“Is it any wonder?
Is there any hope?
100 miles per hour
Yet the race just still runs slow
The race just still feels slow.”
Stereophonics, 100MPH
I had a bit of stage fright on this prompt. I have done so many music posts it has its own tag on my site. I even did a whole week of lyrics-inspired photos for February Photofest this year. It’s funny how it’s often the prompt that seem to be made for you that trip you up.
Anyway, this photo wasn’t actually shot for the blog, it was shot for a friend’s birthday. Tailor-made birthday nudes are a thing if you’re close to me. But then I wondered whether I could use it this weekend and googled ‘100mph songs’ and bingo! There are actually two songs called 100mph, one by Stereophonics and one by Prince. I’m not against Prince appearing on my blog but the Welsh boys’ lyrics were more appropriate to the story.
This is the grave of a racing driver called Percy Lambert. He was the first driver to race 100 miles in an hour. He set the record in February 1913 but it was taken from him in the April. On 31st October 1913 he tried to regain his record but a tyre burst and he was killed. His grave reads “A modest friend, a fine gentleman and a thorough sportsman.” A broken column on a gravestone indicates a life cut short. He was 32 and due to be married two weeks later.
I originally had plans to photograph my friend here but this is right on the main path of the very well kept Brompton Cemetery, right next to the chapel and not an easy spot for a man to drop his trousers so I had to rethink and got him a birthday shot with the help of a quick cheeky lift of a summer dress.


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