His death in the 1924 San Sebastian Grand Prix brought an end to the practice of riding mechanics in two-seat racing cars.

[2] Racing in this early period was conducted between unreliable cars over long road courses, rather than by repeated laps of a dedicated short circuit.

Tom and his eldest brother William served apprenticeships at the pump-making factory of Joseph Evans & Sons, where their father also worked.

As with Barrett's future driver, Kenelm Lee Guinness, this war-work was sufficiently important to excuse military service during the war.

Sunbeam's road cars were highly regarded in this period and the prestige and engineering innovation derived from the racing effort was seen as a significant part of this.

Guinness' usual mechanic, Bill Perkins, had been injured in a crash at Brooklands some weeks earlier, when the driver, Dario Resta, had been killed.

[2] On the 11th lap Guinness's car hit a rut in the road, which along with the slippery surface, caused him to lose control.

Barrett's granddaughter appeared on the BBC Television programme Antiques Road Show in May 2018, with a suitcase of memorabilia from his racing years.