Isle of Man TT stalwart remembered
Thursday 12 November 2009
TT
The funeral of a woman who was part of Honda’s TT efforts for many decades will take place on Friday.
Kikue Keiko ‘Kay’ Carran, of Castletown in the Isle of Man, first became involved with the Japanese manufacturer when it first arrived to compete in the TT in 1959.
Mrs Carran passed away last week, aged 83. She leaves a son, Arthur.
Mrs Carran’s relationship with Honda continued throughout the years, right up to the 2009 TT, when she was part of Honda’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
Earlier this year Mrs Carran’s fascinating story featured in the Realising the Dream at the TT, the book specially produced to celebrate Honda’s 50 years in racing.
The book recalls that in 1959, Mrs Carran was the only Japanese-speaking resident of the Island.
The book goes on to quote her as saying:
‘I came to live on the Island in 1953. I met my Manx husband when he was a serviceman in Japan and he returned to work as a technician at Ronaldsway Airport. In 1959 he told me Honda people were coming and suggested I meet them.’
‘It was my first chance to speak my language for several years. I visited the team at the Nursery Hotel and it seemed they did not like the food and the supplies sent over for them had gone bad. So I made Japanese rice cakes for them. They were so happy!’
‘Mr Kawashima was strict with his staff. I would see them in the hotel yard, but they had no time to talk and joke. When Takahashi was injured in 1962, I visited him in hospital every day. I made food for his father and the Japanese doctor who also came to the Island.’
‘In later years I visited the team in the Castle Mona hotel, and sometimes they ate at our home. In 1998, I met Mrs Honda.’
The book adds Mrs Carran, who was born near Hiroshima and as an infant had the distressing experience of witnessing the devastation caused by the nuclear bomb drop in 1945, maintained her tradition of taking refreshments to the Honda team at the TT. It says she visited the crew in the paddock every year, although ham rolls had largely replaced the rice cakes as the team was predominantly staffed by British workers in later years.
Mrs Carran’s funeral is due to take place at Douglas Crematorium at 11.30am on Friday, November 13. Her family have requested that donations in lieu of flowers, if desired, should be sent to Noble’s Hospital Trust, (Patient Comfort), The Strang, Braddan.
You can purchase Honda Realising the Dream at the TT from the iomtt.com shop.