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.
Read more about this topic: Phil Vincent
Famous quotes containing the words early life, early and/or life:
“Many a woman shudders ... at the terrible eclipse of those intellectual powers which in early life seemed prophetic of usefulness and happiness, hence the army of martyrs among our married and unmarried women who, not having cultivated a taste for science, art or literature, form a corps of nervous patients who make fortunes for agreeable physicians ...”
—Sarah M. Grimke (1792–1873)
“Pray be always in motion. Early in the morning go and see things; and the rest of the day go and see people. If you stay but a week at a place, and that an insignificant one, see, however, all that is to be seen there; know as many people, and get into as many houses as ever you can.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)
“This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. And also the only real tragedy in life is being used by personally minded men for purposes which you recognize to be base.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)