PAST IMPERFECT:In the 1920s and 1930s car magazines fought for circulation. The Motor's artist Bryan de Grineau was a key weapon in the struggle, writes Bob Montgomery
IN THE 1920s and '30s the UK motor magazines The Motorand The Autocarwaged a fierce war for readers. Key weapons in this struggle were the artists who weekly brought news of the great motorsport events. F Gordon Crosby's work will be forever identified with The Autocar, while at The Motorit was Bryan de Grineau who weekly produced wonderful, action-packed drawings for its readers.
John A Bryan, for that was De Grineau's real name (he adopted an old family name for professional purposes) at first contributed technical drawings to the magazine, but was also sent to Brooklands to cover races and record attempts. Some of his action drawings produced at this time are very dramatic and Bryan also rode as a passenger so that he could give readers an idea of what it was like to be a riding mechanic.
After serving in the first World War, in which he finished as a major in the Royal Artillery he returned to Temple Press, publishers of The Motor, as a freelance artist, now styled "De Grineau". He was evidently a considerable personality and very good company and Roger Walkerley, was Sports Editor of The Motorand spent many seasons covering races with him recalled many happy times with the artist.
On one occasion they checked into a Brescia hotel to cover the Mille Miglia and found cigars and champagne awaiting them. Eventually, the penny dropped that "Bryan" had been mistaken for "Baron" when the hotel was being booked. It is not recorded if the pair informed the hotel of their mistake.
De Grineau's work is inevitably compared to that of his great rival, F Gordon Crosby at The Autocar. Although it is widely regarded that Crosby's work is superior, this is probably unfair. The late pages of The Motorwent to press on Sunday night so that the magazine could be printed on Monday and on magazine stands on Tuesday.
These tight deadlines meant that De Grineau would be drawing in the pits while a race was in progress, with a colleague standing by to grab the finished pages and drive them to London.
After 1930, The Motorchartered a plane for key races such as Le Mans, and De Grineau would work to complete his drawings while the usually draughty biplane made its way to London. The fact that the rival The Autocarwas not published until Friday handed a huge advantage to Crosby.
Somewhat underpaid by The MotorBryan de Grineau also suffered on occasion when mistakes were made by sub-editors working under the pressure of the Sunday night deadline. Luckily, De Grineau also did commissions other than for The Motor. His work appeared on a regular basis in The Illustrated London Newsand the benefits of its longer deadlines are apparent in his wonderful cut-away drawings of submarines and various other vehicles.
Perhaps his biggest commission was an illustrated History of the World, an item much sought after by collectors for his wonderful drawings.
During the second World War he was an official war artist and despite his advancing age - 56 at the outbreak of the war - he was on-hand to record battle scenes, generally regarded as his finest work. Bryan de Grineau, died in 1957 at the age of 74.