John Haynes 1938–2019

Guild life member John Haynes, creator of the world famous Haynes Manual, has died at the age of 80 after short illness.

His career in publishing began after he built and sold an Austin 7 Special while still at Sutton Valance school, receiving so much interest in the car that he decided to produce a booklet showing other enthusiasts how to make one like it. The first print run of 250 copies of Building A ‘750’ Special sold out in 10 days.

Haynes did National Service in the RAF, where he met his wife to be Annette. On the way to their wedding he stopped to buy Annette a second hand IBM Proportional Space Type Writer as her wedding present.

In 1965 Haynes was posted to Aden where he created the first Haynes Manual, after helping an RAF colleague rebuild an Austin-Healey Sprite. The manual was published in 1966, and the first print run of 3,000 sold out in less than 3 months.

Over the next quarter of a century Haynes manuals enjoyed extraordinary success and the Haynes Publishing Group PLC was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1979. In 1995 Haynes was awarded an OBE for services to publishing.

The success of the business enabled Haynes to build up an impressive collection of cars. In 1985 he founded the Haynes International Motor Museum in Sparkford, Somerset as an Educational Charitable Trust, bequeathing his cars to the charity to be held for the benefit of the nation. He continued to support the museum charity throughout his life by donating cars and funding its growth. The museum now displays more than 400 vehicles, is enjoyed by over 125,000 people a year and is recognised as one of the finest automotive museums in the world.

He continued to serve as chairman of the Haynes Publishing Group until 2010. In 2014 he was made a Guild Life Member in recognition of his services to automotive publishing and his long support of the Guild.

Guild chairman Richard Aucock said: “We were proud and delighted to make John a Life Member in 2014, and it was fitting that he was honoured alongside another legend, Murray Walker. Most motoring journalists are car nuts who will have been eternally grateful to John on many an occasion between the axle stands. Truly someone just like us, we will miss John, but his influence on our industry and our passion will live on for many years to come.”

John Haynes is survived by his wife Annette, brother David and sister Mary, two sons and five grandchildren.

John Harold Haynes OBE
25 March 1938 – 8 February 2019

Brian Laban (1948–2016)

The popular motoring writer and historian Brian Laban died overnight on Tuesday, 27 December, in hospital near his home in Sussex, where he was being treated for bowel cancer. He was 68.

Brian, seen here (right) interviewing Norm Koury at Sebring in 2005, was a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, the Fleet Street Motoring Group and the Southern Group of Motoring Writers, Brian was author of more than 40 books and a contributor to many titles including The Daily Telegraph, The Aston Martin Magazine, Audi Driver, Evo, Professional Motorsport World and many more. He was working on a limited edition Aston Martin book for Palawan Press.

A renowned Le Mans specialist, Brian was author of the definitive book ‘Le Mans 24 Hours’, which he was about to update. In a brief respite from his illness, he reported for the Daily Telegraph from the 2016 Le Mans race.

A proud Yorkshireman, after Mexborough Grammar School Brian graduated in physics from North-East London Polytechnic (now the University of East London). In 1973 he followed his dream into the world of motorsport and all things automotive as press officer at the British Automobile Racing Club.

He was a professional motoring writer ever since. He joined the Guild of Motoring Writers in 1978 and also served on the Committee. Brian was a former Chairman of the Fleet Street Motoring Group.

A winner of the Pierre Dreyfus Award in 1991, Brian was shortlisted for the Features Writer of the Year Award in the 2009 Headlineauto Awards. As editor of Vauxhall’s V magazine, he was shortlisted for the prestigious Consumer Editor of the Year Award in the 2007 APA Awards.

Brian’s wife Mary predeceased him and there were no children. He is survived by his 94-year-old mother, Irene, to whom the Guild extends its sincere condolences.

The funeral service for Brian will take place at 12 noon on Friday 27 January at St Mary’s Parish Church, Church Road, Newick, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 4JZ.

This will be followed by a celebration of Brian’s life, with refreshments, at a location to be confirmed. The venue will be dependant on the number of people planning to attend the reception. Anyone who wishes to join his family for the service is asked to send their name to Guild general secretary Patricia Lodge to assist with catering email: generalsec@gomw.co.uk

If you would like to make a donation to the Guild of Motoring Writers Benevolent Fund in Brian’s memory, please go to www.justgiving.com/Brian-Laban

Graham Macbeth

The funeral service for Guild vice-president Graham Macbeth, who has died at the age of 88, will take place at Poole Crematorium, Gravel Hill, Broadstone, Poole, Dorset BH17 9BQ at 2pm on Friday 11 March.

The service will be followed by tea at Les Bouviers Restaurant, Arrowsmith Road, Canford Magna, Poole, Dorset BH21 3BD. The family would like to know numbers of those attending the tea – please advise the Guild Secretariat direct at generalsec@gomw.co.uk.

Family flowers only but donations may be made to The Guild of Motoring Writers Benevolent Fund in Graham’s memory.

Graham Macbeth was a Guild member for more than 60 years. He became assistant honorary secretary in 1962, chairman in 1974 and was made a vice-president at the 2008 AGM when he handed over the role of honorary secretary to Chris Adamson.

He was the motoring correspondent for the Brighton Evening Argus from the 1950s to the 1980s, and worked for Practical Motorist magazine in the 1980s and 1990s. He was also press officer, general secretary and then competitions manager of the British Automobile Racing Club and press officer at Brands Hatch between 1967 and 1979.

