Napier cars were the first to adopt the colour known as British Racing Green (BRG) for their livery. They were among the first cars in Britain, being produced from 1900 to 1925. Their salesman, Selwyn Edge, had the idea of entering them in international city-to-city races in order to showcase their superior performance.

Dark green was commonly used for trains and other large machinery in British factories, so this was also used for the Napiers. It is thought that this was consolidated in 1903 when one of the races was held in Ireland, where at that time there were only a few hundred cars in the whole country. Special laws had to be passed by Parliament to allow for the race to take place on public roads, including permission to drive faster than the statutory 12mph when between villages. The story goes that it was in grateful thanks that the Irish green was chosen to represent Britain.

There is no standard hue for British Racing Green and it was not until the 1950s that it became quite dark, but it is reminiscent of those early motor-racing days, since from the 1960s onwards it has been been replaced by the sponsors’ brand colours.

(Image of 1903 Napier in BRG: David Merrett at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0)

The Barmy Army is a large group of exuberant supporters who follow the England national cricket team at home and abroad. What differentiates them from other supporters is their outwardly fun-loving approach which becomes more noticeable as the day wears on.

“Barmy Army” began as a football chant but was quickly taken over by English cricket fans. A group of them travelled all the way to Australia for the 1994-95 Ashes tour, which England lost as expected, so the Australian media picked up on the ‘Barmy Army’ tag (‘barmy’ means daft). Two hundred custom-made T-shirts later, the name had stuck.

Far from being a disorganised rabble, Barmy Army Ltd was incorporated in 1995 and sorts out tickets and travel for its members, along with donations to charity. Its rules stipulate that good-natured, clean fun is the order of the day, with no swearing or disrespectful behaviour. Most cricket grounds have a special section for the Barmy Army, both to facilitate their activities and, it must be said, to allow other spectators to sit far away if they wish! Fancy dress, beer-drinking, banter, songs and the trumpet-playing of Billy Cooper are not everyone’s cup of tea.

(Top image: Stephen Parnell at Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)