Paddy Macklin’s special kind of courage

On 1 July 1961, a beautiful 17-year-old girl appeared on the cover of Paris Match, then in its heyday: ‘C’est une deb,’  announced the cover, the once upon a time annual British ritual having crossed the Channel to the land of cheese. Her name was Cristina de Caraman, daughter of the Duke de Caraman, and she was so pretty and angelic-looking that even my mother, who was always after me to marry a Greek, told me she was the kind of girl I should get hold of rather permanently. I did that summer on the Riviera, where her mother’s English family had a house high above Monte Carlo.

Cristina’s mother’s maiden name was Macklin and her brother, Lance Macklin, was already a hero of mine, being a dare-devil racing driver, back in the days when a crash meant instant fiery death. Lance had been involved in the 1955 Le Mans accident, which caused more than 75 people to die as Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes had flipped and flown into the stands behind the pits instantly killing tens and injuring hundreds.