As Rolls-Royce celebrates the centenary of its factory opening in Derby in 1908, Vivienne Smith tells the tragic story behind its iconic flying lady mascot.

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THIS month marks the centenary of an historic event for Derby – the official opening of the Rolls-Royce factory in the town. The honours were done by the 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, one of Britain’s pioneering motorists who was a close friend of Charles Rolls and the firm’s managing director, Claude Johnson.

And this is not the only part that John Montagu played in the history of Rolls-Royce. It was thanks to him that the company ended up with its iconic emblem the Spirit of Ecstasy which was modelled on his mistress, Eleanor Thornton.

Born in London in 1866, Montagu developed a passion for motor cars from the moment they were invented at the end of the 19th Century. In 1899, he joined the newly-formed Automobile Club (a forerunner of the RAC), becoming a committee member the same year.

Three years later, in May 1902, he launched one of the country’s first motoring journals Car Illustrated. A regular contributor was Charles Rolls, who Montagu already knew as a fellow competitor in various road races.

However, the person who proved indispensable in helping to get the magazine off the ground was a 22-year-old young woman from South London called Eleanor Thornton. She had first entered the world of motoring in her late teens by going to work for Claude Johnson, then secretary of the Automobile Club.

The job brought her into contact with many pioneers of the motor age, among them Lord Montagu. He was captivated by her from the moment they first met. Not only good-looking, Eleanor was vivacious, intelligent and an independent woman.

Impressed by the way she ran Johnson’s office, Montagu convinced her to become his personal assistant on the new magazine. “Thorn”, as she became affectionately known, was destined to be the great love of his life and, despite being a married man, they embarked on an affair.

In April 1903, Eleanor gave birth to a baby daughter. To avoid a scandal, the child was raised by foster parents, although Montagu provided for her and even got to know her in later life. In the meantime, he followed with interest the exploits of his friends Rolls and Johnson. The two men had just gone into business together in London selling and servicing motor cars. Keen to get into manufacturing, they joined forces with Manchester-based engineer Henry Royce, in 1906, to form Rolls-Royce.

The decision was made to locate the new company in Derby, a purpose-built factory being duly erected on Nightingale Road. Their friend John Montagu was invited to conduct the official opening fixed for July 9, 1908. Special railway carriages were laid on from London for those attending the event, while a fleet of Rolls-Royces transported the guests from Derby station to the works.

In his speech made during the ceremony, Montagu had nothing but praise for the company’s founders. He referred to Rolls as “the most skilled driver”, Royce as “the mechanical genius” and Johnson as “the man of business”.

One particular comment by the aristocrat brought both laughter and applause: “There is one reason why I think the Rolls-Royce is the best car in the world and that is because I have just ordered one myself.” The fledgling firm could not have asked for better publicity.

As Montagu switched on the electricity to formally start up the factory, he wished the venture every success for the future. Through the pages of Car Illustrated, the motor enthusiast continued to do his bit for the business by giving plenty of coverage to its latest model the Silver Ghost. Then a new craze for decorating car bonnets gave him an idea.

Everything from British bulldogs to toy policemen and leering devils were being used as trendy mascots. He thought Rolls-Royce should do the same but with something far more stylish. Henry Royce took some convincing but, eventually, the go-ahead was given to engage a sculptor to come up with a suitably distinguished design.

The man who got the job was Charles Sykes, Montagu’s chief graphic artist on Car Illustrated. A talented artist, Sykes had made a name for himself with everything from paintings and pastels to cartoons and sculptures. His model on many occasions was none other than Eleanor Thornton. Being a free spirit, she had no problems posing in flimsy outfits, or even naked, in the name of art.

Among the creations based on her were a pastel of Mary Magdalene washing the feet of Christ and a statuette of Phryne, a celebrated courtesan of ancient Athens. The latter was even exhibited at the Royal Academy. Undoubtedly, Eleanor was one of the artist’s favourite models. But her role as the inspiration for the Rolls-Royce emblem remained a secret for many years.

Nevertheless, there were some who had their suspicions, such as Montagu’s doctor, who once commented: “They shouldn’t have put Eleanor’s head on it.” In creating the familiar flying lady statuette, Charles Sykes’ intention was to represent “the spirit of ecstasy, who...had alighted on the prow of a Rolls-Royce car to revel in the freshness of the air and the musical sound of her fluttering draperies. “She is expressing her keen enjoyment, with her arms outstretched and her sight fixed upon the distance.”

Blessed with both grace and beauty, Lord Montagu’s mistress provided the world’s most celebrated motor car with the perfect mascot. From 1911, the Spirit of Ecstasy became a permanent feature of the Rolls-Royce fleet. But, sadly, there was to be no such happy ending for Eleanor and her aristocratic lover. With the outbreak of the First World War, John Montagu went out to India with the 7th Hampshire reserve battalion.

Following a trip to England to plead for motor vehicles for the military, he made preparations to sail back east in December 1915. To help out with a report he was preparing for the authorities, his secretary and mistress was to travel with him as far as Egypt.

Lady Cecil, his wife, had, apparently, known about the affair for quite some time and was resigned to the situation. In fact, the two women appear to have got on well together. Sharing a concern for Montagu’s welfare, Eleanor sent a particularly poignant letter to her ladyship before she left. In it she wrote: “You have the satisfaction of knowing that he will be well looked after. I do not think for one moment that there will be any trouble in the Med but supposing...well, then the lord will have an extra chance, for there will be my place in the boat for him, even if he has to be stunned to take it.”

The lovers joined the P&O liner SS Persia at Marseilles on Christmas Day. A few days later, off the southern coast of Crete, disaster struck. Shortly before 1pm, on December 30, as the passengers gathered in the main saloon for lunch, the vessel was hit by a torpedo from a German U-boat.

A tremendous explosion rocked the ship and the dining room filled with acrid smoke. Clutching their life jackets, Montagu and Eleanor struggled up to the promenade deck to discover that their designated lifeboat had been totally destroyed in the blast. The ship began to sink fast.

As desperate attempts were being made by the crew to lower the undamaged lifeboats, the increasingly steep angle of the deck made it difficult to maintain a foothold. Suddenly, a huge surge of water came over the rail and swept Montagu into the sea, wrenching Eleanor from his grasp.

Moments later, the SS Persia sank below the waves, taking with it 343 of the 519 passengers and crew on board. Just five minutes had passed since the torpedo struck.

By some miracle, Montagu was propelled back up to the surface by air escaping from the sinking ship. But there was no sign of Eleanor. He managed to reach a badly damaged lifeboat and, together with a small group of survivors, drifted for more than 30 hours.

Despairing of ever being rescued, they were eventually spotted by a passing ship. Returning along to England, Montagu was unable to express openly his true feelings over losing Eleanor, except to a few close friends. To the newspaper magnate Lord Northcliffe, he wrote: “You will know, as a fellow human, what is my grief at the loss of Thorn, who, for 15 years, was all in all to me and who was the most devoted and lovable woman God ever made.”

In the parish church on his Beaulieu estate, in Hampshire, Montagu erected a bronze plaque to commemorate her life.

Almost a century on, the Oscar-winning director Richard Attenborough is set to pay fresh tribute to their tragic live affair in a new film. Starring Christian Bale, The Silver Ghost is due out later this year. It will tell the tale of how Lord Montagu’s lost love achieved immortality as the flying lady figurehead of Rolls-Royce.

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