Friday 5th December 1975

The funeral of former world champion Graham Hill was held at St Albans Abbey, Hertfordshire. Over 2,000 people attended – another 2,000 listened outside – and Jackie Stewart was among the pall bearers. “In an age which is short of joy, he brought happiness for millions, and in drawing out that happiness, he drew admiration for excellence and for character,” said the Bishop of St Albans. Hill died a week earlier at the controls of a plane when it crash landed, in heavy fog, on a Hertfordshire golf course. He and five other members of the Embassy Hill team were returning from a test at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. There were no survivors. Sadly, at the time of his death Hill was uninsured – the families of the other victims sued his estate, the subsequent settlement all but wiping out Hill’s legacy.