The Guild extends sincere condolences to Mary and family at this sad time.

Paul Harris: “unflappable dignity, unfailing politeness, the determination to do things right”

As we waited at Dover for the P&O ferry that would take us to France to begin the 2015 Guild Euro Classic writes Andrew Noakes, organiser Paul Harris appeared with rally plates and information packs for all the participants. We all knew he hadn’t been well, and someone asked how he was. “I’ll survive the weekend,” he said, with a rye smile.

What a weekend it proved to be. Some stunning cars, a warm welcome wherever we went, magnificent Champagne scenery, and the odd goblet of the local product, all enjoyed in a convivial atmosphere.

And there, at every location we visited, were Paul and Ann in their white ur-quattro, making sure everything was running smoothly and everyone knew where they had to be. Ferry, road routes, hotel, food, parking spots. In Epernay, a formal procession of the cars through the town which Paul briefed the drivers about (above) with military precision. There were excursions and notes about places of interest along the route, even a quiz at the end – it was all organised faultlessly, and that was largely down to the immense effort Paul put into it. The ‘Classic’ was a huge success.

When Paul said he’d see out the weekend we all chuckled politely at the joke, but there was more truth in what he’d said than any of us wanted to admit. His battle with cancer had taken it’s toll, and the trip to France couldn’t have been easy. Just hours after we all got back, Paul was taken seriously ill and admitted to hospital.

He died yesterday.

Those of us who knew Paul as a friend or a colleague will remember his unflappable dignity and unfailing politeness, the determination to do things right, but also to have fun doing them. He did all of that right to the end.

Michael Kemp

He passed away ‘peacefully at home’ on Thursday 4 December having retired after a remarkable career with cars.

A lifelong journalist, he was motoring correspondent at the Daily Sketch from 1958. When that paper was absorbed by the Daily Mail in 1971 he continued his globetrotting career there until his official retirement in 1995. However he continued working until 2008.

His widow Fran said: “Journalism was his life. It is a blessing that his passing was peaceful.”

The couple moved to Denham Garden Village in Buckinghamshire two years ago but are lifelong Londoners.

Ray Hutton, vice-president of the Guild of Motoring Writers said: “The Guild has lost one of its most respected members and a very professional Fleet Street reporter who covered the whole of the motoring spectrum. No matter where he was in the world he would always be on the hunt for a phone and be filing copy from his notebook or from his head. I don’t think I ever saw him use a typewriter.”

Former Guild chairman Chris Wright, currently chairman of the Fleet Street Group of Motoring Writers said: “Mike was one of the founding members of our group in 1982 and was much admired and respected. His energy and enthusiasm for the job was boundless, if not legendary.”

Al Clarke, president of the Motor Industry Public Affairs Association said: “Mike was a Fleet Street legend who loved to get motoring news on the front page. What made him special was his nose for a story. He made sure our industry was talked about.”

Denis Chick of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ media committee and communications director at Vauxhall said: “Mike Kemp was a doyen of the elite Fleet Street group of motoring writers. Softly spoken and always with cigarette in mouth, he was a formidable journalist, eager to seek out a scoop.”

He added: “I first met him on the Austin Montego launch in 1985 along with his fellow Fleet Street writers. They were important and always in the first group. Cornering the Chief Exec, Mike would be first with the inside story and probably one that was nothing to do with the launch of the car.”

“My abiding memory will be of Mike’s early morning Sunday calls and his cry of: ‘I need a Sunday for Monday mate’. Once he said: ‘You’ve got a new engine for the Metro, must be great for economy, what can we work up’? Front page of the Daily Mail next day was ‘The 100 miles per gallon Metro’. Wide of the mark but it was on the front page. Rest in peace Mike, you were a star and a real gentleman.”

Edmund King, president of the AA said: “Mike Kemp was a master journalist and a charming man. You never seemed to mind when he disturbed your Sunday morning looking for stories. ‘Hello old chap, it’s Kemp here, you don’t mind?’ You didn’t mind because more often than not the story would make the front page. He will be missed by all.”

Former Jaguar PR Colin Cook said: “I first met him nearly fifty years ago – at the 1966 motor show. He was a tremendous supporter of the British motor industry and particularly Jaguar. Throughout his time with the Mail he was also intensely loyal to the paper.”

Ian Morton, former motoring correspondent of the London Evening Standard who drove with him on many launches said: “He was assiduous in his quest for a scoop or an angle, much to the discomfort of his motoring colleagues who failed to spot it. He was very hard working and constantly in touch with his news desk. There was barely an event anywhere in the world at which you didn’t hear someone shout: ‘Telephone call for Mr Kemp.'”

TV producer Andy Wilman said on behalf of the BBC Top Gear team including Jeremy Clarkson: “Mike was one of those great, colourful, motoring correspondents who worked in a very exciting era, an era before identical cars came off computerised production lines. I think all of us were a bit jealous of the life he and his peers led.”

The funeral of Michael Kemp is to take place on Friday December 19, however Mike’s widow Fran has advised it will be a private event for immediate family only. She conveys her sincerest thanks for all the tributes and expressions of sympathy she has received. A memorial service is expected in due course and details will be advised.

Ray Massey is Transport Editor of the Daily Mail. He succeeded Michael Kemp as the Daily Mail‘s motoring correspondent.