Henri's last 10 years

In the mid-1960s, Henri was approached by The Sunday Telegraph to have an interview by Andrew Duncan and Henri agreed. The following is a copy of the article that was published. My sincere thanks to The Sunday Telegraph for their permission to use this copyright material here.

an article in The Sunday Telegraph Sunday Supplement, click images to read:

an article from a French magazine Dec 1967, click images to read

an article from Autosport Nov 29th 1963, click images to read text

the contract for an appearance with some models on Southern Television in 1965

left Western Gazette, and right Bournemouth Times, both Jan 5 1968, click images to read

left, Sunday Mirror 14th Jan 1968, and right, source unknown, click images to read

can anyone supply any clues to this Indy Racer that Henri built, name, driver, year? most probable well before 1960, I have no details, click on images for much larger views

During these later years much interest was shown in Henri and his work. He appeared in various magazine articles and on South Today Television on Thursday 18th January 1968. Also he was interviewed on BBC Radio on the 4th January the same year. Everything was swinging along for him. I thought that he had achieved recognition for his work and was going to have a better income. Then, I first noticed that his Jaguar became somewhat dented around the bumpers (fenders) when he had been out to play golf. He changed it for an Alfa Bertone Coupe. That caught the same disease! When I mentioned it, he told me somebody had bumped him in the club car park. I knew later that he couldn't see properly to drive. It was not long before he had another stroke. He already had two by then. Each time Daisy May had found him on the workshop floor, but he bounced back. We thought it would be the end of his modeling, but it was not. He went on to build more models.

When I visited them, early January 1971, both my parents became very anxious but they would not discuss his problems with anyone, not even me. They would eat very little, virtually living on cream-cracker biscuits and my mother was losing weight rapidly. I realised later that they did not have enough money to have proper meals. Daisy May's cancer was considered to be cured but it had spread to her abdomen and had become inoperable. She was suffering stoically without mentioning it to me until she was taken into hospital. When the ambulance had gone, I took Henri to my home to help him cope and recover. Early next morning my mother died. That same evening, Henri had a brain haemorrhage and was taken to Swindon Hospital. He lost twenty years of his memory, but survived again. He was transferred to Christchurch Hospital, near his home, but while there he had several more strokes, and finally died on April 13th 1971.