Brooklands Stories: Joe Carstairs
A motorboat racer, wealthy heiress, and described by Malcolm Campbell as the “greatest sportsman I ever knew”, Joe Carstairs’ story is one of 1920s excess and adventure.
Born in 1900 to a family who made their fortune with Standard Oil and named Marion Barbara Carstairs, Joe had an unconventional, although privileged childhood. As she grew older she took the name “Joe”, cropped her hair short, and wore traditionally masculine clothing, subverting the gender expectations of her time.
When the First World War broke out, and despite still being a teenager, Joe travelled to Paris to drive ambulances. In France she met Dolly Wilde, the niece of Oscar Wilde, and the pair began a relationship. Joe would continue to have relationships and live with girlfriends throughout her life, her openly LGBTQ+ identity defied the social norms of the early 20th century.
After the war Joe opened the “X Garage” in Kensington, London which offered an all-female chauffeuring service. Continuing her interest in motoring, in 1930 Joe donated £10,000 to the development of Malcolm Campbell’s Land Speed Record breaking Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird. Cambell and Joe admired each other and became friends. She wanted to keep her donation secret, however after obtaining the Land Speed Record in 1931, Campbell publicly thanked Joe in a speech.
Joe’s own sporting passion was powerboat racing. She built and developed her boats on the Isle of Wight alongside her mechanic Joe Harris. Joe won the Duke of York’s Trophy in 1926 and after breaking the World Water Speed Record in 1927, she had become known as the “fastest woman on the water”.
Joe lived a fast and exciting life on and off the water. She raced boats, attended parties, and became a much reported on public figure. This story of 1920s excess did not last however, and by the 1930s Joe had retreated from such a public life. In 1934 she bought an island in the Bahamas to live on, named Whale Cay.
Joe died in Florida in 1993 when she was 93 years old.
Please note that Joe always referred to herself as a woman throughout her lifetime, we are following her lead and using she/her pronouns throughout this article.
