Congratulations to all on the first issue of the new format ‘Bulletin’. Promises to become interesting regular read - Page 31 this issue does however contain a light weight and potentially misleading rendition of the formative years, my own observations of events during those years follow;
During 1961 local news papers started to speculate about the future for Brooklands.  Contrary to what the article infers - BAC made no secret of the Weybridge sites days being numbered as a aircraft manufacturing facility. No mention is made in the article about how from then on BAC worked openly with trade Unions and the local public on schemes for alternative employment and uses. No mention is made in the article about the contribution made by Several Car clubs who used the Hand a Spear public house (by Weybridge Rail station) as a meeting place.  Members from these clubs together with a History group obtained consent to check out and document for posterity the mostly pre WW11 motoring and Aviation structures on the BAC Weybridge site. A few employees of BAC got involved with this activity, The recorded results were the foundation for the formation of The Brooklands Society.
The article makes claim that Eric Skinley was the originator and “lead figure” in both our early ‘surveying’ activity, Track Clearing and also instigated formation of The Brooklands Society, NOT SO?
No one person ‘saved Brooklands’ it was a ‘team’ effort. As far as I can recall and published documentary evidence supports this,  Eric Skinley was one of the BAC employees who came along and joined in our team efforts. The article jumps about mixing track clearing with other activity. Track Clearing, not “site clearing”  as the articles calls it (all site clearing was done by contractors hired by BAC) was always a separate activity. It has always been known as Track Clearing because the original agreement was for our efforts to help conserve (pending listing?) the Brooklands Outer Circuit and later the Test Hill area.
I appreciate the article provides a sometimes entertaining, all be it through rose tinted motorcycle goggles, version of activity to conserve Brooklands. The period is well documented in readily accessible material in the public domain, confirming the claims it makes are a bit wide of reality and need to be corrected in the Bulletin.  PS not wishing to rub it in, they may have crept in as the result of the author having red mist moments, but I must question the accuracy of statements in the article - when I/we went on site we filled in site location number and signed a prepared list kept at the main gate, we never had to ‘report’ to Eric?  The Godalming Round Table hosted reunion event was a fund raising day - not a “sprint”. Radio a TV coverage was an organized campaign, BAC loved it! we got so much coverage on telly because one of our motoring club team worked for BBC TV, several others were local news paper, Aviation or Motoring journalist that’s the real reason we got such good organized press coverage. The members Bridge was removed because corrosion had made it unsafe not for reason stated. For the sake of historic accuracy I hope a future edition of the Bulletin puts the records straight.
I am sure a great many trust members can provide   recollections about helping to save Brooklands in the 1960’s a early 70’s.

Thanks for that . I’m sure there were plenty of people involved in those early days equally reposnsible for saving Brooklands. I’ll forward your posting on to the editor of the magazine.

I wonder if anyone else has some recollections of those times ?

As some one involved at the time I found the article “Bring Back Brooklands - the early days” a disappointing interpretation of the tribulations and wheeling and dealing which went on to save Brooklands Track and buildings during the 1960’s.
Here in brief summary is my view, a reality check -
In the mid 1960s we had three ‘groups’ in contention - One was the “Brooklands Association”, Eric Skingley was pivotal in forming this group which had aspirations of reinstating Brooklands motor track and airopark. The group supporters often used the slogan mentioned in the article - Bring Back Brooklands,
In group two were local history society, supporters from motoring clubs and motor and aviation journalist. all making plans to record and save as much as may prove practical. Meeting at The Hand a Spear they became known as the “save Brooklands” collective.
The third group were more elusive, business men and old school enthusiasts holding court at the Steering Wheel club and issuing the odd profound statement. They mostly sat on the fence in a watch and wait style and despite the wonderful rhetoric were often problematic and out of touch with the modern world . 
BAC always open and honest often acted like a referee. BAC were however inclined from time to time to move the goal posts.
During 1967 the three groups had a amicable coming together that resulted in the formation of The Brooklands Society.
Plans formulated by the ‘Save Brooklands’ such as Track Clearing, building a track listing and so on became a reality in the Brooklands Society and this groups original message matured into the statement the Society still use today “we saved Brooklands”. Eric and friends schemes to “Bring Back Brooklands” were absorbed into the ‘Brooklands Council’ a often mysterious body within the Society.  Every one agreed real progress was now being made. However, cracks then appeared in the Society make up and resulted in many standing down including William Boddy and Lord Montague. Eric Skingley dropped out soon after to disappear entirely.
From then on the main drive of the Society may have gone up a cul-de-sac, however, much of the hard work and foundations laid in those early days stood the test of time to provide the opportunity taken up by Elmbridge Borough Council to create the Brooklands Museum Trust.
This is not the place to discuss Society matters however I believe it wrong to brush under the carpet the often confrontational moments in events and actions to save Brooklands which were happening long before the Society was formed. The article “Bring Back Brooklands-the early days” fails to do justice to the topic or people involved . 
Eric Skingley made a valuable contribution as did others who put both time and money in to save Brooklands, non should be ignored because to talk about them may embarrass others.
Thanks for allowing me here to explain some of what went on without being economic with the truth or creating cover ups for what was an exciting time in the re emergence of Brooklands.

I found the ‘Bring back Brooklands’ article interesting and informative. I remember the June meeting in 1967 - the second time I had visited Brooklands, and memories of it are still vivid.  The end of the article refers to the author retaining some artefacts of the early era, and this leads me to a plea. I was a member of the Brooklands Society, and participated in the debates concerning the creation of a single Brooklands body (I was strongly in favour). During those debates it was clear that a great many artefacts were held by individual members, and indeed those opposed to the merger expressed disquiet at handing them over to a new organisation. Some went as far as to suggest that artefacts inherited from deceased members should be offered back to the family of the donor, as they had originally been donated to the society, which would have ceased to exist had the merger gone ahead. Such attitudes filled me with despair, and led to me leaving the society and joining the BTM. Surely the BTM can now take the lead, and make it clear to all that we welcome all artefacts of the Brooklands era, and that our aim in the medium to long term must be to display them in an appropriate way within the museum/track complex. We might need to start a campaign to ‘Bring Brooklands Home’, and the new bulletin provides a good platform as I know it is read by both BTM and Society Members. We could dispel some of the myths re the realisation of assets which were floated during the merger process, and the appeal could be spread more widely through our friends and supporters in the motoring press. Although this could be coordinated by the Committee, It is an issue on which I suspect that Alan Winn, the Museum should take the public lead.

The first 12 months of the BTM have been positive and encouraging, let’s hope that it continues in the same vein!

Neil Bailey

BRING BROOKLANDS HOME as suggested by NeilB. I am as I suspect are many others, in total support of NeilB and his suggestion to launch a campaign to return to Brooklands the many artifacts taken by individuals who worked at or visited the site. Items such as those mentioned as being in the possession of the writer in the Bulletin article “Bring Back Brooklands”, these items like many others may at the time have been taken by individuals to ‘save’ them. These days we have the Museum and its team of conservation professionals, the Brooklands Museum is the rightful home for all such items. So BTM committee, please lets see a BRING BROOKLANDS BACK campaign -