8th May 1947
Jersey hosts UK’s first post-war Grand Prix
British driver Reg Parnell won the 1947 Jersey International Road Race, considered to be the first Grand Prix race held in the United Kingdom following the Second World War. Like the second-placed driver, Frenchman Louis Chiron, he was driving a Maserati. There had been much speculation in the weeks leading up to the event that it would prove to be the fastest road race in Europe, with cars reaching 150mph on the straights – in particular the A2 running along St Aubin’s Bay.
The race, which covered 160 miles and had a £1000 prize fund, saw only 13 of the original 25 entrants cross the finish line. Prince Birabongse Bhanudej, better known as Prince Bira of Siam, had also entered, again in a Maserati, but dropped out at the halfway point.
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Other events that occured in May
France fails to invade Jersey
- France sent five large ships to St Ouen in an effort to invade Jersey in 1779, but they were spotted before they could land.
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Murdered Zsuzsanna Basenyei last seen alive
- Hungarian national Zsuzsanna Basenyei was last seen alive on 10 May 2018. Six days later, her body was discovered at La Pulec.
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Lillie Langtry and the Prince of Wales begin their affair
- Lillie Langtry first met King Edward VII at a dinner. He was still plain Bertie, then and had specifically asked that she sit with him.
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A new type of aircraft debuts on Jersey route
- The Handley Page Dart Herald was a short-range regional airline for developing countries, but it was also used on the Jersey route.
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