Taken just after the internment in 1959. Mike's grave is at the front of the picture - some 300 wreaths are laid out in the background

And below, taken 48 years later in February 2007, a similar view to that above. Mike's grave is the tall memorial at the front

Following his retirement, Mike Hawthorn had made elaborate plans for a joint garage venture with fellow Jaguar dealer and racer Duncan Hamilton and was on the verge of marriage to his fiancee Jean Howarth. He was also about to work with Donald Campbell on his upcoming world speed record attempt at Bonneville Salt Flats.

But he crashed while at the wheel of his Jaguar 3.4 saloon on the Guildford bypass on January 22nd 1959. He was dead within minutes from serious head injuries. Duncan Hamilton who very quickly attended the scene also mentioned that he thought Mike had broken his neck.

The inquest took place on Monday January 26th. The Coroner suggested to the jury that they might believe that speed was the cause of the accident. That there could be no question of any other person being responsible, nor was there any evidence that the accident was caused by the action of any other person, certainly not Mr Walker or Mr Rice the lorry driver. The jury then returned a verdict of 'Accidental Death'. There is more about the inquest in Mikes Fatal Accident - Part 2

Mike Hawthorn's Funeral followed on 28th January 1959 at West Street Cemetery in Farnham, Surrey - his home town - after a service in the Parish Church. Mike's Mother wanted a private funeral - it was the second funeral she had attended in a few years as Mike's father was killed nearby in 1954. Despite this request, which was then countermanded at the last minute, the church was occupied by more than two hundred mourners with a similar number outside. Many racing drivers including Duncan Hamilton and Stirling Moss attended. The images show that over 300 wreaths were laid for Mike with an additional one thousand people coming to look at them and pay their respects over the coming days.

There is a much more comprehensive report of the funeral with a list of mourners and tributes further down this page.

The crash site itself on the A3 was chaotic as people came to view the spot and lay many wreaths in tribute. One nine-year old boy left a small cross.

People were even seen lifting their hats as a mark of respect as they passed Mike's Tourist Trophy Garage in East Street.

Mike's grave is close to that of his father Leslie who in turn had died in a similar car crash back in 1954.

The photo at the page top was taken shortly after the internment - you can clearly see the very large number of tributes that have been carefully laid out and the intricacy of some.

In addition, competitors in the Monte Carlo Rally attended a special Funeral ceremony for Mike Hawthorn in the Anglican Church of Monaco on 30th January 1959.

A well attended memorial service was held for Mike Hawthorn in London on February 6th 1959.

A collection for Mike

Paul Roach recently recounted that Ted Papsch (one of Mike's mechanics) said that a considerable sum of money was collected for Mike after his death both locally and nationally, especially via race meetings.

An invite went out to Mike's mother requesting that his Alfa Romeo be bought to the 1959 GP at Aintree to parade around the track after which a collection was taken.

John Griffith, now living in Canada, remembers a man walking along the big embankment straight taking donations for a Mike Hawthorn memorial - he thinks he gave a shilling.

It was always his mother's wish that an arch be erected by the Tourist Trophy Garage but it never happened.

The monies collected were handed over to the Borough Council and in the end, a road off East Street (Mike Hawthorn Drive) was named after him and the very impressive 5 feet high headstone erected at the graveside by the council. It was inscribed,`A gay and gallant sportsman' The rest of the monies were reputedly donated to charity.

The BRDC Wreath

Mike's will was written, signed and witnessed on the 28th of February 1953 and he left everything to his mother. It's shown on the left here less the signatures.

The Probate document - dated 28th May 1959 - shows that on the 22nd day of January 1959 Mike died 'on The By-Pass (near Coombs Garage) Guildford Surrey'. The document was issued in the High Court of Justice at Winchester.

It shows that the Gross value of his estate was £66,604.16.8 and the Net value was £57,457.2.1. Estate duty and interest on this amounted to £21,725.15.0 and this had been paid at the time Probate was granted.

Fellow racing drivers and others connected with the motor sport and trade were in the large congregation at the funeral service for Mr. John Michael Hawthorn, which was held in Farnham Parish Church on Wednesday morning. About three-quarters of an hour before the service was due to begin at 10.30 a.m., people began to gather outside the main porch of the church. Many of them were women. A number of floral tributes had been placed outside the entrance.

The flower-covered coffin was already in the chancel when the service began. As they entered the church the clergy were followed by a procession of eight close companions of Mr. Hawthorn, some of them racing drivers. Throughout the service they stood with heads bowed facing the coffin and on either side of it.

OFFICIATING CLERGY
The rector of Farnham (the Rev. H. R. Wilds) conducted the service, assisted by the Rev. J. G. Edwards, vicar of Hale, the parish in which Mr. Hawthorn's home lay. Mr. Edwards read the lesson. Psalm 25, "The Lord is my Shepherd," and the hymn "Abide with me" were sung to the organ accompaniment of Mr. G. C. Macklin. When the cortege left the church the graveyard was lined with people on one side. A police sergeant saluted as the coffin was borne past. A crowd of people had formed in Upper Church Lane and in the upper part of Downing Street.

IMMEDIATE MOURNERS
Close behind the flower-bedecked hearse as it travelled to Farnham cemetery came a dark green Jaguar car, carrying the family mourners, including Mrs. Hawthorn, who sat in the front passenger seat. Besides Mrs. Hawthorn, the immediate mourners were Mr. J. Hawthorn (uncle), Miss Jean Howarth, Mr. A. S. P. Morgan, Mrs. Louise Collins, Mr. "Lofty" England, Mr. J. Duncan Hamilton, Sir James Scott-Douglas, Mr. Len Heath, Mr. Pat Massey-Dawson, Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Milne and Miss Milne.

