Alfred Fentiman

A successful racing cyclist in his early 20’s, Alfred Fentiman raced for Catford Cycling Club and competed in the National Cycling Union Championships, setting the record for the mile on at least one occasion. A dental surgeon by profession, Dr. Fentiman later became a manufacturer of false teeth and presumably the success of this business enabled him to turn his attention from cycling to motorboat racing in the early part of the 20th century and in 1905, driving Javelin, he took part in the inaugural meeting of the British Motor-Boat Club on the Thames. Fentiman served on the committee of the Club in its formative years.

Despite racing Javelin in the early days of the sport it was as captain of Thomas, Lord Howard de Walden’s Daimler II that he enjoyed his most success, notably in winning the British Motor-Boat Club’s mile championship and the Cowes Regatta, both in 1907. The following year, Fentiman and Daimler II qualified to challenge for the Harmsworth Trophy but they were beaten by the American boat Dixie II owned by E J Schroeder, at Huntington Bay, New York. A month later, Fentiman and de Walden teamed up at the London Olympics but their entry Dylan did not start the second race in the A-Class competition after the first race was abandoned due to bad weather.

Following the opening of the Brooklands race track in 1907, Alfred Fentiman became a private member and engaged in his third different form of competitive racing, this time on four wheels.