Harold Rumsey 1924-2004
Harold Rumsey was the landlord of The Red Lion, Pembridge in the 1950s and achieved fame as a RAC Rally driver with his partner, fellow Herefordian, Peter Roberts. He later became Vice Chairman of Hereford Untied FC.
Born in Moor Street, Hereford, he left school at age 14. He later joined the Royal Navy and served on minesweepers throughout World War II. On his return to Hereford, he married childhood sweetheart Betty Gorse, and on leaving the Navy they moved to Pembridge to run the Red Lion.
During this time, Harold competed in national and international Rallying events. Unlike many of their competitors, Rumsey and Roberts were not sponsored by a car manufacturer, so had no back up crew, or financial support, and were not seeded in events. Together they clocked up six international and twenty-five national awards.
RAC British International Rally 1955
One of their most spectacular achievements was the second place gained in the 1955 RAC British International Rally, held over four days and nights, between 8th and 11th March. The cars used then were standard production models with some tuning, but no seat belts, or roll cages, and the weather conditions in 1955 were treacherous.
The race started in Blackpool and covered 2,200 miles across Wales, Lincolnshire, the Lake District, Yorkshire, Silverstone, Goodwood, the West Country, and finishing in Hastings. Blizzards swept the country, leading to some last-minute re- routing necessary to avoid Welsh roads blocked by snow. At the end of the Welsh section 48 competitors finished late and 12 retired following crashes. Snow and ice across the Pennines yielded further casualties, but Rumsey and Roberts were not amongst them.
Rumsey made his mark in the Oulton Park standing start speed test when he drove the TR2 to second place, only 0.8 seconds behind an Allard Cadillac. He returned to the Red Lion triumphant, placed second between two works teams, and praised his co-driver, Peter Roberts, for his superior navigation skills.
Hereford United FC
After successfully running the Red Lion, Harold and Betty started a catering business and its success in catering for large events led Harold to a new career in football. A lifelong Hereford United FC supporter, he became the club’s Vice Chairman in 1965. He helped it to realise the need to make profits from the sale of merchandise and catering to compete in an increasingly commercialised sport. His success at Hereford United led to his business skills being in demand and over the years he worked with Aston Villa, Sunderland, Manchester City and Sheffield United.
Harold retired in 1989 and passed away in 2004 aged 80. His passing was mourned not just by his family and friends, but also by the Rallying community, and the many football clubs he had worked with.
Kay Ingram September 2023
