Phil Vincent - Early Life

Early Life

Philip Conrad Vincent was born in Wilbraham Gardens, Fulham on 14 March 1908. His mother, Ada Vincent, travelled back from Argentina to have her children in order to secure British citizenship. The family owned a cattle ranch between Monte Buey and Monte Maize, in the province of Córdoba, Argentina. His education began at St. George's, a British Preparatory School in Quilmes, a suburb of Buenos Aires. He was sent back to England to live with his uncle, John Vincent, who was a veterinary surgeon and lived at High House, Horndon on the Hill, Essex. Phil's education was continued there together with his two sisters, Gwendoline & Marjorie, a cousin and four other local children. He spent a year at Downsend Preparatory School, Leatherhead. He was then accepted at Harrow School which was where he first became interested in motorcycles.

Phil bought his first motorcycle, a secondhand 350cc BSA from Gamages in Holborn at Christmas 1924. He went to Cambridge University in October 1926 to read Mechanical Sciences at Kings College. His real interest was in motorcycles and by the age of 18 he had a workshop and was designing and building his own machines. His father agreed that he could have a break from university to develop his first "Vincent Special". In 1928 he had registered a patent for his design of cantilever rear suspension and left Cambridge before graduating.