Mrs Victor Bruce

Mildred Mary Petre (10 November 1895 – 21 May 1990) was a British record-breaking racing motorist, speedboat racer and aviator in the 1920s and 1930s, and later, successful businesswoman. Commonly referred to as Mrs Victor Bruce, she was also known in contemporary references as Mary Petre Bruce, Mildred Bruce, Mildred Mary Bruce and Mary Victor Bruce.

Early life

Mildred Mary Petre was born at Coptfold Hall, Margaretting, Ingatestone, Chelmsford, Essex, England, on 10 November 1895, the daughter of Jennie Maginness (née Williams), a Shakespearean actress from Indiana and Lawrence Petre, a descendant of Sir William Petre. She had five brothers and was educated at the Convent of Notre Dame de Sion, in Bayswater, London.

Her childhood involved sailing, riding, and learning to ride a motorcycle, and drive a car. In 1911, aged 15, she began her passion for motor vehicles by riding her brother's Matchless motorcycle, travelling around Osterley, west London, with her collie dog Laddie in the sidecar, wearing a red bow on his collar to match those on her plaits. She was cited for a motoring offence and appeared in Hounslow police court, where the magistrate dismissed the charges, fined her court costs of 6 shillings, and banned her from riding the motorcycle until she was 16. In 1920, she purchased her first car, an Enfield-Allday, and was prosecuted many times for speeding, including three days running at Bow Street Magistrates' Court.

In 1920, her affair with wealthy landowner Stephen Easter (1874–1952) resulted in the birth of a son, originally named Anthony Billy Stephen Petre Easter, but she changed his name to Anthony Petre Easter-Bruce in 1933. In 1926, she married the Honourable Victor Austin Bruce, son of Henry Bruce, 2nd Baron Aberdare.