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Sporting War and Sporting Peace 1914-1919 - The Boillot Brothers

In his latest piece, Peter Bloor, one of our many brilliant volunteers, focuses on significant moments of sports encapsulated by the First World War, Peter reflects on the pioneering motorsport brothers Georges and André Boillot, and how Georges passing during the war inspired his brother to greater sporting achievements. 

The Boillot Brothers – Driven by danger “Pour La France”

To the dangers of driving in motorsports on either side of the Great War the Boillot brothers, Georges and André, added the danger of flying over the battlefields during it. These dangers would overtake both, Georges being killed in combat three years after being described as “easily one of the best road racers in the world” and André from injuries he suffered while testing near Chateauroux in central France.

“The vivacious Georges”

Despite spending 10 minutes cranking his engine into life at the start of the second day’s racing Georges won the 1912 Grand Prix de l’Automobile Club de France, completing the 20 laps of the 48-mile road circuit between Dieppe, Londiniéres and Eu 13 minutes clear of Louis Wagner.

He won again in 1913 at Amiens, cornering magnificently as he covered 29 laps and 570 miles more than 2 minutes ahead of Jules Goux, prompting The Sportsman to note that “Next year is available to the vivacious Georges for the completion of the hat-trick” and to ask “Why not three wins in succession?”

The answer to that question proved to be a Mercedes 1-2-3 on another road circuit at Lyon-Givors in July 1914. After Georges’ Peugeot had been driven to its limit and broken down on the last lap, Christian Lautenschlager “passed the post amid dramatic silence” and was followed by his team-mates Louis Wagner and another Otto Salzer – silence because two Germans (Wagner was French) and three German cars had beaten the home favourite Georges at a time of escalating Franco-German tension just six days after the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Georges – “Mort pour la France”

That tension would result in France and Germany declaring war on each other just under a month later. “All the famous race drivers have been called out for service…” reported the Paris Correspondent of “The Motor”, including Georges, who sped the French Commander-in-Chief Joseph Joffre along the line as he co-ordinated The Battle of the Marne that saved Paris.

Leaving Joffre’s service at either his own request or, one report states, dismissed because of his reckless driving, Georges joined the French Air Service. Patrolling in May 1916 he encountered five enemy Fokkers that he chose to engage, shooting one down before being shot in the chest and crashing near Vadelaincourt; mortally injured by either the shot or the crash he died in a military hospital and was later awarded the status and honour “Mort pour la France” - Died for France.

The Fearless André

André also flew with the French Air Service after requesting a transfer from the infantry following Georges’ death, and in October 1917 was one of the pilots who attacked a Zeppelin fleet returning from a bombing raid on London. He survived the war, the French Grand Prix at Le Mans in July 1921 at which stones from the loose road surface were “hurled about like bullets” and a month later a crash on a wet hill-climb course at Spa after his car skidded, hit a tree and burst into flames.

Not even this encounter with death – André sustained a broken jaw but his passenger was killed – caused any loss of nerve and he continued to race in, for example, the Monte Carlo Rally, the Coppa Florio and 24-hour events.

Before his Spa accident he had raced at Brooklands against Count Louis Zborowski in his “Chitty Bang Bang”, a 600 horse power flyer powered (appropriately) by a Zeppelin engine. Unsurprisingly the Count was killed while competing - though not while driving this monster - as was André, although strictly speaking he was preparing to compete, in the Ars Hill Climb of 1932, when his car left the road and hit a tree, André sustaining the burns and injuries from which he died some days later.

The thrilling André

In 1919 he had won the Targa Florio, an endurance race in Sicily that was run over four 89-mile laps in snow, wind and rain, with “a display so thrilling that it is to be hoped for his own sake…he will not repeat it.”

Having left the road six times during the race André crashed into the grandstand 10 yards from the finish while avoiding over-enthusiastic spectators before reversing over the line. Heeding protests that this manoeuvre would mean disqualification he and his mechanic were lifted back into their car, drove 30 yards back down the track, turned round and finished in the conventional manner - at which point André collapsed murmuring, in an echo of his brother’s wartime honour, “C’est pour la France.”

The quotes and other information in this article are taken from The Scotsman, The Sportsman, The Times, the Daily Mirror and other local newspapers 1912-1932: confirmation of Georges’ “Mort pour la France” honour at Dead for the France of the First World War - Remembrance of Men (defense.gouv.fr)

Images: Banner image Wills 1938. All Agence Rol except Georges Boillot image, Agence de Presse Meurisse. Source gallica.bnf.fr/Bibliothèque nationale de France.