

Norman Graham Hill OBE was born on 15th February 1929 in Hampstead, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom. Graham, as he was known to differentiate from his similarly-named father, was the son of Norman Hill and Constance Philp. ^[1] After completing his formal education at Hendon Technical College he joined Smiths Instruments as an apprentice engineer. Graham was conscripted into the Royal Navy and served as an Engine Room Artificer (ERA) on the light cruiser HMS Swiftsure, rising to the rank of petty officer.

Graham Hill married in 1955. The couple later had two daughters and a son.

Graham is regarded as one of the greatest motor racing drivers of his generation, winning the Formula One World Driver's Championship on two occasions, in 1962 in a BRM and 1968 in a Lotus, and finishing runner-up on three occasions, in 1963, 1964 and 1965. He remains the the only driver ever to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport: the Indianapolis 500 (in 1966), the 24 Hours of Le Mans (in 1972), and the Grand Prix de Monaco (1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969. ^[2] Graham's Formula One career extended from 1958 to 1975 with Lotus (1958-59, 1967-70), BRM (1960-66), Brabham (1971-72) and his own Embassy Racing (1973-75); with 14 Grand Prix victories.

In 1968, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to motor sport. ^[3]

He appeared in three films and in numerous television specials and documentaries, including:

• Grand Prix (1966), as a Formula One racing driver;
• Formula One: Nell In'Ferno del Grand Prix, aka Maniacs on Wheels (1970), as himself;
• Top Gear (1972), a documentary on the various forms of transporttation and the skills required to operate the vehicles;
• Graham Hill's World of Sport, a 60-minute special presenting his own behind-the-scenes and at-home footage as an accomplished amateur film maker;
• Caravan to Vaccarès (1974), appeared as a helicopter pilot.

Graham wrote five books:

• Life at the Limit (1970), an autobiography written whilst recovering from a serious racing accident the previous year;
• Graham Hill's Motor Racing Book (1970);
• Graham Hill's Car Racing Guide (1971) with Mike Kettlewood;
• Advanced Driving with Graham Hill (1975) with Neil Ewart, in conjunction with a televised road safety series of the same name; and
• Graham (1976) with Neil Ewart, an autobiography published posthumously.

Aged just 46 years, Graham was killed on 29th November 1975 when the aeroplane he was piloting from France crashed in fog at night on Arkley golf course, Hertfordshire, while attempting to land at Elstree Airfield in north London. ^[4] His funeral was held in St Albans Abbey, and he is buried at St Botolph's graveyard, Shenleybury in Shenley, Hertfordshire. He was survived by his widow and their three teen- and 'tween-aged children.

Graham and his son Damon (also appointed OBE) are the first father and son pair to win Formula One World Driver's Championships (Damon in 1996); a feat accomplished by just one other couple (Keke and Nico Rosberg) to date.

Sources

1. ↑ England & Wales birth registration: Hampstead [district], Volume 1a, Page 835, March quarter 1929 [Norman Graham Hill], mother's maiden name PHILP
2. ↑ Wikipedia: List of Formula One World Constructors' Champions; accessed 4 May 2021
3. ↑ Graham Hill awarded OBE, p6310 London Gazette
4. ↑ England & Wales death registration: Barnet [district], Volume 11, Page 147, June quarter 1976 [Graham Hill]

See also

• Wikipedia profile: Graham Hill; accessed 4 May 2021.