Other mourners present were Mr. Charles Brackenbury, Mr. Ivor Bueb, Mr. Stirling Moss, Mr. J. A. Gregory, Mr. Rob Walker, Mr. Tony Rolt, Mr. Neil McNab, Mr. E. P. Carpenter, Mrs. Irvin Swift, Mr. H. C. Lucas, Mrs. H. Jones, Mrs. W. Thumbwood, Mrs. N. Holland, Miss M. Standford, Mr. Innes Ireland, Group Captain R. C. Hockey, Mr. E. Papsch, Mr. B. Pearce, Mr. J. Houghton, Mr. J. W. Bickell, Mrs. Taylor Young, Mr. and Mrs. J. Wright, Miss A Heritage, Mr. Gordon Watson, Miss M. J. Mould, Mr. A. S. Atkins, Mr. H. R. Duncan, Mr. D. Ford (representing the staff and management of Douglas E. Ford (coachworks)), Mr. C. A Walsh, Mr. C. J. de Vere, Mr. C. A. Hunt, Mr. B. P. Putt, Mr S. V. Dodman, Mr. M. Willis, Mr. R. G. Biggs, Mr. A. Leveson-Gower, Mr N. Weeks, Mr. L. R. Hall, Mr. R. C. Monk, Mr. B. W. Taylor, Mr. E. J. Butter, Mr. M. J. May, Mr. D. Stanley, Mr. E. A. Burton, Mr. Hugh Sewell, Major A. Warren Lambert, Mr. N. Syrett, Mr. R. C. Fleming, Mr. Foley.

Mr. and Mrs. G. E. Thomas, Mr. V. H. Comben, Miss Christine Vere-Hodge, Mr. and Mrs. C. D. Carter, Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Charlton Nicholls, Miss Nicholls, Mrs. Field, Mrs. Goulding, Mr. and Mrs. P. S. D. Atherton, Sir Derrick and Lady Verner, Mr. Guy Gale, Squadron-Leader Dick Stoop, Mr. and Mrs. Rupert Martineau, Mr. F. E. G. Brockway, Mr. and Mrs. J. Nicholson, Mrs. Blackburn Hamilton, Mrs. Bryant, Master Michael Bryant, Miss J. Lee, Mr. C. Proft, Mr. Arthur Williamson, Mr. N. K. Field, Mr. J. Ranson, Mr. and Mrs. Windsor-Richards, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Rice, Mr. George Smith, Mr. A. W. Robinson (representing the Esso Petroleum Co., Ltd.), Mrs. Solman (also representing Mr. Edgar Solman, Mr. S. A. Cockhill, Mrs. H. W. Wooding (also representing Mr. Wooding), Mr. E. W. Cleeves, Mr. G. Brambley, Mr. W. B. Bradbury, Mr. C. G. Bishop, Mr. John Eason Gibson (representing the British Racing Drivers' Club), Mr. Tommy Sopwith, Mr. Ian Palmer, Mr. A. D. Andrews, Mr. Horace Gould, Mr. John Young, Mr. Graham Hill, Dr. C. C. Halliwell, Mr. John Penrose, Mr. Stewart White, Mr. David Dodds and Mr. G. R. Asplin (Haslemere).

THREE HUNDRED WREATHS

At Farnham cemetery many friends and passers-by saw the rector, who was accompanied by the vicar of Hale, conduct the committal service. On the ground, behind Mr. Hawthorn's grave, lay over three hundred wreaths sent from all parts of the world, among them tributes from Daimler Benz; Stirling and Katie Moss; Ferodo Ltd.; the president, officers and members of the Farnham Chamber of Commerce; the Cooper Car Company; Jaguar Cars Ltd.; Juan Manuel Fangio; Tony Brooks; B.R.M. mechanics; the Manchester admirers; British Motor Cycle Racing Club; British Racing Drivers Club; the Shell Petroleum Company; Leu Heath; Mr. and Mrs. Wackett (of Deely's Cafe, Farnham); Equipe Nationale Beige; Ecurie Ecosse; his friends at Aston Martin; C. C. Wakefeld and Company; Vanwall mechanics and racing staff; Tony Vandervell; the chairman and committee of the Royal Automobile Club; the directors and management of Beaverbrook Newspaper; and many other floral tributes from his friends and associates in Farnham and elsewhere in this country and abroad.


The wreaths left on the grave itself from very close friends and relatives

"HIS LAST DRIVE" RECALLED
A wreath brought down from London bore the inscription "From the Invalid Tricycle Association, to whose assistance he was going on the occasion of his last drive."

Many more people would undoubtedly have been present in the church and at the cemetery had it not been announced previously that the funeral was to be private, an arrangement which on Tuesday evening was countermanded.

A memorial service for Mr. Hawthorn is to be held at St. Columba's Church, Pont Street, S.W.1, on Friday, February 6th, at 12 noon.

Source: text, unknown newspaper. Photos: Tony Bailey, Nigel Webb, Frank Swan

Louise Collins recalls that she noticed one card in particular on a tribute after the funeral.

She removed it since she didn't want Mike's mother to see it at that time. It read simply:

'A mon papa. Michael'

For more, read Mike's Secret Son...

We have a separate page for the Grave and where it is located if you want to visit it.

It is regularly maintained and generally carries fresh flowers