MEN BEHIND THE SCENES

MEN BEHIND THE SCENES,

No. 3.

Mr. R. TANNER.

WHEN the thousands of workmen descended on the peace of Weybridge in the year 1907, their activities gave a tremendous amount of interest to the local inhabitants of this quiet Surrey village. Among those who used to walk over to see the progress of their work on the Brooklands Estate were a father and son, and as the great concrete track took shape before their eyes, motorracing became the abiding subject for thought in the mind of the boy.

He longed for the track to be completed, so that he could see some of the machines that would come to do battle there, and meanwhile he immersed himself in the motoring books and publications of the time. At last the great day of the first meeting came, and he and a friend took up their places on a hank at the roadside. From this vantage point they took down the numbers of all the racing cars as they arrived, amid much noise, smoke and flame.

The boy’s name was Reginald Tanner, and little did he realise at that date that in later years he would become a person of considerable importance to competitors in the Paddock of Brooklands, and in the world of motor-racing generally. It was not until 1921 that Tanner entered the Anglo-American Oil Company, but hardly had he settled down than it was decided that a Competition’s Lepartment should be started. Tanner saw his chance and took it, and since its

inception he has been in this section of ” Pratts.” Now he is the head of the department, and in this capacity is one tAf the best known (and best liked) figures at all motor-racing gatherings, whether it be the Monaco Grand Prix, the R.A.C. Rally, or the T.T. Reginald Tanner owes a lot of his success to a genuine love of the motorracing game (of which more anon), and this keenness reacts on all those with whom he comes in contact. Added to this he is thoroughness personified, so that competitors can depend upon his assistance without the slightest misgiving—a

vital factor in the last minute rush before an event.

About that keenness of his, some idea of its strength can be gained by the fact that Tanner’s annual holiday is of the ” busman ” character—to wit, he participates each year in the Monte Carlo Rally. He has been through three so far, once on a Singer, then on a Talbot, and. last year on an M.G. Midget.

This year he is going on a Triumph, from Tallinn, and the best wishes of all those with whom he has come in contact will go with this popular ” Man Behind the Scenes.”