Charles Archibald Cecil Birkin (30 March 1905 – 7 June 1927)[2] was an English motorcycle racer, brother of Tim Birkin, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s.[3]
Archie Birkin | |
---|---|
Nationality | English |
Born | Nottingham, England | 30 March 1905
Died | 7 June 1927[1] Kirk Michael, Isle of Man | (aged 22)
Birkin was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1905. He was the son of Sir Thomas Stanley Birkin, 2nd Bt. and Hon. Margaret Diana Hopetoun Chetwynd.[4]
During an early morning practice session for the 1927 Isle of Man TT races, Birkin, riding a 500c McEvoy motor-cycle, crashed fatally at Rhencullen after swerving to avoid a collision with a Fish Van being driven on open roads.[5] From 1928 onwards, practice sessions for the Isle of Man TT Races and Manx Grand Prix were held on closed public roads.[6]